Candidate Recruitment, Georgia And The Democrats

If Georgia Democrats want to be a player again in State Politics, it must.....I repeat, MUST do a better with candidate recruitment and drop its ideological and issues litmus test it current have and recruit democrats who REFLECT the views of independent moderate and conservative constituents.

In past election cycles, pro-gun, socially conservative democrats such as U.S. Army Veteran John Tibbetts ('06, '10 candidate for State Rep.), Marjean Boyd ( 2010 candidate for State Representative), Quentin Howell (2012 candidate for State Rep.) Renita Hamilton (2012 candidate for State Rep), etc, etc are the type of democrats who's backgrounds and political philosophies fit those perspective districts they were vying, but unfortunately they weren't "Democrat" enough for party leaders because they were....AHEM.....Bluedog Democrats or plainly put, Conservative Democrats.

This is the one area the party has got to get a better hold on..Candidate Recruitment. Last election cycle saw the fewest number of democratic candidates run for the state legislature office in over 90 years. One of the biggest embarrassments was the inability to recruit a democratic challenger to take on Doug McKillip who switched parties after the 2010 elections and thus party leaders threw their support behind another GOPer, Regina Quick who went on to defeat McKillip (who I actually like)

In many areas of the state, the democratic party still lack the infrastructure needed to win campaigns. Strong Democratic County Chapters should partner  with a struggling rural county Democratic Party to help them raise money, develop public relations, CANDIDATE RECRUITMENT PROGRAMS an GOTV machinery.

Back to candidate recruitment, one thing I find quite interesting is what I like to call..The Clean means moderate effect." I have a lot of friends who don't know a damn thing about politics whatsoever. They know the candidates, see their picture on television of a campaign brochure and make their opinion on whether they like a candidate purely on looks and speaking ability alone. But one thing I have noticed is that when a candidate looks well kept, speaks well and presents him or herself in a non-hostile manner, these friends of mine think that these candidates are moderate. And, as odd as that might sound, it's true.

You like to know some of these moderates they liked? Scott Holcomb, Jason Carter, Demetrius Douglas, Stacey Evans, all are now currently won their races and are now serving in the State Legislature.

Democrats need to start thinking like voters instead of...Democrats! In order to win elections, they need to start thinking like the average voter, the cashier at Harvey's, the Truck Driver for Indian River, the electrician for Georgia Power, and stop over-analyzing their decisions and come up with a plan to recruit candidates.

If moderate and conservative democrats want to run for office n South Georgia, East Central Georgia, will party leaders simply turn them away or do a back-door negative campaign because they aren't exactly 100% liberal party loyalist?  About 70-80% of seats in the state legislature were unopposed and that my friends is unacceptable.

I'm sure that everyone reading this message knows someone who would make a good public official, and a good campaigner, but perhaps has never thought of it themselves, or never received the encouragement of having someone say, Hey, you ought to run for office.

Now if there is a red county democrat, or a republican, who used to be a democrat looking to run next year as a democrat here's what you're facing. Nationally a economy that is still struggling to get going, a polarizing culturally agenda from the President and National Democrats like Guns for example and the Obamacare law that has stumbled out of the blocks miserably. Statewide, changes to the Hope Scholarship that's affecting children attempts to enroll in college, the continued downward trend of our Public Education, the lack of Economic Fairness for many hardworking families that are living paycheck to paycheck, the lack of job creation and Issues facing Georgia Agriculture.

Issues Nationally doesn't present a welcoming environment for any democrat looking to run for the State legislature (remember all politics, including nationally are local), but here in Georgia, those issues I mentioned present a very welcoming environment for any democrat or ex-democrat (now a democrat again) in running for office.