Democrats in South Carolina must work harder than ever to survive in an era of Republican domination
Democrats in South Carolina may be holding the nation's first presidential primary
FORT LAWN, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina state Sen. Mike Fanning likes to talk to people. He will talk about anything, but if the Democrat from Great Falls is able to steer the conversation, he's not likely to say much about Washington.
Fanning believes deeply that public servants should focus on where they can make a difference, but for him it's about survival, too. In a state set to hold the first Democratic presidential primary of 2024, Fanning is among an ever-dwindling number of Democrats still holding office in a party that has lost 31 straight statewide elections.
South Carolina, which also holds a crucial GOP contest later in February, is a place where voters lived for decades by the old southernism that they would vote for a yellow dog before pulling a lever marked “R.” These days that fabled dog leans Republican.
That means Democrats have to work harder than ever. Perhaps more importantly, they have to find ways to distinguish themselves from their national counterparts. So Fanning climbs into his 1970 Chevrolet pickup truck almost every weekend to traverse a district that stretches from the Charlotte, North Carolina, suburbs to rural farmland north of Columbia.
