Mousebumples sent me an interesting article this morning.
You Can’t Win If You Don’t Run
.. It’s not always about winning the race, said Rob Saldin, a political scientist at the University of Montana. It’s about actually running in the race.
“When you do not even have a presence, you don’t even have a heartbeat in large swaths of a particular state, you’re just on the way to a steep decline,” Saldin said.
Democrats want to chip away at GOP margins by lowering the number of uncontested races
Saldin said Democrats have focused too heavily on races they know they can compete in. The path to rebuilding a competitive bench of Democratic candidates in state and local races is a long game, he said, and it’s played by taking what can feel like incremental steps.
“When you have these lopsided margins in rural counties, well, if you’re a Democrat, you just cannot make that up, there just aren’t enough votes,” he said. “You don’t need to be winning in these rural counties, but you need to have those margins be a little tighter.”
Making those margins tighter at minimum starts with making sure every Republican candidate has a challenger — even if it’s highly unlikely that challenger will win.
In Montana last cycle, Democrats left 37 of 150 legislative seats uncontested, the highest number of uncontested races there in a decade. Republicans would go on to win a supermajority in the state legislature, two years after they swept statewide offices.
It’s not as though there aren’t plenty of races around the country where Democratic candidates are running unopposed — but Democrats say the sheer volume of races in rural areas where there isn’t any Democratic presence on the ticket represents an existential threat.
And it’s a concern that extends beyond Montana.
In Louisiana, there are 77 unopposed candidates thus far in this election cycle. The majority of those unopposed seats will go to Republican candidates. Half of Louisiana’s Senate seats are already decided weeks ahead of the October elections. A total of 68 state lawmakers are unopposed, including 43 Republicans. In most cases, Republican candidates simply went uncontested.
In North Carolina last year, Democrats didn’t have a candidate in 44 of the 170 races for state legislature. Republicans in the state only left 10 seats uncontested, and ultimately gained a supermajority in the senate for the first time in four years. Some of the state’s most polarizing figures, including the Republican Senate leader and the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, cruised to victory without an opponent.
North Carolina Democratic Party chairwoman Anderson Clayton has vowed not to let that happen again.
“North Carolinians deserve to have a choice when they go to the ballot box, not an uncontested Republican,” she said. “It is our duty to ensure we have Democrats running across the state to champion our local values.”
‘A little bit of purple’ is the goal.
I know what I think. What do you guys think? Start play? Or waste of time and effort?
Open thread.
Trivia Man
As a former nuisance candidate I emphasize this point!
PJ
I’m not a political strategist, but I think, if only for morale’s sake, the Dems should run somebody in every election, no matter what their chances. At a minimum, this would get more time in front of people to promote Democratic policies. But I sure wouldn’t want to be the person that’s running, so I can empathize with every potential candidate in a district who thinks it’s not worth the grief.
Trivia Man
I moved to a new state and my congressman, a house impeachment manager, said “everybody in my district agrees with me. I know because I run unopposed most years.”
he was unopposed again- so I ran. I am very pleased to report that 80,000 voters had the opportunity to cast a protest vote. Not even close to winning but I have a lot of thoughts on what it is if value. If anybody wants a nudge or some open conversation about pros and cons I would be delighted to say my piece.
Maxim
Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy. I wish we’d listened 20 years ago. Psychologically, I think it makes a huge difference. How many people in red areas are closet Democrats who don’t even know it, because no one is articulating a message that resonates with them? Validating the viewpoints of those people, letting them know they’re not alone, matters a lot, especially in the long run.
nickdag
Ya, I totally agree. It’s atrocious.
Taniel pointed out recently that we’ve already literally lost Louisiana because over half the state seats are uncontested.
https://x.com/taniel/status/1703191638732919088
JaneE
My county is deep red. Still, even though Biden took the county, no other Democrat won their election. When we first came here, we never saw any Democratic candidates, even though there was one on the ballot. After we went to top two regardless of party, we went a couple of elections without even a Democrat on the general election ballot.
I don’t know how significant it was, but the next Democratic candidate actually put in an appearance. I think it was one of the demonstrations about school shootings, but she was there with a message and there are a lot of GOP parents who really don’t like school shootings. She made the general election ballot. Lost of course, as did the next two candidates, but they did put in at least a phone “town hall” together and have a surrogate show up to the local Democrat meeting.
I don’t think I will live long enough to see the district carried by a Democrat, but the youth are not big fans of the GOP for lots of reasons. Even here, where some of the old families have been Republican since the Civil War.
Not only that, but the latest GOP assemblyman is being more visible, if only by phone calls. I can’t see that public opinion has made him change any of his votes, but at least he pretends to listen and answer questions. I doubt if that would happen if he didn’t feel a little heat.
Trivia Man
In 2004 my garage hosted the kerry election day observers so I got to see all of the calls that came in. One particularly struck me – they called to report the ballots were incomplete. One side only had republicans candidates listed. Unfortunately that was correct. In every local race – assembly, sheriff, clerk…. Not one democrat was on the ballot.
so many young people thus get in the habit of only thinking republicans are real.
narya
Start play. I’d be interested in hearing what a reasonable strategy for this is, though; I have ZERO knowledge about what it takes to persuade someone to run, or what support they’d need if they’re not independently wealthy. (Not because I would be a candidate–I live in a super blue area of a blue city in a blue state, so . . . I’m not gonna move.) Is there anyone or any group that is working on this? I’d think all of the recent activity around medical care and book bans would help bring out some viable candidates for our side.
Mousebumples
Thanks for posting this, WaterGirl. Reminds me of a fundraising strategy – I forget who had the idea – support down ballot candidates to help them gotv statewide. If there are no down ballot candidates, it’s much harder to do!
H/t Run For Something for including the article in a newsletter!
Trivia Man
@JaneE: it’s a lot easier know to set their statements in store be and save them for future “this U?” Comments. At the very least make them go on the record – they can lie or waffle or change their position later – but there is value in “you said xyz in 2023, is that still your position?”
Mousebumples
Run for Something is the main one I know about. They mostly (only?) support getting younger folks into local politics. I have no desire to run for anything, but they’re on my monthly donation list.
Doug R
You MUST run someone in every race.
cain
@Trivia Man:
Excellent – I think it’s always important to present an alternative. Every contest is a chance to have a conversation. Even if we don’t win – we can present our case and present it with the messaging that counters conventional wisdom.
fancycwabs
As a dude who ran for Congress (and beat 538’s prediction by 7 points–suck it Nate Silver) against John Rose in TN-06, I can assure you I’m in the “run everywhere” camp.
SiubhanDuinne
Not a waste. We absolutely need to compete in every race, for every office, at every level. I don’t know why so many Dems fail to get this.
Trivia Man
@narya: more important than money at the beginning is appearing on the ballot. AFAIK that always requires signatures geared to the # of people eligible to vote. Just existing on voting day is valuable – and as all these articles point out, in too many places there are just blank spaces.
Chetan Murthy
[only slightly] OT: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/09/why-isnt-a-mainstream-democrat-challenging-biden-2024.html?utm_campaign=nym&utm_medium=s1&utm_source=tw
I mean …. Granpa Joe is about the *most mainstream Democrat* you can be! Sheeeesh.
ETA: And it’s a thumbsucker by Jon Chait, of course. Of. Course.
Omnes Omnibus
Okay, tell me how you are going to get someone to run in one of those no hope races.
Cervantes
I am personally running for First Selectman of a town of 1,500 people. The town generally votes Republican but local offices are a lot about whether people know you and believe you can do the job. Having a Democrat on the ballot for every office is really important, establishing that the party exists and is a legitimate part of the community. If this costs the Republican state rep and senator a few votes in the next election, it could swing those seats. Our incumbent congresscritter is a Dem and he isn’t going anywhere, but the principal applies everywhere. We need to let the rural, small town folks know that the Democratic Party consists of real people, including their neighbors, and that we are working for them. It might not win the election this year, but it still makes a difference.
jonas
That’s the thing — in some rural district in Idaho or wherever where you know the Dem is going to get smoked 80-20, or even 90-10, who do you get to volunteer to be that sacrificial lamb? Who’s going to donate to a campaign that’s (almost) sure to go down to defeat? That’s not going to be easy. State and national parties (and PACs) are going to have to be willing to invest in these races for a while knowing there won’t be an immediate payoff.
p.a.
So how has this happened? It would help when saying “have a presence in every election at every level” to understand why there isn’t. I assume $$$ is the big reason, but then how can it be distributed differently/how can more come in?
Jackie Ogburn
I am excited for the new Democratic Party leader in NC, precisely for this reason. Having a local Democratic candidate running can help with turn-out, which helps the state-wide and national candidates on the ballot.
JaySinWA
I’d be happy to see D’s contest all elections, but I wonder if there isn’t also a path for a real independent third party to start and wrest control from the crazy R’s in local politics. It might be easier to start from scratch than with a propaganda vilified Democratic party in these locations. At some point the MAGA party has to be put down, but a uniparty country will not be good in the long run.
Fiona
I can’t say I blame people for not wanting to run in districts where they put razor blades in your mailbox for having a Biden/Harris bumper sticker.
narya
@Mousebumples: And they are looking for a Research Associate–a remote position that pays $72k, with lots of benefits–if there any jackals who are looking for work and could do something like this.
EarthWindFire
Me too. Especially the persuasion. How do you get someone jazzed up about losing one for the team, potentially multiple times?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Who? and who pays for it? very few people have the personality to both want to run for office, and be good at it, and when you find those people, you’re asking them to make a considerable personal sacrifice, these days including the peace and safety of themselves and their families.
lowtechcyclist
I’m in the ‘run everywhere’ camp, and I’m still pissed at the Dems for ditching Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy. (IIRC, Rahm was the culprit.)
BUT I understand how few people can afford to run for an office that takes up enough time to preclude holding down a normal job, yet pays a base salary of $16,800 (Louisiana) or $13,951 (North Carolina) or $100.46 per legislative day (Montana). How do you find people who have careers flexible enough to be scheduled around legislative sessions, who are willing to run for state legislature? That’s a pretty serious obstacle, and I don’t know what we do about it.
Would be nice if the DLCC had the money to pay them an extra stipend to make it affordable for people to win a seat in the state legislature, but that ain’t happening.
JaySinWA
@p.a.: Money may be an issue, although I think it is more allocation and distribution than lack of funds.
One real issue is that it isn’t safe to run as a Democrat in some areas. That and I suspect a lot of self sorting is going on, so there may not be an eligible candidate.
HumboldtBlue
Fetterman has the perfect response for meatball Ron, who brought him up in a speech today.
PJ
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: As you may have read at the end of my comment, I sure wouldn’t want to be the person running and I wouldn’t blame anybody for not wanting to run. But the Party needs to fund a candidate, and there’s got to be someone young who is willing to try for the experience.
rmjohnston
Always field a Democratic candidate because you never know when the Republican is going to suddenly look vulnerable. Don’t waste money on can’t-win races, but be ready to take advantage when “can’t win” becomes something else, and keep in mind that in a wave you can have many “can’t wins” become competitive all at once before spending a dollar. If you don’t field a candidate you can’t take advantage if the conditions of the race turn favorable.
hueyplong
@Chetan Murthy: What kind of bullshit is that?
Why isn’t a mainstream Democrat challenging Obama?
Why isn’t a mainstream Democrat challenging Clinton?
Why isn’t a mainstream Democrat challenging FDR?
Why not simply phrase it, Why does the Democratic Party insist on the time-honored advantage of incumbency when their office holder has done a good job and has already beaten the presumed opponent?
The GOP essentially banned challenges to Trump in 2020 and scarcely a peep.
This is some tiresome shit.
fancycwabs
@Omnes Omnibus: Speaking as someone who ran, the most important thing is to stop treating candidates like they’re part of the fundraising arm of the Democratic Party.
I got zero support at the state or national level–the only thing the state gave me was an offer to buy their voter lists and a series of lectures about how I was supposed to be making fundraising phone calls at least four hours a day. And it was the same with other candidates–even well-established ones.
Running for office, even in states with the lowest bar to entry imaginable, is ridiculously convoluted. Having staff members who could be guides to setting up the basics when you call the state Democratic Party would get political neophytes out of the comments section and onto the ballot.
Trivia Man
@Fiona: unfortunately that is a valid fear. I ran in the olden days so the crazy dangers hadn’t taken off yet. I had an actual website but if I even had 1,000 hits I’d be surprised.
with Swatting, and harassment of employers, and potential get n violence all on the table it is definitely riskier than what I did.
Steve
Does anyone know of any research on whether the mere presence of a candidate (in the absence of significant campaign spending) affects turnout and long term voter preference?
I like the idea, but I fear that in this age in which every election is functionally nationalized, the mere presence of local candidates on the ballot may not amount to much. In the past this might have led to local news coverage and the like, but with the death of local news–and the previously mentioned issue of nationalization–I’m doubtful about whether it will affect voter.
One thing it will do, though, is provide a training ground for new candidates, which is not nothing.
Chetan Murthy
@Trivia Man: Or, y’know, what happened to MTG’s Dem challenger: he got threatened so bad he quit the race and left the state (IIRC).
Baud
I would like to have someone in every race but I don’t want a crank that makes us look bad just to fill a slot, and then there’s the issue of funding, since we don’t want to throw away money for nothing. But I think it’s helpful to goose turnout when there’s also a statewide election on the ballot.
Steve
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I agree about the money. If fielding candidates for a lost cause pulls funding away from winnable elections (e.g. Dems running against McConnell or MTG), then no. But if such candidates can manage to fundraise for their own races, then it might be a good indicator of future talent. (Sad that “fundraising” sort of equals “talent,” but that’s the world we have, I’m afraid)
WaterGirl
@HumboldtBlue:
Mai Naem mobile >44
@rmjohnston: this. It doesn’t matter even if they hold the seat for one term. The close margins in Congress as well as in state legislatures means one seat can make a huge difference just during that term.
Fraud Guy
Play. Look what it got Obama.
CaseyL
I wonder what would happen if a Democrat ran as a Republican – but as a pre-Reagan Republican. Pre-Reagan, there were still liberal Republicans. By which I mean, they call themselves a Republican, rather than a Democrat.
I mean obviously the hypothetical candidate wouldn’t call themselves a “liberal Republican.” They could call themselves something else, maybe a “Common Good” Republican, or a “Public Safety” Republican. Or even a “Pro Family” Republican, that’d be entertaining.
It would be interesting to see what happens.
RevRick
WaterGirl
@WaterGirl: I agree that no one should care how Fetterman dresses. But it’s bullshit for Nate to suggest that it doesn’t matter if a sitting Representative in the US House shows the poor judgment to be giving someone a hand job in a crowded theater where people can see what you’re doing?
Boebert is a fucked up piece of humanity, and she has no business in politics.
JaySinWA
@WaterGirl: My first reaction to the quote was that Fetterman was claiming a poll based wardrobe, rather than self depreciation. The DeSantis response was less confusing.
lowtechcyclist
@Omnes Omnibus:
I think it would actually be fun, as long as there really was no hope of winning! I think it’s important to show the flag, to have people out there even in those 80-20 R areas, to make the 20% feel they’re not alone and give them a reason to show up on Election Day.
If I was in such a district, I’d run next year, since I’m retiring at the end of this one. (Just 88 more days, just one orbit of Mercury around the sun!) But I’m represented by Dems in both houses of the Maryland legislature, plus the U.S. House and Senate. So my enthusiasm for such a challenge is wasted, alas.
But only now, with retirement imminent, could I afford to win a race for state legislature in most states. Which is why it would have been more fun to run in a no-hope district; I wouldn’t have had to worry about that possibility.
Trivia Man
@WaterGirl: Barbie-Q strikes again
maybe Barbie-Q-Anon is more on point
piratedan
I’d guess this is where the Democratic Party would have to encourage people who have retired to run, because it sure feels like a full time job with the demands of fundraising, meet and greet and getting polished up on specific issues and administrative procedure and just recruiting decent staff.
HumboldtBlue
@WaterGirl:
Saw that one too.
RaflW
I know what I think. I donated to Misty Snow’s 2016 campaign for US Senate in Utah. Did she have a snowball’s chance in Provo in August (seems close enough to hell to me)? No. But it was a name for Democrats to check on a ballot. It was a human being with a perspective (pro-labor, from a true working class voice) when issues came up that the press could quote, and so that nutball Mike Lee didn’t run unopposed!
I’m even more passionate about races like my friend Brienne who ran in a 55-45 red legislative district here near our WI cabin. We threw a fundraiser for her, we had a huge yard sign on one of the highest traffic roads in our township for her. Woulda marched in the Corn Parade in Delavan for her if it hadn’t been rained out. Because she was on fire about issues that matter.
She’s told me she’s likely to run again, and the winner is just a first-termer, and I think all the absolute garbage/chaos that Vos & Co. are throwing in Madison should improve Bri’s chances next year. Even if she just helps bump turnout to help get Tammy Baldwin and Joe Biden across the finish line in WI she’ll have done a huge mitzvah for democracy. But I think she has a better shot in ’24 than she had in ’22. Lets f’n GO.
Trivia Man
@CaseyL: I like it! “I’m a proud Reagan Republican!” Then run on policies modeled on certain RR positions. Immigration, higher taxes on some, gun control (see him as gov!), pro union (former union president!)
the important thing is the magic Reagan word. Anybody that goes into the weeds is a nerd who can be ignored! Just shout REAGAN REAGAN REAGAN until they go away.
Mai Naem mobile >44
I think a lot of Dem political junkies ignore people who want to with the ‘winner’ and peer pressure. I genuinely think there’s people in Arizona who started voting Dem because Dems weren’t considered ‘losers’ after Obama. Yes, there was a demographic change but there’s a small slice of people there who aren’t embarrassed to vote Dem.
JaySinWA
@CaseyL: I doubt they would be as successful as the Dixiecrats were, but they might peel off more of the less ideological team R voters than a straight up 3rd party.
wjca
Right now there’s a huge opportunity in prospect. Get up in front of people and say: “Our Congressperson has talked about the great benefits to our district from [pick Bidenomics item]. Even stood next to President Biden when he was here to tout it. And s/he is absolutely right about how great it is. Soooo, why did s/he oppose it when it came to a vote in Congress? Why?!?”
Won’t convince everybody. But it might open a few eyes. And, in a lot of places, even just losing by a smaller margin in one district can put Democrats over the top in a close statewide race.
billcinsd
@Baud:since we don’t want to throw away money for nothing.
How much money did we throw away to try and beat Mitch or Susan Collins, or etc., etc., etc.
Trivia Man
@lowtechcyclist: the best money I spent was on a charter bus. Al Gore passed through my district so I rented a bus or two for my supporters. They road tripped to the rally bin my dime and had a great afternoon bonding with each other. I couldn’t ride cause I was speaking on stage and needed to get there early. I think it was a few hundred bucks.
Princess
I think we should pay attention to down ballot races in places where there are tight state-wide races. Montana is a great example.
lowtechcyclist
@WaterGirl:
This. I wouldn’t have given a tinker’s damn if Boobert and her date had put on that show for consenting adults only. But you don’t get to inflict your kinks, or your general rudeness for that matter, on people who were there for reasons that had nothing to do with you.
MattF
My local area (downtown Bethesda MD) is the opposite situation. My rep, Jamie Raskin (!), won his last race with a smidge over 80% of the vote— no Republican has even a ghost of a chance of beating him. But he always has an R opponent. The Rs are organized.
steve g
In Oregon, we do vote by mail for all elections, which by the way has been true for over 20 years and works great and I highly recommend. So I vote on the dining room table, and look at the voter pamphlet for every position. There are always some races with just one person on the ballot, and some committee type positions with several candidates. I won’t vote for somebody if they don’t have a picture in the book. It just seems to me if they don’t care enough about it to do that much, well then I can’t be bothered to vote for them either.
Omnes Omnibus
I agree that Dems should run candidates for as many offices and in as many places as possible. We really need to think about what we are asking. A candidate (and their family) needs to give up all their spare time for six months to a year. They need to raise money. They they need to get out and meet people. Door to door? Would you feel comfortable doing that in MTG’s district? Would you feel it was safe for your spouse or children to do it? You become a public figure. All the crazies know who you are and who your family is. Lots of them are gun nuts. Is that safe? And, to top it off, unless a meteor hits, you are going to lose. What’s the sales pitch that works?
Alce_e _ ardillo
@Omnes Omnibus: Aye, there’s the rub. It takes a special kind of rhinoceros skinned person to run in one of these sacrificial races. The county and city party official should try and identify early who might be willing to put in the effort. While it may be thankless, there may be benefits to running , particularly if someone has an important issue that is not being addressed.
Trivia Man
@piratedan: “Demanding” is relative. My view of the stages, anybody can pick their comfort level and stay there. IMHO every stage has value.
Get on the ballot
Have a platform to share – as much or as little as you want. Letter to the editor on one single issue, website, FB page…
Participate in parades, Rotary Club lunches, or something else
Have meetings with supporters
Meetings with general public
($ starts about here)
Advertise
GOTV
Debates
etc etc etc
lowtechcyclist
@Trivia Man:
Brilliant idea, and didn’t even cost that much. Win-win!
@Princess:
Good thought. Because those Dem votes in those 80-20 R districts will matter as much as any other Dem votes in Montana when it comes to keeping Jon Tester in the Senate, where we’re likely to need him in 2025.
JaySinWA
Lose badly or die trying?
Take one for the team?
YOLO?
Maxim
@CaseyL: In a deep red area, this could make sense. It’s somewhat analogous to the Socialist Democrats running as Democrats in deep blue areas. If I were going to do it, I’d call myself a “common sense” Republican
ETA: But if I were running as a Democrat in a hopeless race, I wouldn’t even think of it as trying to win. I would think of it as representing an alternative viewpoint and trying to start conversations. I agree, though, that it’s tough to expect someone to run with a D by their name in areas where they’re likely to be threatened.
Omnes Omnibus
@MattF: There are wards in Madison and Milwaukee where no Republican bothers to run. When you get to the Congressional level, you are going to get candidates. At the state and local level, it is different.
wjca
You get some college students (from one of the blue islands which even Idaho has). Kids who are interested in getting hands-on experience in campaigning. Experience that’s hard to get in a campaign with serious funding and a serious chance to win. It’s a chance to learn, in a low risk setting — it’s not like a hiccup is going to cost you the election.
Trivia Man
@Omnes Omnibus: Respectfully disagree. I had a full time job, spent about 10 hours a week on average running, and spent about $1,000 of my own money. (Caveat: many years ago)
I had a lot of enthusiastic support who wanted me to FIGHT HARDER AND HOPE FOR A MIRACLE. My advice is everyone be should do what they feel comfortable with. I got 26%. For about 10 minutes (literally 10 minutes, long story) I had illusions of winning. But I think I made the right choice.
if I had spent $25,000 and put in 40 hours a week – I may have hit 35%. As it is, I think I accomplished an awful lot and it was just some work. It’s not for everyone but I deeply believe that if someone can be self aware then they can add value to the process.
lowtechcyclist
@fancycwabs:
Seriously. A first-time candidate shouldn’t have to figure out for themselves how to jump through all those hoops. And since it’s very much in the interests of the party to get candidates running for even the lowest-level offices, they should be providing that help.
And not just with the bureaucratic obstacles, but “here’s the sorts of things a local candidate can do to raise money” sorts of advice from people who’ve done it.
And once they’re on the ballot, the party should provide them with voter lists for free, so that they know which doors to knock on. The candidate still has to do the work and raise the money, but the party could be a support structure in so many ways other than that.
Omnes Omnibus
@Trivia Man: As you said, it’s not for everyone. That’s my point. It isn’t as simple as people are making it sound.
BlueGuitarist
@Mousebumples:
Balloon-Juice raised about $20k for 22 down-ballot (state legislative) candidates in super-swing district in 2022, swing districts overlapping other swing districts and major statewide elections. I’ve been working on collecting data to analyze the reverse-coattail effect, and hope to report further soon.
Shane
It seems like a good idea to me. The cost per voter of a GOTV has to be higher. Think of it this way, if my partner votes straight Republican in a Republican district and there are no local Dems to vote for, I figure my household is covered. But If I have a local Dem, I might fill out a ballot. If 500 people think this way (and this number seems way to small) and I spend $5000 (and this number seems way to big) getting myself on the ballot, that’s $10 per vote.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@Omnes Omnibus: the question that comes to my mind is, are there low cost aids that could serve to lower the barrier to entry for new and willing candidates?
Resources are always limited. And as you and others point out, there’s even the chance of real, physical danger. This isn’t for everyone but can we come up with a way to increase our pool of candidates?
Omnes Omnibus
@Mr. Bemused Senior: Lowering the barriers is always a good idea.
cain
@hueyplong:
They are implying that Biden is “far left” when they say mainstream. They want a GOP-light candidate. Begging for it. Crying for it.
Cry harder.
zhena gogolia
@HumboldtBlue: De Santis is an asshole.
RevRick
@Omnes Omnibus: That was a real concern for MTG’s first opponent, who dropped out because of threats to his family.
Timill
@Omnes Omnibus:
So, Earthlings, I present you with a simple choice. Think carefully for you hold your very lives in your hands. Now choose: either die in the vacuum of space, or…
[Dramatic music]
…run for election as a Democrat.
WaterGirl
@billcinsd: Did we repeat the same kind of donating in the next cycle? No, we did not. I like to think we learned something from teh cycle you mentioned.
AM in NC
1000% on board with this strategy, and I LOVE me some Anderson Clayton here in NC. We must pick off more rural votes if we are going to win state-wide and presidential elections, and running people at the local level brings out more voters. AND it reminds people about Democratic policies (a lot of which independents and even Republicans support). I know it is asking a lot of people to run in elections that feel hopeless, but reframing the races as ways to help up-ballot candidates and play the long game of message building for Democrats may help – because it’s true!
Howard Dean was right. We can’t survive as a geographically compact, urban-centered party. Even though that’s where all the people are, it’s not how our system of government is set up
ETA: An ENORMOUS THANK YOU to all the Jackals who have run for something in “hopeless” (and not-hopeless) races. You are heroes!
Mr. Bemused Senior
@RevRick: I was at a fundraiser for Adam Schiff recently. He described death threats he and his family receive.
This is the world we inhabit.
[tidied up a bit]
ChristianPinko
Absolutely run in “hopeless” contests. I say this writing from Louisiana, where the state Democratic party does not rise to the level of a train wreck.
rikyrah
We need to run people everywhere 😔
trollhattan
Has Moti joined Putin, bin Saiman, and Xi in the state-sponsored overseas assassination clique? Trudeau thinks perhaps.
Baud
I’ve said before and will say again, red state and district Dem candidates are heroes.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
In areas where it is dangerous, I think running as a ‘common sense’ Republican or an independent is fine (though if you accidentally won, an independent has more flexibility to caucus with the Dems). The sales pitch is being part of the debate.. being a voice in the wilderness. The perfect candidate for a role like this is just someone who likes chatting with people and talking about the issues. Even in bright red areas, some people like the idea of having more than one option for office.
Chigrl
this is not a new idea. When Howard dean was the head of the DNC, he tried to implement this and was roundly shot down one
idea. When Howard dean was the head of the DNC, he tried to implement this and was roundly shot down one
The feeling was that it took too much energy and money away from competitive races. but most rule counties don’t have expensive airtime. And radio and cable, television and old-fashioned have a group of people over for a barbecue in a park. Kind of stuff works as well as can be expected.
Eolirin
We lost the NC and WI and Senate races in 2022 by very very small margins. If a few more local candidates, even in races they were going to lose, had driven margins down just a tiny bit in those districts and those voters also voted for our Senate candidates, we might have had a 53 seat margin right now which would have put the Senate out of play baring a red wave in 2024.
So yes, this matters. A lot.
cain
@trollhattan: I read that – it’s wild that India is doing assassinations in other countries.
They risk opening up a problem with Sikh people..
That said, Canada is a hotbed of Khalistan and Punjab self rule. I won’t easily for get Khalistan friendly people giving each other sweets in Canada when Indira Gandhi was assassinationed.
Followed by a horrible war where Punjabis were killing Punjabis.
RaflW
@billcinsd: This is a thing, for sure. But what’s needed is a way for rank and file Dems, many who are sooo eager for wins, but who may be a bit too Green Lantern, to strategically give.
We of course should run candidates against Mitch McConnell (or his successor), and Susan Collins in Maine, etc. Every Senate seat needs a Dem opponent.
But they don’t all need $60 million races! Good lord.
How to raise and distribute those funds sensibly is key (and difficult). $20M for a legit run, and $40M going to our top-10 gettable state legislatures? Yes, please. $4M extra in rainmaking per state could do a lot
And in Gideon’s case, her nationalizing her campaign worked against her. Mainers saw how much she was squeezing out of state sponges.
frosty
I’m in favor of leaving no seat uncontested. When we moved from Baltimore to PA, there was no Democrat running for Congress. Just the Republican. It was very disheartening.
Since then, we’ve had several excellent candidates, none of whom won, of course. But I got to put out a yard sign and vote for a D.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
think that race was nationalized before Gideon won her primary, and in fairness to those of us who helped nationalize it, I was sending her money even why wondering why Susan Collins didn’t look even a little bit nervous when polls showed them neck-and-neck
I also sent money to Jaime Harrison nd Mike Espy not because I thought they really had a chance, but more on the idea that their candidacies would have party-building effects like Beto O’Rourke is/was said to have done. Barbara Bollier was a straight-up bet on a long-shot based on the KS gov’s victory. ETA: Laura Kelly
Jim, Foolish Literalist
and to go from the Sorkinesque to the Ianuccian
From the article:
what I wish an editor had said: It was pretty fucking clear.
karen marie
@PJ: “The Dems should run somebody.”
Somebody has to volunteer for a nightmare that would involve taking a leave of absence from work and opening not just themselves but their family and neighbors to abuse, to campaign for an elected position no one thinks they have a chance in hell of winning?
I understand that it’s very much not good to have uncontested elections but there’s a reason they’re uncontested – who has the stomach for it? Or the resources?
There’s a reason that Congress is almost entirely wealthy people.
I have no idea what the solution is. Public funding of campaigns is only one leg of the stool. That funding does not pay the mortgage, buy groceries or keep the lights on. At the same time, I’m not sure it would be a good idea to have, say, the DNC paying candidates’ living expenses. That would bring out a lot of scammers.
karen marie
@Chetan Murthy: I was so glad when his site put up a paywall.
karen marie
@HumboldtBlue: I’m curious what DeSantis had to say about Boebert’s behavior at the theater.
<deafening silence>
Right.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Agreed on the Fetterman count. Lauren Boebert was performing sex acts in public. I’m sex-positive to damn near the max, but that crosses my line.
JML
I do think it’s good for the party to run in as many races as it can. You don’t want to hand the ballot line out to any old crank, especially ones that don’t believe in most if not all of the party values. but local races matter, and legislative ones can be won in redder district than most people realize, just because how much of the race is won on turnout and retail politics.
But it’s a lot of work. It can be depressing AF when you don’t have a team to fight with you. It does cost money, and fundraising can be brutal soul-sucking work. Firing off a few fundraising emails simply doesn’t get it done for most candidate and never will.
But it makes a huge difference. Changing the turnout model in a couple of legislative districts can flip a congressional seat. Lowering the margin in the toughest areas of a state can be what flips a state-wide vote.
One of the other barriers younger candidate face is they don’t want to get the early loss on their resume. And there’s still a feeling against people running in one district, moving and then running again. It can be overcome…but carpetbagging is still an issue.
Gretchen
Jess Piper of Blue Missouri makes exactly this point. She ran for state legislature and lost 75-25, but made them spend resources in a district they’ve never had to do that in. She’s determined to get someone to run in every district. She’s caught the attention of the school voucher crowd and infuriates them. She’s so brave and sensible. https://bluemissouri.org
Gretchen
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Fetterman replied “I dress like you predict.” DeSantis talked about his clothes too, and Fetterman said “I dress like you run”.
marcopolo
So with all the caveats listed already (thankless job in heavily red areas: time, money, harassment, etc…), I am a firm believer in trying to find candidates for every open seat. Like Mousebumples above, I too give monthly to RunForSomething which works hard to recruit candidates for all kinds of local and state races. And they are on the lookout for folks from groups that don’t necessarily have the representation they deserve: women, people of color, LGBTQI. They do great work.
As I live in MO I am very familiar with the unopposed races in more rural red areas of the state. A couple years ago there were 65+ seats conceded to Rs before the election even happened. While you can try to find folks to run as Ds in those elections, another strategy (used in AK) is to locate folks in the community who stand out as community members (not necessarily politically) and recruit them to run as Independents or Non-partisans. This gets around the knee-jerk pull the lever for the R over the D tribalism that seems to be ascendant nowadays–especially as politics becomes increasingly nationalized. That has worked in AK to force a bipartisan governing coalition in the legislature pretty often over the past decade or so.
Just my 2 cents.
JaneE
@Trivia Man: They are experts at talking without saying anything directly. There are always two ways to take what they said, and being for or against something never means being for or against a specific remedy in any case. Lots of concern, but no real action promised. Or if you state a specific action, there are always reasons why that cannot be done.
You have to catch them saying flipping between two positions, because anyone can change their mind over time.
WaterGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I was going to put up a post with that and insert:
Narrator: We know exactly what that means.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
The best possible take on Senatorial sartorial security:
JoyceH
There has to be SOME sort of Democratic presence in even the reddest regions. Otherwise you wind up with some utterly corrupt statewide office holder who keeps getting re-elected because he can just bank those rural votes, where the voter may know the guy is slime “but I CAN’T vote for a Democrat, they’re for aborting babies after birth and forcing your kid to change their sex”. Because they don’t know any Democrats and believe what the Republicans say about them. My county is 70% Republican but the county Democrats have a booth at the farmers market every week. Just to talk to people and let them know “there are Democrats here and this is what we’re for”.
Baud
@JoyceH:
Good point. Even when we can’t recruit candidates, we should find another way to be present.
Ishiyama
One final comment before the thread closes. As a self-styled political genius, I hear a lot of loser talk on this website. It is obvious to the weakest intellect that you get more votes if your name is on the ballot. Beyond that, fundraising and campaigning are valuable, but not essential. My brother worked for almost 50 years on a minor party in Minnesota, and finally triumphed when the State legalized marijuana. And he did it without money, power, or reputation. Get some guts, you weak-willed bunnies!
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@JoyceH: Side note, how do we get ourselves to the point where Democrats get to define what they believe rather than Republican-friendly newscasters doing it for them.
Take the last-minute/post-birth abortion thing. I point out that no one believes that, no one is fighting for that, it’s not legal in our indelibly blue state, and I (the typical target of such accusations from my own interlocutors) certainly don’t support it even from the bleeding left edge of the party.
But they have already swallowed the strawman whole. High fiber, that’s why they’re full of shit. So they dismiss my not supporting the extreme they made up as me, the person they know, being sensible, and go on believing ludicrous things about the rest of the party.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Ishiyama: I’m guessing he got the people skills in the family
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: He should’ve left some for everyone else.
CarolPW
Running as a Democrat in a state house race may attract enough Democrats to vote in your area to result in an additional City Council or School Board seat going to somebody sane. US house maybe Mayor. US Senate maybe all kinds of stuff. If there is no one to vote for, Democrats will not bother to vote in a non-presidential year (well, since we do mail in I would send in a blank ballot).
Omnes Omnibus
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Toga! Toga!
Omnes Omnibus
@Ishiyama: Saying that the Dems should run people everywhere without recognizing the reasons that they don’t is green lantern shit. It accomplishes nothing.
Nukular Biskits
No candidate, and I mean NO CANDIDATE, should ever be allowed to run unopposed.
And I mean in both primary and general elections.
No election should be conceded before it even starts.
I say this as someone who ran for public office twice.
Baud
How difficult is it to write in “Baud”?
It’s only four letters.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Baud: I typically write in Laverne DeFazio. Occasionally I use the write in space for a short missive.
Nukular Biskits
@Omnes Omnibus:
I don’t necessarily disagree. People should be ENCOURAGED to run and then informed/assisted by their respective party apparatus.
But, for the most part, I submit no one is being drafted into a candidacy against their will.
Omnes Omnibus
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: But you don’t live in Milwaukee.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Omnes Omnibus: I loved Laverne and Shirley on Nick at Nite when I became eligible to vote in 2001. She beat out Mickey Mouse as my go-to. I have since come to feel vindicated in this choice.
I don’t think I need to explain why eligibility isn’t a concern. There are two perfectly good prima facie reasons.
Spanky
@Ishiyama:
Sounds like experience talking!
Omnes Omnibus
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Oddly, we discovered during the Walker recall process that there is at least one Michael Mouse in Wisconsin. Also, a Joe Stalin.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Harboring murderous autocrats in your home, are you?
George
Long time lurker, infrequent commenter here. I’ve not read all the comments, but complaining about having insufficient Democrats running, as if it is the Democrats’ fault, smacks of blaming the victim.
Who wants to run as a Democrat in a deep red district or state if doing so costs time and effort and money just to lose, and then get all kinds of flack from other liberals and Democrats as to why s/he didn’t win?
The GOP is corrupt, top to bottom, and it has found allies in fundamentalist Christians and now in the mainstream media. Asking a Democrat in rural Louisiana or Montana to spend months if not years and thousands of dollars campaigning, just to lose by 40 points, is smug. Anyone who complains that the Democratic Party should run candidates in deep red districts is welcome to stop whining and move to those areas themselves to run for office.
Omnes Omnibus
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation:
The Soviet Stalin’s daughter defected to the West. She died in WI a only few years ago.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
If every one of us on this thread hasn’t already personally filed as a candidate, we’re a bunch of pants-wetting babies.
@Omnes Omnibus: That actually strikes me as sad. Though I do suppose people ultimately do that.
MisterDancer
@George: I think there’s a few of us here, in this column of opinion. Welcome!
Indeed, I recall I just said similar to below a few days ago:
Running for office is NOT an easy task. The Conservative Movement has built deep networks to support local/state candidates, on top of attracting people who can literally afford to run. We do not.
We’re recruiting from, and for, the working class. From the day laborers and night nurses. From the people who don’t have a lot — of money, of time, of patience.
We do need better state-level efforts. But we do also have to balance that without the deep pockets of Dark Money backing political efforts. You know, the Dark Money that we just talked about earlier today, the money that ensures we’re dealing with AG Paxton for too damn long into the future? Y’all do know that money pays for these asshats to run, right?
You get me a way to fund the runs of people in these states, and I think we’d see a massive uptick in offers to run. Until then? I think we’re asking for a lot more than seems obvious — yes, even if you’re run yourself.
Ishiyama
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
You might consider making one of those battles one of introspection.
If we’re lucky, this will be the thing that looses the iron grip of the Texas Republican Party next election. I’ll be over here holding my breath.
RaflW
@fancycwabs: Eghad. That wasn’t my friend Bri’s experience in WI last year (well, they did day the part about fundraising calls, but she’s gotten elected to a city counsel a couple times and just ignored that part). But they had some good trainings in Madison, had technical support and such. The county Dem party unit swung into gear for her, too.
If she were younger (usually under 40 for this org), I’d have urged her to connect to Run for Something. Totally geared for support, not b.s. old school internal Dem stuff.
RaflW
@RevRick: To some extent, yes. But there’s more to ‘we’. Next cycle I might volunteer to be campaign treasurer for a candidate. A few years ago I was asked very early to write a campaign endorsement letter for a young up-and-comer against a very entrenched Minneapolis City Council Dem. In my ward, I’m at least moderately well known. I gladly said yes as I had worked with him.
I think it is incumbent on us who want more challengers to, if we won’t/can’t run, to take at least a couple concrete steps to help. Go to an early fundraiser. Write a letter to the city paper extolling your preferred candidate. Volunteer to phone or text bank.
Noskilz
I think it is essential to run candidates in as many places as possible – even if they are unsuccessful, you are building up a pool experienced candidates and staff, as well as letting voters know you are still in the game.
Locally, it has been rather depressing how many local elections have been uncontested. I suspect that fears of harassment have made it even more difficult to find people willing to run.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
OMG. Solutions. I love you. I’ll add that it may be worthwhile to connect potential donors/volunteers outside the district with these campaigns, because some of us are in districts that are not competitive for Republicans.
::Looks around self with implicit meaning::
gene108
From what I’ve read, Democrats ability to support prospective candidates is abysmal.
Republicans preferring top-down control are much better at it. They have more centralized organizations to support new candidates. The Republican candidate knows who to contact or where to go for questions or requests.
New Democratic candidates are often fending for themselves, much more than their Republican counterparts.
I don’t see how Democrats improve. It’d require building out an organization within the party dedicated to recruiting, training, and funding new candidates. Democrats aren’t big on top-down organization structures.
MisterDancer
My Father literally bled to help get me the right to tell you to stop trying to push people in this way. It is not helpful, nor ethical.
Omnes is correct. As glad as I am that after 50 years your Brother won the fight, you cannot ask that of the vast majority of people in the Democratic Big Tent. Esp. since, as you well know, MN has it’s own complex set of political intricacies that cannot be ported ad-hoc to, say, Louisiana.
We are primarily a working-class coalition. The vast bulk of wealth — and ability to make others wealthy — is not in this Party. And that makes a huge difference in who can run. Terrifyingly, it’s likely in many ways a bigger gap than when the same forces helped push Negroes and Republicans out of what would become the Jim Crow South.
What this is about, is a sustainable fight. And I say that because…because I’ve seen the cost of the campaign. I know, real damn well and for personal reasons, what happens most of the time when you try to tilt at these windmills.
I want to talk about enabling networks that help people take office. I want to see if there’s more than, say, Run for Something out there to help in this. I want to ensure that our candidates are taken care of, that they — especially the ones from groups currently at grave risk, like Trans folx — have what they need to run as safely as possible, because firebombing is not healthy for this work…and it’s a real damn risk.
That, to me, seems a minimum to demand is available before I start off about needing more candidates. And since no one here seems to have a solve on that…well.
Ishiyama
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: I myself try to refrain from offensive personalities in arguments. It’s a Rule of Ethics in my profession. Do you have a substantive response to my points ?
Anyway
@WaterGirl: yeah, apples and oranges, Nate.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
Oh, really?
From the first post you made. My statement that you took offense to was far gentler.
Oh, my god, is this Trump posting here
ETA: You want substance? Here you go. Brow beating is not a recruitment strategy. Tattoo it to your forehead.
Mousebumples
I’m open to supporting another organization. From what I’ve heard, run for something does good work at supporting candidates (including minority/LGBTQI+), but I am certainly willing to be corrected if there’s a level I’m missing.
Also, while I support running Dems everywhere, I also understand not everyone feels able/safe to run, especially in certain locations. I’m in a horribly gerrymandered district at every level (thanks, GOP!), but I try to send some cash to every Dem who runs in my district. However, I may be luckier than most as a 55/45 seat usually at least gets a challenger.
Realworldrj
Spread the field offense works in football, can in politics, too
Ishiyama
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: I’m leaving you off my Christmas Card list. Irony escapes you.
Czar Chasm
I can confirm that this is a HUGE problem: This cycle, the Dems did not field candidates for any of the state legislature races in my county: This will probably depress Dem voter turnout for our local elections, especially the one in which I’m running. 😡
George
From when I gained political awareness in the 1980s through maybe the election of 1994, Democrats had the votes and the GOP had the money. What we have seen since then is the GOP using its money either to buy votes or to make it difficult for people to vote.
Too many people ignore the role of the media in all of this. For example, today CNN had a headline “Criticism mounts after Biden brings Americans home.”
It does not matter what a Democrat does that is good. The media will portray it as bad, even though if a Republican had done the same thing, s/he would be celebrated as a hero. If Trump had cut a deal with Iran to bring home Americans during his presidency, you can bet the media would be celebrating his deal-making abilities.
I used to think the media were just dumb or perhaps naive in their pursuit of bothsiderism. Over the past few months, though, I see it for what it is: Pure malice and anti-democratic. They can’t get away with claiming they are just being balanced anymore. They can’t hide behind false objectivity. Favoritism is their gig.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Czar Chasm: When are these local elections? Share what you can with the community because there are a lot of do-gooders here.
@Ishiyama: I shall be quite remiss.
George
@Czar Chasm: What you describe is exactly how the GOP drew it up on the chalkboard. Just as GOP hate-mongering becomes self-reinforcing when no one in the party itself, the media, or religion steps in to criticize the hatred, defeatism by Democrats accomplishes the same ends for the GOP.
brantl
If we don’t get someone to rin in the currently-uncontested races, the reThugs can save all that money for the contested races. How much would it take to make a take-this-digital-survey and we can program you campaign apparatus? I think it’s worth the work for a Democrat wants to run, let’s give him/her the backbone stuff they need to start running? What does everybody else think?
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
He was only recycling paper. Is that so wrong?
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
She may have a point. Togas were the downfall of Delta house.
piratedan
I suppose I could go all Tommy Tuberville and run for Senate in Utah….. I don’t live there but it would give me the opportunity to call Mike Lee a bastard to his face and give a list of all of the shit that he’s done at each and every opportunity.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@piratedan: I’m sure you got spare scratch for a little property to say you live on. L
Can you run for office from a post office box?
piratedan
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: scary enough, I could probably make that happen, just the thought makes me feel kinda tingly. All I gotta do is convince the spouse… :-)
brantl
Omnes Omnibus
@brantl: That might have been the genius of the comment.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@brantl: Apologies, I don’t think I’ve seen the word formally defined, only in use.
I took it to mean something like “I have deprived myself, likely through some inappropriate or negligent behavior.”
I shall educate myself on this matter, thank you.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@piratedan: Though, in keeping with the thread, perhaps there’s something at a smaller scale to run for.
It might be a more comfortable bite for you and the spousal unit. Also, it will give you an opportunity to build an individual constituency for something bigger later.
Besides which, I don’t expect the Democrats to leave a Senate seat uncontested. I agree it’s tempting to put oneself in a position to make a direct personal slight against Mike Lee
ETA: That all said, I don’t know you. Perhaps you already have that individual constituency. A celebrity, of sorts.
Ruckus
@zhena gogolia:
De Santis is an asshole.
I’m not sure he rises to that level. Sure it’s a low level but still……
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Ruckus: Even an asshole is good for the occasional good time.
Geminid
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Last year Utah Democrats did not run a Senate candidate and endorsed Independent Evan McMullen instead. That gambit did not work and I don’t think they’ll repeat it.
Maybe they will nominate Kael Weston this time. He worked hard for the nomination last year. Utah is a tough state for a Democrat though.
The Kropenhagen Interpretation
@Geminid: So they, at a minimum, endorsed a candidate. I tried to follow up by looking into the upcoming election after I posted, but all I found was a bunch of speculation. We’re still over a year out.
I was mainly trying to caution about excess attention to the top reaches of government when all levels need attention.
brantl
@lowtechcyclist: The extra stipend might even be illegal.
wjca
Some places (here being one) you have to sign up as a write-in candidate, or you get ignored by the folks counting the votes. As in, if the guy on the ballot gets 10 votes, and 10,000 people write in Baud, he still wins. And there’s not even a record of those write-ins.
So the question becomes, what are the bureaucratic hurdles, and expenses, to become an official write-in candidate. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s at least as much as just running normally.
NotMax
@wjca
And some jurisdictions (hint, hint: Hawaii) don’t allow write-ins at all.
Czar Chasm
@The Kropenhagen Interpretation: Here in Virginia, all localities have their constitutional officers up for election on November 7. I’m running for my rural county’s Treasurer.
Spider-Dan
In practice, I see this kind of approach to mean one of two things:
a) You think Dems should raise more money (in which case: from your mouth to God’s ears!)
b) You think Dems should reallocate the same amount of funds, moving them away from competitive districts and towards uncompetitive districts, so as to eventually build more of a base in the latter
And in response to option B, I ask: how many House seats should we be willing to lose in this effort? Resources are finite, and every resource we redirect towards running a candidate in a Trump+50 district is money that could have went towards defeating a House Republican from a blue state.
Geminid
@Spider-Dan: Resources like money are as you say finite. Volunteer time is not, and a red district campaign doesn’t need a lot of money since the object is not to win but instead to generate engagement and votes. The votes might help up-ballot candidates who can win. The engagement can be lasting and have future impacts.
This is not to say that we need to find candidates for every race everywhere. But halving the current number of uncontested races seems like a good goal that can be acheived without impeding efforts in winnable races, and it could pay off in the long run.
Spider-Dan
@Geminid: But then you’re essentially saying “Dems should recruit more volunteers,” which isn’t much different than saying “Dems should raise more money.” We can’t exactly reallocate our existing volunteers in PA or WI to UT or AL. Furthermore, recruiting volunteers is itself part of the GOTV operation, and doing it effectively requires… more money. Every dollar that goes towards recruiting volunteers in ID is necessarily not being used to recruit volunteers in VA or GA.
VA Lurker
@Czar Chasm: Are you in touch with Rural Ground Game? They support rural candidates in VA.
https://www.ruralgroundgame.org/
Geminid
@Spider-Dan: Why would you have to send dollars from Virginia to Idaho in order to recruit volunteers there? A Democrat running in a red district can make the most of a shoestring budget, and their campaign would probably be the better for that.
Not all organization has to be done with money anyway. There is someone who comments here who has served as county party’s chair and also done serious organizing of young New Mexico residents, and they did not get a dime. Plenty of others have done serious work for the party as volunteers.
Locsl news sites are always looking for stories, so there is free media coverage to be had. And social media is free if there are responsible volunteers to utilize it.
A resourceful campaign wouldn’t have to spend a lot of money to have a meaningful presence.
Spider-Dan
@Geminid: I guess this boils down to what the goal is here. Should we hope that this stuff happens, or should we try to make it happen?
I don’t think (m)any of those reading this live in the areas in question, so it’s not really an issue of us getting off of our butts. As I see it, if we’re talking about making it happen, that usually means “hiring someone to do it,” which means money.
Furthermore, there really isn’t any way to get around opportunity cost here. Unless you’re a person who physically lives in one of these uncontested districts, even using your own “free time” to reach out to a person who does live there (in the hopes of getting them to volunteer, or even run) means you are NOT using your time to reach out to a person in a competitive district instead.
Czar Chasm
@Geminid: Especially when those Virginia dollars could be kept in the state, to be spent on my campaign. ^_^