Friday in an interview with Mobile’s FM Talk 106.5, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) talked about the upcoming midterm elections and what that could mean for his party, especially coming off of his 2017 U.S. Senate special election upset victory.
With a full slate of Democrats vying for statewide and congressional offices, Jones argued the key to their success would be to focus on what he deemed to be “kitchen-table issues.”
“My message is to any candidate,” Jones said. “I think that one of the things that we were successful about is that we really focused on those what I call ‘kitchen-table issues,’ those issues that mean something to people every day. All the time in the past, we have seen so many issues that divide us. And those issues, it’s not that they aren’t important, but they’re not the kind of issues that people talk about every day with their family. And we’ve got some real opportunities in this state to make inroads on health care, both in cities as well as the rural areas. We’ve got opportunities in Mobile and Huntsville, and Birmingham and other areas have done a great job of bringing in businesses. We can attract those same businesses into the other areas. Everybody has to focus I think on talking about those issues that really mean something to people every day when they sit down at the table with their spouse, or their children, or their parents.”
“And I think if the Democratic Party does that, they can have some success,” he continued. “And I think we’re seeing that both with the Democratic Party, but also, I think you’re seeing that at some point – you’re not seeing it as much in the Republican primary, but I think you’ll see that going into the fall election – that one thing people are yearning for is answers to real questions and answers to everyday questions. And that’s been my advice to candidates on both sides of the aisle: Focus on the people, don’t focus on those issues that divide us. Find that common ground, find that solution. And I think that’s a winning formula for anybody.”
When asked about the possibility of legislating from the majority, which is contingent on Democrats winning control of the U.S. Senate this November, Jones dismissed it and noted that even if that were to happen, the federal government would still be split given Republicans have control of the White House.
“It’s really not,” he replied when asked if he had thought about the U.S. Senate being controlled by Democrats in the future. “I’m just trying to do the kind of things for the state that I feel like are appropriate regardless of who is in control. I don’t subscribe necessarily to this blue wave that people are talking about. I think folks are going to be looking at the issues. If things change, it will only be a portion of the change. You know, there’s two branches of government here with the executive and the legislative. They both all have to work together. That is not completely happening right now, even with one party controlling both of those branches of government. What I’d like to see is people moving to that center, moving to where we can talk to each other and find that common ground. That is the key to everything.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.
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