The Naked Truth/Jamala Rogers
Democratic Party Leadership is Still Missing in Action
A record number of African American candidates are running for governor this election season. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is one of them. Polls show a close race between him and his Republican rival. I am wondering whether this is another case of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee outmaneuvering themselves at the expense of candidates of color, especially women.
In 2022, Stacey Abrams ran for governor of Georgia for the second time, narrowly losing to Brian Kemp. Many Black voters and political analysts felt her loss lay at the feet of her own party. At that time, five other Black women had won their primaries but were overlooked by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which failed to help turn those wins into victories. These candidates competed in districts that were heavily Republican, yet they exceeded expectations by reclaiming seats that Democrats had not held in years. Sadly, these promising wins didn’t appear on the DCCC’s popular “battlefield” or “Red to Blue” lists to receive priority attention.
Recall that Crowley dropped out of the race due to low poll numbers and dwindling campaign funds. Only after Rep. Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialist, began gaining momentum did the state party elites beg Crowley to return to the race. With the endorsement of outgoing governor Tony Evers, Crowley nosed past Hong in the primary and secured the party’s nomination for governor. With the general election less than two months away, Crowley is once again struggling in the polls. The math ain’t mathing.
By the math, I’m talking about a boost in Crowley’s poll numbers. Kudos to Hong for conceding promptly and teaming up with Crowley to rally Democratic voters. The primary brought out a record number of voters — nearly 800,000 Democrats and 470,000 Republicans for a total of 1.26 million voters. With such incredible enthusiasm, it’s puzzling why the state Democratic Party hasn't rolled out a strong campaign to kick butt and leave MAGA-candidate Tom Tiffany eating dust.
The Democratic Party has relied on targeting swing states and running safe, centrist candidates. It’s part of their electability philosophy, which has run headlong into the recent victories of Democratic Socialist candidates. The Dems’ covert strategy to appeal to white voters and maintain the status quo is why Black and Latino voters are turning the Party inside out. The Party has not played a visible role in beating back Islamophobia and racist attacks on candidates and elected officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Abdul El-Sayed, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Justin J. Pearson and Angie Nixon.
This is not just about active support for candidates. Local Democratic committees have complained about a lack of funds to run robust voter registration and education campaigns. Black and Latino media outlets are often overlooked for campaign dollars. Midterm elections are projected to cost a record $12 billion for political advertising — and that is just for ads.
For years, the Democratic elites have ignored criticism of their racial and gender preferences, and now it’s coming to a head. The Dems have been tone-deaf to the voices of their constituents and have disrespected their long-standing loyalty. The Party is paying a righteous price because Democratic and Independent voters want to see warriors who don’t bow to Trump and the MAGA monsters.
The coming weeks are critical for the country’s future. This will determine whether Democrats have what it takes to effectively govern all branches of government and boldly shift the nation away from the brink of authoritarianism.