The Challengers: Can the New Sunbelt Progressives Defeat Conservatives in the Midterms?
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 5 October 2018
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Democrats are running surprisingly competitive races across the Southeast and Southwest, in states that Republicans have long considered safe, including Texas, Tennessee, and Arizona. In Florida and Georgia, two proudly progressive African-American candidates--Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams--are running strong gubernatorial campaigns against Trump-endorsed conservatives. Ben Wallace-Wells joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss how Democrats are faring in southern red states, and how the Democrats’ most powerful donors are supporting candidates who appeal to younger voters.
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| 1:12.9 | This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and editors about |
| 1:18.2 | politics. It's Friday, October 5th. I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of The New Yorker. |
| 1:25.0 | Today is the fifth episode of The Challengers, a monthly segment devoted to the 2018 midterm |
| 1:31.0 | races across the country. |
| 1:32.9 | We're focusing on candidates who are challenging establishment figures as a way to discuss |
| 1:38.0 | upheavals outside Washington and to define issues that are shaping the futures of the two |
| 1:43.2 | parties. |
| 1:44.5 | This month, the Sun Belt. |
| 1:46.8 | Democrats have engaged in surprisingly competitive races across the Southeast and Southwest |
| 1:51.4 | in states that Trump carried in 2016. |
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