New Democrats

There are different ways to be a Democrat.

Three candidate are on track to win because they defy expectations in some conspicuous way.

Today’s guest post is by Jack Mullen, the former Medford resident who worked beside me in pear orchards, and later at a congressional office of U.S. Rep. Jim Weaver. He introduces three candidates who have a conspicuous characteristic that communicates authenticity and some link to working class voters with traditional values.

Guest Post by Jack Mullen

The Super Bowl of mid-term elections is kicking off. New and innovative thrusts by Democratic candidates are taking place around the country.

A national Democratic strategy does not yet exist, indeed need not exist, national punditry notwithstanding, for Democrats to win in November.

Local candidates have a much better feel for local concerns and issues than any of the national party leaders. From the northern tip of Maine to the southern tip of Texas, local Democratic candidates are drawing larger than usual crowds for a mid-term election, especially in small, rural towns.

In Maine, Iraq war veteran Graham Platner’s has a simple and effective case against America’s penchant for involvement in forever wars. He speaks with authority when reflecting on the death of innocent children he witnessed during the Battle of Falluja. Platner provides a campaign zinger when then citing the $6 trillion the United States has spent fighting wars since 9/11.

Graham Platner served three terms in Iraq as a combat Marine from 2003 to 2010. He is a type of campaign brawler with not an inch of woke in his blood, reminding me, in his critique of the Republican party, as of a Harry Truman in his 1948 “Give ‘um Hell, Harry” campaign.

Platner brings his small-town background into his campaign. The ex-Marine earns a living as an oyster farmer, daily sticking his hands in the frigid Northern Atlantic. Voters perceive him as a candidate with an authentic understanding of their concerns.

Donald Trump may or may not inject himself into Platner’s likely November opponent, Susan Collins’ campaign. Chuck Schumer’s endorsement of Platner’s primary opponent, Governor Janet Mills, had no effect, perhaps provided the kiss of death for Mills’ campaign. Hard as it may be for Trump to comprehend, any endorsement from a Washington politician will have a negative effect on a Maine Senatorial race.

James Talarico is a Texas Democrat running for the Senate. Much like Platner, Talarico feels the pulse of his state.

Talarico is an unabashed Christian who emphasizes the simple, moral teachings of Jesus in the Sermon of the Mount. Talarico’s view of Christianity stands in contrast to the Christian nationalism MAGA voters try infuse into the nation’s civic life.

Polls show Talarico ahead of both his potential Republican candidates, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Senator John Cornyn. Both Cornyn and Paxton are engaged in an expensive primary runoff to see who will oppose Talarico in November.

Talarico is 36 years old. In a nation that yearns for new and younger leaders, Talarico is pitted against either an aging 74-year-old Cornyn or a 63-year-old Paxton. Talarico leads both candidates by 20% in a survey of Texas independent voters.

At the behest of Donald Trump, the Texas state legislature redrew the state’s legislative maps. The district at the southern tip of Texas, the 15th House District, voted heavily for Trump in the last three Presidential elections. Incumbent Congresswoman Monica de la Cruz is having a tough time holding off her Democratic challenger.

Bobby Pulido is a two-time Latin Grammy winner who understands the southern Texas Tex-Mex culture. Twice daily, Pulido performs before large gatherings at traditional coming-of-age parties for young Latina girls who turn 15.

After singing a couple of his songs at these quinceañeras, Pulido brings up health care and personalizes it by mentioning, like most attending a quinceañera, he, Bobby Pulido, no longer has health insurance. Instead, he crosses the border to have his medical procedures done in Mexico at much lower costs.

Texas is a proud state with a rich and diverse culture. Talarico and Pulido realize, unlike Talarico’s primary opponent, Jasmine Crockett, that Texas is a land of God, guns, and fossil fuels. Talarico and Pulido know how to run a campaign given those parameters. Crockett tried to run a national campaign, Talarico and Pulido run old-fashion Texas campaigns incorporating true Texas value-signals.

Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District encompasses a large and diverse area. Whichever candidate emerges in the upcoming primary has an unique opportunity, like Platner, Talarico, and Pulido, to put an unique campaign stamp to address voter dissatisfaction.