Democrats Want to Prove They Can Win in the Rapidly Changing South

Sun, Nov 1, 2026 12:50 PM

Politics|Democrats Want to Prove They Can Win in the Rapidly Changing South

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/01/us/politics/southern-democrats-midterms.html

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An influx of new residents means the party that controls Southern states is likely to gain political power after the next census.

Sen. Raphael Warnock campaigns in South Carolina with Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee for Senate, and Representative Jermaine Johnson, the gubernatorial nominee.Credit...Meg Kinnard/Associated Press

By Patricia Mazzei

Patricia Mazzei, who was on the campaign trail this year in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, reported from Durham, N.C.

Nov. 1, 2026Updated 7:50 a.m. ET

A year ago, it would have seemed unthinkable for Republicans to all but abandon hope of winning Senate seats in Georgia and North Carolina. And Democrats competing in South Carolina, Mississippi and Florida? Forget it.

But on the eve of the election, that is the scenario in Southern states, where Republicans have long dominated.

Democrats have struggled for so long in the South that any potential gains in the midterm elections — which could help tilt control of the Senate to their party — still seem like a fever dream.

A victory in many of these Southern states would give Democrats a bigger foothold than they’ve had in years in a region that, in many recent elections, has been awash in red.

And it could matter far beyond 2026. The South’s importance in national politics will only grow. A party that cannot win there risks becoming irrelevant for a decade.

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People wait in line to vote at the Coral Gables Library in Coral Gables, Fla., on Saturday.Credit...Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

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