Can Winfred Dukes put a "W" in the win column for State Democrats?

It's no secret that the Democratic Party has been bleeding voters over the past decade in rural Georgia. In 2010 Georgia voters elected Republican, now Senate candidate Gary Black over then State Senator J.B. Powell, another Conservative Democrat to succeed longtime Agriculture Commissioner, the late Tommy Irvin, a Conservative Democrat from Northeast Georgia who was appointed by then Governor Lester Maddox in 1969 who Tom Baxter coined as the last Democrat out the door following his retirement in 2010. Irvin's grandson Chris Irvin ran in 2014, losing to Gary Black.

Now comes Winfred Dukes, a centrist Democratic State Representative from Southwest Georgia (Albany), the heart of Georgia Agriculture. He served over two decades in the Georgia house. He gives the Democrats best chance at winning this crucial post. But he must get past the Democratic primary where two other candidate are vying for the nomination. Dukes comes from the Roy Barnes-Mark Taylor-Michael Thirmond wing of the Democratic party that still carry some influence despite the new, progressive wing led by Stacey Abrams.In many states, the position carries significant authority. In 40 states, according to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, agriculture departments oversee the animal industry; in about half of states, they oversee food safety and meat inspection. In 48 states, they determine what qualifies as "organic," while in 43 states they regulate pesticides. Over the past decade, growing Republican strength further down the ballot here in Georgia, combined with attrition among long-serving, conservative Democrats incumbents has helped the GOP win lower state offices and increased opportunities for the types of rural Republicans who can seriously contest the position of agriculture commissioner.

The GOP has also focused more attention on agriculture offices, partnering with the Republican Agriculture Commissioners Committee and Ag America, a group that works to elect qualified Republican candidates to the position.

What's more, Democratic electoral and bench strength here in Georgia is concentrated in cities and suburbs, where it’s hard to become a credible candidate for agriculture commissioner. Two Democrats running for Ag Commissioner, Nakita Hemingway and Fred Swann hail from the metro Atlanta area. Besides, rural voters feel they have more at stake in voting for agriculture commissioner than urban voters do ans that my friends is a fact!

These days the GOP has no shortage of qualified candidates here in Georgia with agricultural backgrounds, while Democrats have tapped a mix of farmers, agriculture policy experts, civil servants and the occasional rural lawmaker for the post. Can Dukes break the Democratic drought?