In the wake of Donald Trump’s second election, there was a lot—a ton—of lengthy pieces written about the various problems within the Democratic Party that resulted in a 34-time felon who led a failed coup attempt being re-elected as president.
The party was out of touch, they said. The party lacked candidates who related to the average person, they said. The Republicans were simply better at communicating basic messages, they said.
A lot of that was true, or somewhat true. The largest problem, I think everyone now agrees, is that Democrats lack the messaging infrastructure that Republicans have built and don’t have the means to relay their better ideas and solutions—not to mention, refute the endless flow of lies and misinformation from Trump and his MAGA cult—to the masses. There is no Democratic messaging tool comparable to Fox News, Newsmax and the thousands of rightwing radio shows and podcasts.
But some of that other stuff was true too. There were blind spots in the Democratic approach to campaigning and messaging. Too often, it seemed, they were ceding voters to Republicans because the conversations were uncomfortable, or insanely ignorant.
After all, it’s mighty tough to carry on a conversation about how tax breaks on overtime would put food on the table when the person on the other side is more interested in “men playing women’s sports”—of which they don’t know a single example and have never been affected by such a thing.
But last November’s results led many Democrats to resolve to have those tough conversations, to try to connect with voters who often don’t share their priorities, in the hopes that by talking through the issues they could find common ground, or at the very least show those voters that they’d be better off with Democratic policies in place.
That was certainly the case for Andrew Sneed, a lifelong Democrat who’s running for Congress in Alabama’s 5th District. Sneed said he looked around at what Democrats were doing and he felt anger. He was particularly unhappy with former President Joe Biden—who he called a good president—for trying to hold onto power instead of stepping aside. And he was particularly troubled by Democrats who shied away from conversations with people who should be in their constituencies.
“It feels like… our party has lost touch,” Sneed said during an interview on the Alabama Politics This Week podcast. “You can’t be the party of the working class if you’re not willing to meet them where they are, even if where they are isn’t where you hope they’ll be. You can’t help folks if you can’t govern and you can’t get elected.”
Sneed, like many of us, know full well that Democratic policies are much better for the working class voters who make up the overwhelming majority of Alabama’s electorate, and particularly the electorate in the 5th district. The problem is, though, culture war issues continue to play a primary role in the voting habits of most people, instead of kitchen table issues that truly affect most voters.
Sneed is hoping to change that, and he seems like the ideal candidate to do so. He grew up in Huntsville and now owns his own plumbing business in the city. He’s smart and well educated—he almost guarantees that he’s the only master plumber in Alabama who went to college on a theater scholarship—and he’s good at talking to people.
Not talking down to people. Not telling people what to think.
“When you see what happened in Virginia, when you see what happened in New Jersey and Georgia and Mississippi back on the 4th of November, I think we’re recognizing this need to meet people where they are,” Sneed said. “I recognize something was broken. I’m good at fixing broken things. I’m really good at recognizing problems. And I think that I understand how we need to tackle this one and to give people their voice back and that’s, you know, a more representative government.”
This seems like the ideal time for someone like Sneed. And the 5th seems like the ideal district for him.
It’s filled with educated people and implants from other states who aren’t necessarily tied to this anti-Democrat mindset. It’s been trending purple for the last several election cycles and there is more than a little frustration with the guy who’s currently representing them, Dale Strong—who won’t show up to speak with constituents because he’s afraid they’ll ask him tough questions and be mean to him.
Sneed, on the other hand, is going right into the lions’ dens. He’s not shying away from any meeting with any group. He’s confident enough in his approach and beliefs that he can, at the very least, hold a cordial, productive conversation even with those who believe way different from him.
“The job is to represent the district, which starts with meeting people where they are, even when you don’t agree with them,” Sneed said. “That’s the critical difference between me and Dale, is he is a divider. And what I would like to believe based on my lived experience, going all the way back to Lee High School, is that unity is something we should still aspire towards, and that the job of the representative is first and foremost to advocate for the district and solve problems. And second, to listen to everyone in the district, even when you don’t agree with them and consider what they have to say.”
How refreshing.
It’s the perfect message from a person who seems to be the perfect candidate for the time and place. That doesn’t mean Sneed can win. There are still obstacles to overcome, starting with that messaging issue that continues to plague Democrats from coast to coast.
Sneed is making early noise, though. He’ll have a competitive primary with two other quality Dem candidates, and that should also help inform voters and build momentum (for whomever wins). But he’s already showing he can raise money. He’s got nearly $250,000 in donations so far and he’s caught the attention of national Democrats and fundraisers.
No matter what, though, his approach will put Alabama voters in a tough spot: Do they choose the candidate they say they want—who listens to them, focuses on their issues and works to make their lives better—or do they pick the Republican because he has a little R beside his name on the ballot?
