If coastal Democrats don’t listen to people like me, we’re headed for a QAnon caucus

And another one bites the dust. “After 14 general election victories — three to county office, seven to the United States House of Representatives, and four statewide elections — I won’t be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate next year,” Republican Roy Blunt said in a statement released on YouTube. The retirement of the senior Senator from Missouri follows previously announced retirements of five other incumbent Republicans, with a further two yet to decide. 

Each of these hails from a state that has sent a Democrat to the Senate in recent history — even deep-red Alabama where Richard Shelby is retiring, presenting a prime opportunity for Democrats to strengthen our majority in the upper chamber. We can only do this, though, if we act quickly. A failure to do so could be catastrophic; not just for the Democratic Party, but for the country. 

At first glance, this spate of retirements may seem like rats fleeing a sinking ship. The Republican Party has not won an election since 2016, losing the House in 2018 and the Senate and Oval Office in 2020, proving that (unless theyrig the game) Trumpism is a losing strategy. 

However, shortly after Blunt’s announcement yesterday, Donald Trumpreleased a statement insisting there be “no more money for RINOs” — that is “Republicans in Name Only,” a euphemism for any GOP official who is insufficiently loyal to Dear Leader — and asking supporters to donate to his new PAC. This follows a pledge made by the former president over the weekend to actively campaign against “disloyal” Lisa Murkowski, a Republican Senator from Alaska who voted to convict him during his second impeachment trial. All of this on the heels of that CPAC conference in which a golden statue of Trump was wheeled out and loyalty to his cause was a prerequisite. 

Rather than rats fleeing a sinking ship, then, these Republican retirements are more like rats fleeing the vipers who have taken over the ship and turned it into a nest. Imagine a literal QAnon caucus in the Senate. It is not so far out of the realm of possibility. 

While it is true that each of the states with a retiring Republican has sent a Democrat to the Senate this century, it is also true that each state was won by Donald Trump at least once. The cause of Trumpism remains popular among the Republican base who will determine their parties’ nominees for each of those seats. It is likely, then, that as many as seven seats currently held by, if not moderate, at least sane Republicans could end up being contested by candidates from the conspiratorial far-right.

Which is why it is more imperative than ever that Democrats bring their A-game. This isn’t just about holding onto our majority — though that should be reason enough — but rather about holding the line against an advancing authoritarian takeover of the American government. To do this, Democrats need to learn the lessons of the recent past, all learned here in the South. 

For starters, we need to stop with the presupposition that Democrats can’t win in states like Alabama. We can, and we have. Doug Jones beat controversial Republican Roy Moore in 2018. It is tempting to think this is a fluke, but there may be lessons to be learned if Republicans again nominate someone as outrageously extreme as Moore. 

Most people, even most Republicans, are decent. Highlighting the indecency, the conspiracies, and the fringe beliefs of any potential far-right GOP opponent is a must. Now is not a time to worry about decorum. Democrats cannot be afraid of “fighting dirty,” because it isn’t “dirty” to state the truth: that extremists have no place in the US Congress. Most voters will agree with that, as we saw in Alabama. 

Next, Democrats should look to Georgia, where Stacey Abrams provides a blueprint for how to organize and get out the vote. We wouldn’t have a Democratic majority if not for Abrams’ work in turning out new voters and doing the hard graft of driving people to the polls — literally, if necessary. With a new spate of voter suppression laws being proposed by Republicans across the country, making sure people know how to vote, where to vote, and when to vote will be more vital than ever — as will making sure they are able to vote. 

Finally, we mustfind local candidates and listen to grassroots activists who know what will and will not work in their home states better than the DSCC. We cannot make the same mistakes we made last year in my home state of Kentucky, where the national party threw its weight behind Amy McGrath in the primary and out-of-state donors poured money into her campaign against progressive Charles Booker. These folks, none of them from the Bluegrass State, had a preconceived notion of who could win in Kentucky, and so went for the conservative retired Marine Corps officer over the young Black man from Louisville. McGrath lost, and the nation was saddled with another term of Mitch McConnell. 

No one knows Kentucky better than Kentuckians, and no one likes outsiders telling them who to vote for or what kind of candidate appeals to them. The national party and wealthy donors on the coasts should not be picking candidates; voters should. Only when our base feels energized, engaged, and esteemed can we win.

And we must win. The threat of a QAnon influx into the Senate is too grave to allow any room for error. Rarely in our history have the stakes been higher. By being honest about the very real threat of the QAnon caucus, Democrats can capitalize on the prime opportunity 2022 presents.