Doug Jones

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., right, speaks in support of Democratic senatorial candidate Doug Jones, left, along side Rep. Terri Sewell, center, during a campaign rally Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

(Brynn Anderson)

On the evening of Tuesday, December 12th, I stood in the living room of my in-laws' house with a small group of friends watching CNN and celebrating a rare victory. Alabama, one of the reddest, most reliably conservative states in the country, had just elected Doug Jones--an actual, real live Democrat--to the United States Senate.

The media, which had already put the race in the national spotlight, immediately began circulating the news of Jones' win, calling it "shocking" , "surprising", and "an upset". But for many Alabamians, watching Doug Jones take the stage at his victory party didn't feel surprising at all, it felt earned--and rightfully so.

There's still a lot to unpack about the what, why, and how of Jones' hard fought win in the Senate special election. But one thing that simply cannot be overstated is the incredible ground game that Jones' team initiated throughout the final months of the campaign.

Volunteers from all over the state hit the streets, web, and phone lines, knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors, making over a million phone calls, and pumping pro-Jones content all throughout social media. It was an effort unlike anything you'd expect to see in Alabama, and it paid off in more ways than one. Not only did Alabama Democrats score a decisive victory in a tough race, they gave democratic voters, lawmakers, and potential candidates a heavy dose of hope and motivation as we head into what is likely to be a historic midterm election.

But through the media fog, analysis, and excitement of the election results, one question that should be highlighted with the biggest, fattest, most neon marker in the world is: who actually lead this veracious effort?

Was it Alabama Democratic Party Chair Nancy Worley? National party leader Tom Perez? George Soros and his legion of left wing operatives?

No, actually.

It was the young folks, the millennials, the Alabama Young Democrats.

"From day one, Doug Jones' ground game was virtually indistinguishable from the Young Democrats," said Kyle Pierce, VP of Alabama Young Democrats and candidate for state house in Gadsden.

Pierce says that even before the field efforts officially started, AYD members and leadership were working to knock doors and make phone calls. And when field offices did start opening, he credits AYD for largely managing and executing the campaign's plan--something echoed by Beth Clayton, National Committeewoman and former VP for AYD.

"Throughout the Jones' campaign, AYD and other young Dems were able to do something that the current party leadership hasn't: deliver a statewide win for the Democrats and create an actual infrastructure for future campaigns." she said.

Indeed, the special election allowed the Young Dems to show that they have the chutzpah to take on the behemoth that is the Alabama Republican establishment and actually win. And if the state party hopes to capitalize on the current momentum in 2018, they need to let the Young Dems take the lead.

And by "take the lead" I mean fully, completely, and without reservation. I'm talking about a total abdication of power on part of the current leadership. AYD and the young democrats need to be leading the party. Period.

Folks, the stage is set for a huge shake up in the midterms. Let's not forget that Alabama Republicans have had a rough few years since 2014. Felonies, sex scandals, and corruption charges have underscored the state's significant deficits in healthcare, education, poverty, and infrastructure. Top it off with the fact that the Democrats already have some extremely strong candidates for governor and you've got a powder keg waiting to explode. But without the right people in the driver's seat, this opportunity will be squandered.



There's simply no question about it. It's time for a seismic shift in the Alabama Democratic Party. It's time to hand the reigns over to the people who have shown they can get the job done. As John Archibald wrote in a recent article, "If Democrats have a future in the deep red state of Alabama, [AYD and other young Dems] are the folks who will have to storm the gates of the insufferable old party structure. Their time has come. And the time has come for a coup."