And they say Trump’s strategists have not absorbed the lessons of the 2018 loss and have no plan to reach beyond his core supporters. Democrats made big 2018 gains in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, which (as GOP donors gripe to Politico) suggests that energizing Midwestern non-college-educated white Trump voters may not be enough in 2020. Gretchen Whitmer, the new governor of Michigan, laments that “it drives me crazy” that Democrats are responding to their 2016 loss among Rust Belt voters by “trying to write them off.” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers similarly claims Democrats should prioritize the Rust Belt as the fastest way to regain the White House. Grass-roots movements within the party have forced party actors to take racial issues more seriously through organizing and pressure.

Source: Washington Post February 25, 2019 15:20 UTC