Last month a 30 year old California native, Cyndi Munson, won a special election in Oklahoma City to become the first Democrat since the 60's to represent that district. Democrats in Minnesota, still smarting from the GOP reclaiming the state house, reached out to Rep. Munson to find out how an outspent Democrat won an election in one of the country's reddest states. She was happy to share her story, but she had a question: why would Democrats from Minnesota be calling her to find out how to win elections?
Why, indeed. Why would Democrats need advice on winning elections in a state where the 2 U.S. senators, 5 of 8 U.S. representatives, the governor, and all constitutional officers are Democrats?
Because they were elected by voters primarily in the tiny islands of blue that are the metro. Travel outside the metro areas of Minneapolis-St Paul, Rochester, and Duluth and the electoral map doesn't look that different from what Rep. Munson had to overcome.
Minnesota, when viewed county by county, is a red state.
It didn't use to be that way. In the 70's and 80's farmers remembered that the "F" in DFL stood for "Farmer". The state party's official name, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, was a reminder of their roots, of what had once been their core constituency. But then Republicans started using their greatest weapons, hate and fear, to turn the blue countryside blood red.
it wasn't hate and fear in the sense that a candidate like Trump or Cruz uses them. No, it was teaching Republicans to hate their Democrat neighbors and scaring Democrats into hiding. Nothing evinced this more strongly than the 2012 elections.
In 2010 Republicans had managed to sneak a majority in the state house and senate. After a protracted recounted they ended up losing the governor's mansion by a mere 8,770 votes, less than 0.5%. Convinced Democrats had committed voter fraud in the Governor's race, the Republicans believed they had a mandate. With the belief the majority was on their side they introduced two state constitution amendments on the 2012 ballot, one mandating voter ID and the other defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
Voter ID was certainly controversial, but the real battle lines were drawn over the marriage equality fight, and in rural areas Republicans were in a frenzy. Supporters of marriage equality received death threats. Signs and rainbow flags were vandalized or burned. Supporters were physically intimidated, harassed and threatened at parades and events.
In the end this backfired on Republicans, and the Democrats reclaimed a majority in both the house and senate, putting the state under single party rule for the first time in decades. The legislature and the governor took advantage of this opportunity, reinvesting in education and infrastructure, re-balancing the tax code, and turned a $6 Billion budget deficit into a $1.8 Billion surplus.
Yet despite all this the damage in the rural areas was done. Democrats were in hiding. Business owners known to support the Democrats quietly withdrew. When asked why, they replied "I have to think about my business. I can't afford to be a Democrat around here". At a Democrat campaign booth a same-sex couple was asked about volunteering. The declined, citing concerns their employer would hold it against them; an employer who knew about their sexual orientation. They were more worried about their employer finding out they were Democrats than they were about coming out as gay.
In 2014 a record number of Democrats stayed home; their Republican neighbors didn't, and the GOP regained control of the house. Rural Democrats had gone to hide in the closet.
In 2016 the GOP will have another shot at the state senate and will work to hang onto their majority in the house. A Republican majority at best would spell gridlock and dysfunction. At worst we'd see another government shutdown, more slashes in education and safety net programs, and a return of hand-outs for the wealthy.
It's time for Democrats to come out of the closet. It's time for us to stop being afraid, to be proud of who we are and what we believe in. There are enough Democrats in rural areas to make a difference.
Why should only Democrat business owners be afraid of their customers' knowing their political affiliations? You don't see Republican business owners afraid to put up signs and host events. Because Democrats are too busy being afraid. How about instead of hiding we give Republican business owners a taste of their own medicine?
You see a business with pro-GOP signs, boycott them and let them know they're political affiliation has cost them business.
Why should Democrat employees feel afraid to be activists? If your employer discriminates against you for exercising your rights then sue them. You'd probably find plenty of lawyers willing to take it on pro-bono.
Worried about neighbors vandalizing your property if you put up signs? Put up security cameras also, and turn them into the authorities. Democrats need to stop living in fear and start fighting.
Fighting is more than simply showing up at meetings and preaching to the choir, too. You have got to get out and put actions behind your beliefs. Volunteer to phone-bank, door-knock, lit-drop, or do fundraising. Make it a goal to have more people manning your booth, your office, and at parades than the GOP. Show them that we have strength in numbers.
One last thing: it isn't just the voters who need to stop hiding from rural Minnesota, it's the candidates and politicians, too. The Republicans aren't shy about driving down a 2-lane blacktop to do campaign stops in rural towns, so why are the Democrats?
Why should a state-wide or national candidate expect rural Democrats to work hard for them if they can't be bothered to come out and say "thanks for the support" in person. It works both ways. Al, Amy, and Mark, you're welcome any time in our small towns and back-woods locales, you too Hillary and Bernie.
So come on Democrats, let's stop being afraid. It's time to come out of the closet.