Alabama Young Dems Focus: Re-Elect Doug Jones
The Young Democrats of America wrapped up their national conference in Birmingham Sunday. More than 200 Democrats participated in training sessions to help organize in red states like Alabama. The conference left young Democrats across the state hopeful about the 2020 election.
Alabama Young Democrats were easy to spot at this weekend’s conference, which took place at the Sheraton Birmingham, many wearing U.S. Senator Doug Jones campaign buttons.
In case y’all haven’t heard, the @youngdems are in town! Welcome to the Magic City from Doug and all of us at HQ (hot tip, try white sauce while you’re here)! We’re thrilled to have you in Birmingham. #YDABH pic.twitter.com/jyLwz6VRIr
— Doug Jones for Senate (@DougJonesHQ) December 6, 2019
Robert Mardis III, president of Birmingham Young Democrats, says Jones can win the U.S. Senate seat again if he can connect with all Alabamians.
“And actually stay true to a message that resonates between not just black folks, not just Democrats, but with Alabama as a whole,” he says. “Because even though we’re Democrats and Republicans, we do have some similarities that will spark our interest to get us engaged.”
Mardis says their priorities include the elimination of student loan debt and climate change. That’s why, he says, he supports Bernie Sanders for president.
“Southern states are going to be the states that are more affected by climate change at a more rapid rate,” he says. “So that’s why I support Bernie overall.”
Adarris May of Birmingham planned to vote for Kamala Harris next year. She ended her campaign last week. He hasn’t decided which presidential candidate he’ll support next, but for now, May says his priority is to re-elect Senator Doug Jones.
“We’ve been on defense, our party in the state for a long time,” he says. “I think now finally with our senator and our representatives working for us, I think that we’re going to actually be able to accomplish a lot of things here.”
Josh Coleman, president of the Alabama Young Democrats, says this weekend’s conference taught Democrats how to better organize — not just in blue cities like Birmingham, but in rural areas, too. He says that will be key to re-electing Democratic lawmakers like Jones.
“We need to knock on doors, we need to make phone calls. We need to make people aware of what the senator is doing, what he’s done for folks in Alabama,” he says.
Coleman says the party has a lot of work to do in Alabama, but turning the state purple isn’t impossible.
At the Supreme Court, the case of the candidate who sued, even though he won
At issue was a suit by Rep. Michael Bost, R-Ill., challenging an Illinois regulation that allows ballots mailed in by Election Day to be counted for up to 14 days after polls close.
Israel and Hamas agree on the ‘first phase’ of Gaza ceasefire deal
The deal raises the possibility that the war may now be over, ending the bloodiest fighting ever between Israelis and Palestinians.
After Spain’s blackout, critics blamed renewable energy. It’s part of a bigger attack
When millions lost power in Spain and Portugal this spring, some were quick to blame too much solar and wind power. That wasn't the cause, but the misinformation had an impact.
‘Fairyland’ recalls a girl’s life with her poet father in pre-AIDS San Francisco
Alysia Abbott's memoir about growing up in 1970s San Francisco with her gay, single father, has been adapted into a film directed by Andrew Durham and produced by Sofia Coppola.
Los Angeles: Spaghetti Cumbia, a band born from cultural fusion
Photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky document cumbia music in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and the United States.
What are your holiday shopping plans? NPR wants to hear from you
Is this the season of cutbacks or splurges? As we prepare to cover holiday shopping and deals, NPR wants to hear from you, whatever your plans may be.
