Democrat Marilyn Lands recently won the State Senate District 10 special election. Apparently it had been 22 years since a Democrat flipped a legislative seat in either chamber of the Alabama Legislature. We canvassed and encouraged our people to canvass, phone bank, donate, and vote.
Three thoughts:
1. District 10 is not super Republican. In 2020, 48% voted for Joe Biden. I haven’t been able to find what percentage of voters are registered as Democrats and Republicans, which I think is weird. Clearly, it’s a winning strategy to focus on the districts where Democrats are concentrated. At the same time, thank Goddess for the Alabama Supreme Court IVF ruling that embryos are considered children under state law for boosting both turnout (14.5%) and cross-party voting.
2. The Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party John Wahl reacted to Lands’ win by saying “Republicans win when we talk about policy and the principles we believe in.” And what policy and principles are these? “Messaging that pushes back on the national Democrat Party’s flawed policies and woke, socialist agenda. The GOP picked up 50 seats across Alabama in 2022 with this bold messaging. We talked about parental rights in education, protecting our children from indoctrination, and the fact we can tell the difference between a man and a woman.”
Alabama is 45th in childhood well-being, one of the nation’s lowest labor force participation rates, some of the worst prisons in the developed world, and many other real problems. So it’s pretty incredible that our GOP continues to focus on the severe threat of *checks notes* teaching history and trans women existing.
3. I liked this quote from political historian Wayne Flynt: “Just a reminder that many chunks of Alabama, especially those with high incomes and more education, think differently from areas where men think they have a right to tell women to stay home, pregnant and quiet.”