The Challengers: Can the New Sunbelt Progressives Defeat Conservatives in the Midterms?

Published: Oct. 5, 2018, 4 p.m.

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.