Democrat Doug Jones' win in Alabama last Tuesday is a significant victory that verifies some basic principles but also warrants a few observations.
First, turning out your base wins elections. Doug Jones and the Democrats excelled by mobilizing all demographics in their voting bloc, not just a core base. Women, young voters, blacks and those angered by Donald Trump turned out. According to an analysis by The New York Times, the turnout in Jefferson County, a key area for Democrats, exceeded the 2014 governor's race vote total by 30 percent. Early, uncertified vote totals show that the total turnout in Alabama reached 40.4 percent, far exceeding the projected overall turnout of 25 percent.
Second, Doug Jones benefited from a unified base after the primary. While the Republican primary consumed much of the news space, the Democrats fielded seven candidates in their August primary but quickly solidified their vote behind their nominee. This also was a key factor that boosted an unlikely winner in a red Southern state that hadn't elected a Democratic senator in 25 years.
Those principles should inform folks right-of-center in the 2018 elections ahead. Voter turnout and base unity cannot be replaced with well-funded, highly marketed campaigns.
Robin SmithOne observation from Tuesday's election result is that Republicans would do well to appreciate unintended consequence of crowded primaries - sometimes, the worst candidate wins. In the case of the GOP primary, Roy Moore advanced from a three-way primary in which incumbent Sen. Luther Strange lost because of his identity tied to a do-nothing Republican Senate and Rep. Mo Brooks who, while a social conservative, suffered from the establishment label of being part of the D.C. swamp.
As important, bad candidates are bad candidates. Aside from the disgusting allegations against Roy Moore from 38 years ago, remember that in 2012, he was elected as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court over Democrat Robert Vance by a margin of 51.8 percent to 48 percent. On the same ballot, Mitt Romney captured 60 percent of the vote.
A final observation. The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal observed last week that "many GOP voters are still at heart character voters." Most people who are right of center understand they're not voting for a pastor or faith leader whose morals must be pure and perfect. They prefer, instead, public officials who get things done while maintaining good faith and decency. So incumbents who've campaigned for a decade on certain issues and broken their promises are rejected by the same character voters as Roy Moore.
Elections are won with hard work, a keen understanding of the electorate and campaign process. Candidates who win are authentic, and demonstrate competence and commitment to follow through on campaign promises through conservative policies.
Only Trump can be Trump. Let's not forget he is president today because voters tired of decades of broken promises by their elected leaders. Voters have not completely shed their partisan loyalties nor abandoned morals, but clearly the electorate's expectations are changing with a clear demand to include results.
Robin Smith, a former chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party, owns Rivers Edge Alliance.