Alabama GOP Still Dominant Despite Challenges from Democrats
Democrats hoped to make inroads in Republican-dominated Alabama during Tuesday’s midterm election. They were riding high after electing Doug Jones to the Senate in a special election in December. That enthusiasm did not translate to victory as Republicans maintained all statewide offices and all contested congressional seats. We take a look at the election results for Democrats with Auburn University political science professor Ryan Williamson.
Interview Highlights
Why Democrats didn’t have a better showing against Republicans:
“Alabama’s a deeply red state and polarization is at such a level that voters aren’t generally going to cross the aisle to support Democratic candidates. The best you can really hope for is that enough Republican voters stay home to shift the election and that simply didn’t happen.”
Alabama Supreme Court chief justice candidate Democrat Bob Vance’s loss to associate justice Republican Tom Parker:
“The idea that this is the best shot [for a Democratic victory] was based on the endorsement of six former Supreme Court justices. He presented himself as a restrained jurist who would decide based on law and not ideology. But at the end of the day voters were still hesitant to offer their support for a Democrat and the connection of Tom Parker to Roy Moore just wasn’t enough bridge that gap.”
What Democrats can do to succeed electorally:
“I think it’s important to continue fielding good, viable candidates because upsets can happen. Much like what happened in the Senate special election last year and in races like Oklahoma’s 5th [congressional district] and Georgia’s 7th [congressional district] last night. It is especially important for the races at the top of the ballot because even if they don’t win, they can propel down-ballot candidates forward.”
Israeli strike kills Lebanese soldier as Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel
An Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center on Sunday killed one soldier and wounded 18 others, the Lebanese military said.
Jimmy O. Yang opens up about one of his deepest fears
Actor Jimmy O. Yang is learning how to take compliments. On Wild Card this week, he opens up about love languages and fears.
A photographer’s devastating documentation of El Salvador’s civil war in the 1980s
In Legacy of Lies, El Salvador 1981-1984, photojournalist Robert Nickelsberg documents how U.S. foreign policy fueled a violent 13-year civil war in El Salvador.
With talks teetering, climate negotiators struck a controversial $300 billion deal
Representatives of developing countries and climate activists were furious over the outcome, saying $300 billion annually from industrialized countries is far short of what vulnerable nations need to better protect themselves from climate change.
Alcohol poisoning deaths in Laos renew concerns about methanol. Here’s what to know
The U.S., Australia and U.K. have issued warnings for travelers in Vang Vieng after several tourists died in a suspected methanol poisoning outbreak.
Trump taps Brooke Rollins of America First Policy Institute for agriculture secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Brooke Rollins, head of the America First Policy Institute, to oversee the Department of Agriculture. She has a long history in conservative politics.
