What can be done for Missouri Democrats to get a political comeback?

[Suburbia]

Regardless of if Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) wins or loses reelection in November 2018, what is the future of MO Democrats? We know that MO Democrats have lost because they are tied to the national Democratic Party, which is more liberal than they may be.

What should they discuss? Jobs? Healthcare? Creation of a new government program?

[RI]

Amazon can set up a campus in Columbia.

[Tekken_Guy]

Get those affluent well-educated suburbanites near KC and STL on board. Especially those in Ann Wagner’s district.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

The state party made a bid at removing being pro-choice as a litmus test for being in the party. It was pretty controversial but could bring back a lot of rural voters back into the fold. Should be interesting to see what happens downballot although we won't see a gubernatorial race until 2020 (and Greitens notwithstanding I have a hard time seeing Democrats other than Galloway winning statewide).

Here are some audio-stories on it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/podcasts/the-daily/missouri-democrats-republicans-abortion.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fthe-daily
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/podcasts/the-daily/missouri-claire-mccaskill-democrats-republicans-abortion.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fthe-daily

For all of this board's memeing about #populism Missouri voters firmly rejected a Right to Work law, mainly on the back of grassroots union organizing. There is room for a pro-union more socially middle-ground state party to grow.
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/08/636568530/missouri-blocks-right-to-work-law

[Suburbia]

Maybe McCaskill should run for governor in 2024

She could beat Ashcroft or Steelman if she wanted to

[jamestroll]

nothing

[Suburbia]

nothing

Maybe let McCaskill run for governor in 2024?

[Left Wing]

nothing

Maybe let McCaskill run for governor in 2024?

Sure, if they want to lose by 30 points.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Purchase Johnson and Wyandotte Counties from Kansas.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Get a Greitans to run as a D against Blunt barring that there is no comeback for Ds

[Suburbia]

nothing

Maybe let McCaskill run for governor in 2024?

Sure, if they want to lose by 30 points.

Poor lady.

[jamestroll]

nothing

Maybe let McCaskill run for governor in 2024?

Sure, if they want to lose by 30 points.

No she would lose by like 10 or something.

Still crazy to think there were McCaskill Trump voters.

[iceman]

Is McCaskill really that detested that she would lose a lot?

[Hope For A New Era]

Is McCaskill really that detested that she would lose a lot?

McCaskill is weird. She's actually a bit of a Trump - she has an unshakable base of support, which includes some Trump voters, but no one else likes her. She narrowly won in 2006 in a large D wave before that pattern of support developed, then won again in 2012 because many of those who disliked her saw Akin as even worse, and then lost in 2018 because her opponent was an inoffensive Generic R with populism seasoning, allowing the full non-McCaskill-base portion of the electorate to vote for him. If anything, Hawley's bland and low-energy campaign helped him.

[Alcibiades]

I am a firm believer that there is always cause for political optimism in the bleakest of situations. While a comeback for the MO Dems is not on the cards anytime soon, the suburbs of the two major cities in the state are both trending D. The party should just wait and see what happens with them.

[GALeftist]

I am a firm believer that there is always cause for political optimism in the bleakest of situations. While a comeback for the MO Dems is not on the cards anytime soon, the suburbs of the two major cities in the state are both trending D. The party should just wait and see what happens with them.

Yeah, the path forward in MO is unambiguously revitalization of St. Louis and Kansas City.

[jamestroll]

Is McCaskill really that detested that she would lose a lot?

Claire McCaskill - triggering the cons beyond state borders:

https://nypost.com/2020/11/12/utah-man-said-he-was-speeding-to-kill-claire-mccaskill/

lmao what..

I do want to meet a McCaskill/Trump person one day.. they must be interesting characters.

[SevenEleven]

I am a firm believer that there is always cause for political optimism in the bleakest of situations. While a comeback for the MO Dems is not on the cards anytime soon, the suburbs of the two major cities in the state are both trending D. The party should just wait and see what happens with them.

Don't "wait and see", actively invest and demonstrate.

[Galeel]

Completely reverse all of the trends of American politics from the last 20 years

[Hope For A New Era]

So, I started really thinking about this. I looked at the swing map, and came up with this:



Conclusions:

- Rural areas are not coming back outside of massive landslides. However, margins can be cut there to a certain degree when Trump is not on the ballot, as McCaskill and Galloway were able to do.

- The Democratic path to victory is definitely through the suburbs. Comparing the McCaskill and Galloway maps in 2018 should make this very clear.

- It might be a good idea for Democrats to try to hold their gains with military-associated voters, or even advance them further.

- That one unexplained pink county in the middle of the state, combined with Galloway's peculiar 2018 map, has me wondering. Would it be possible to create a D rural bubble around Columbia, analogous to the counties surrounding Dane in Wisconsin? Rural Boone County is already substantially less R than other rural areas, and Howard and Callaway are among very few rural counties under 70% R in the presidential race this year. It stands out to me as a distinct possibility.

Also, maybe the Missouri Rheinland has potential for more dramatic margin-cuts? It's heavily ancestrally R (German-Americans), but there's some touristyness there (seems like touristy = leftward movement now), and it's likely more educated than other rural areas of the state. I imagine reagente (who is from there) would know better than me.

I do want to meet a McCaskill/Trump person one day.. they must be interesting characters.

I know some. Mostly rural populists who have been able to resist the "Air Claire" ads and still view her as "one of them."

I imagine this is probably the same or very similar demographic as the Galloway 2018/Parson 2020 voters.