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(Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

By Matthew Tyson, an Anniston native, a writer, and a representative of the Democrats for Life of America. You can contact him at matthewallentyson@gmail.com

Alabama Democrats have an opportunity in 2018 to turn things around and put a little blue back into our state. Whether or not they'll actually shape up and capitalize on that opportunity is a completely different story.



But, if the party wants to get serious and actually have a say in the direction of this state, here's five things they have to do.

1: Change the Leadership

In October of this year, Craig Ford--Alabama's highest ranking Democrat--publicly called for Nancy Worley and Joe Reed to step down from their position. This was met with support from many Democratic voters, myself included, and it's something that MUST happen before the party can move forward.



Both have done more damage to the Democrats than the Republicans could ever hope to do. They've relentlessly obstructed the party and have done nothing of substance to support Democratic candidates. If the Party wants any shot at moving forward, these two have to go. No question.

Of course, neither are just going to step down for the good of the people. It's going to take constant pressure and activity on part of the voters.

2: Unite the Working Class

Earlier in 2016, I published another story about the efforts to unionize at the New Flyer plant in Anniston. And the most interesting thing I discovered was that support for the union crossed party lines. It wasn't about politics, but rights, justice, and representation for the workers. The Democrats could learn a lot from this example. Especially since the Republicans have left the door wide open. For instance:

Our unemployment rate is higher than the national average

Rejecting the medicaid expansion has left

Our poverty rate is nearly 20%

37% of Alabama's workforce

20% of households

There are plenty of issues the Democrats can speak to that will resonate with the working class. They have an opportunity to step in and do what the Alabama GOP has not done: be a party for the people.

3: Fill the Ballot

This one might come as a shock, but Democrats can't win an election if there isn't anyone on the ticket.

In the 2014 midterms, 46 out of 105 House districts and 12 out of 35 Senate districts failed to produce a Democratic candidate. Almost half of both the House AND the Senate ran completely unopposed.

Now, to be fair, it is difficult to recruit good candidates when the party leadership is all but absent (see point number one), but Democrats HAVE to put people on the ballot. Voters, county party members, and even the few elected Democrats must encourage others to run, and at every level. In 2018, we'll be voting for not just for the governor and state legislature, but the county commissions as well.

4: Empower the Local Parties

Ultimately, any successful Democratic resurgence will have to be a grassroots effort at the local level. Strong county parties are indispensable when it comes to getting out the vote, registration, and candidate recruitment.



The problem is that county democratic committees across the state are few and far between. And while local Democrats are largely responsible for building and supporting those county parties, they need the support of a functional, effective state party.

5: Embrace the Pro-Life Vote

I've written about it before, I'm doing it again now, and I'll continue to do it until people start to catch on.

If Democrats in Alabama (and all red states, for that matter) really want to increase their shot at a big win in 2018 and beyond, they need to embrace the pro-life vote and run some pro-life Democrats. Right now, there's only one man keeping the South from being entirely red. His name is John Bel Edwards, and he's the pro-life Democratic Governor of Louisiana. Then there's our own Craig Ford, who is reportedly tossing around the idea of running governor, and he too is a pro-life Democrat.

You can scoff, but it's a solid strategy that would broaden the Alabama Democrats appeal and even make some fed-up, traditionally conservative voters feel a lot better about crossing party lines.

All in all, with the shape of our state and the problems that have plagued the GOP leadership, the 2018 election *should* be the Democrats' to lose. Whether or not they'll pull it off will depend entirely on how they spend the next year.