A Monmouth College professor, who is also a seasoned political consultant has written a report on how Democrats in politics can better serve and compete electorally in the Midwest.
Robin Johnson’s report that he co-authored with Congresswoman Cheri Bustos is already attracted coverage in national media outlets like NPR and Politico.
Last summer Johnson traveled the Midwest, interviewing 72 different Democratic politicians. In the report they the authors write that “by the numbers Democrats are at their lowest in nearly 100 years.”
He tells WGIL that a lot of Midwest Democrats seem to have the secret to winning in rural conservative leaning areas., “So a lot of Democrats don’t even go there anymore. And I think it’s important to show up in these areas… listen to people. Don’t just rely on polls and consultants. Go talk to people, listen, knock on their doors.”
He says that the Midwest was “critical” to deciding the 2016 Presidential election and Democrats have seen big losses across the region, particularly with rural voters.
Johnson talked to different Democrats on how they’ve succeeded despite these trends. Many of them admitted that the party’s national “brand” has been damaged, “They kind of take [a] somewhat different approach to campaigning in certain ways. Focusing on issues that people are most concerned about in rural areas. Like the economy, jobs, healthcare, and schools.”
Johnson said many of them articulated that Democrats are having problems both because of their policies and the way they articulate them.
Johnson hosts “Talkin’ Politics” on WGIL sister station KBUR in Burlington, Iowa that can also be listened to online at mixcloud.com
