Can this two-party system be saved?
A great darkness has descended upon the Democratic Party of Eastern Kentucky. All but banished from the hills and hollows they call home, Democrats are searching for a path to political relevancy that seems increasingly narrow and increasingly unlikely.
Despite what seem to be some positives for Democrats, state Sen. Robin Webb — one of the longest serving Democrats in the Kentucky legislature — changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. This comes even as popular Democrat Andy Beshear is serving his second term as governor amid talk that Eastern Kentuckian Rocky Adkins, a Beshear aide, could run to succeed him. Meanwhile, a bonafide Democratic challenger, Prestonsburg attorney Ned Pillersdorf, is considering a run against Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers in the 5th Congressional District.
Webb is simply the latest in a long line of prominent Appalachian Democrats who have decided to join the swelling ranks of the Republican Party of Kentucky. Most of these conversions have been explained as a product of the Democratic Party no longer representing the values of the politician in question. More cynical political observers ascribe this mass exodus from the region's ancestral party to simple self-preservation: long time politicians fearful of losing their preciously held jobs at the very heart of Trump country.
Regardless of the reasons, these now common party switches are not a positive sign for the Democratic Party. Nor are they the only evidence that Appalachian Democrats should be worried. Despite Beshear's relative success across Eastern Kentucky in the last gubernatorial election and the mounting number of enthusiastic liberal activists in the region, Democrats have failed to make significant headway of any kind in the region. A reality made all the more stark by Elliot County, Kentucky, breaking its 144 year support for the Democratic Party in the 2016 election for president.
After 2024, an outside observer cannot help but conclude that all the fervor of local activities and all the efforts of a relatively popular governor do nothing to boost the chances of the Democratic Party in the Kentucky mountains. So is all hope for the Democratic Party lost in Appalachia? Is there simply no immediate future left for the party of Rocky Adkins in his native region? The short answer is 'quite possibly.' Yet, as is often the case, the long answer is both more complex and more truthful.
The long answer is that the situation is bad for Eastern Kentucky Democrats. Nor is any attempt to sugarcoat this fact with hopeful news coverage and opinion pieces likely to improve circumstances. To solve a problem requires first a frank admission of the facts as they are and not as anyone may wish them to be. From these hard realities, a solution may emerge and a path to two-party competition in the region becomes, if not likely, at least possible.
First and foremost, Kentucky Democrats must admit that the average Appalachian voter does not trust the Democratic Party anymore. The brand has been greatly damaged and no blunder in the Trump administration is likely to provide a miracle realization among the populace that will change this fact. Voters in the region feel that the Democratic Party has abandoned them in favor of various ill fated social crusades that do little to better society and certainly have done little to solve the great troubles that plague the Appalachian mountains.
As an obvious consequence of this, Appalachian Democrats simply must give up any and all attempts to appeal to voters through the methods and messages of the national Democratic Party. There should be no more attacks in Johnson County by the Kentucky Democratic Party chairman on Republican attempts to end deeply unpopular D.E.I. programs. Democratic officials should also acknowledge that abortion and LGBTQ issues are simply not the cross to die on in a largely conservative region. Nor should the party persist in its continued and constant veiled attacks upon a president whose popularity remains rock solid across the region.
Instead, Democrats should focus on their historic strength in the region — the economy. They should offer solutions to the housing and jobs crises that face Eastern Kentucky. They should make 'putting Eastern Kentucky back to work' and other local issues the heart of their message. As Republicans tie themselves to the newly popular national party, they should break free from Harris and Schumer to develop a uniquely Appalachian brand of liberal economics. The social liberalism can be left to Louisville and Lexington.
Second, Appalachian Democrats must face the reality of a changed Appalachia and party system. Union voters once formed the heart of the Democratic Party in the region. However, many of these voters feel that Democratic policies undercut their jobs and have hollowed out the unions. Whether this is true or not is beside the point; it is how voters feel and Democrats must acknowledge that older working class miners are unlikely to be the backbone of their party, though they should of course continue to angle for their support.
Instead, Democrats should target those in the region who tend to be most skeptical of Trump and the policies of the newly constituted Republican party — public school teachers, small business owners, and the young. Though most of these groups have historically voted Republican, things are changing in this country and seizing upon this reality is to the advantage of Eastern Kentucky Democrats.
All of this advice is not given to 'save' the state from the Republican Party or because I fear the Democrats are the only avenue to creating a better commonwealth. This advice is not even offered by someone who is currently a member of the Democratic Party. Instead, I offer this frank counsel because as a citizen and political scientist, I understand that both parties are strongest when they are faced with a formidable and influential opposition. Iron sharpens iron, and two party competition creates the best sort of policy. Kentucky is very close to losing this vital check on political authority — that is, unless rural Democrats step up their game.
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