Doug Jones guide to winning America

Democrats will need more than enthusiasm

When the Sheraton hotel ballroom in Birmingham erupted on the night of Dec. 12 with the news that Democrat Doug Jones had upset Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama special Senate election, tears of joy were falling all over America and the world.

Coming just 13 months after the stunning presidential election of Donald Trump and weeks after a Democratic wave in Virginia, this was definitive confirmation that at this moment, in the most conservative of states, America had woken up and decided to pursue a different path.

Events and elections this year will tell that ultimate story, and whether it will hold in races without Moore and his singular problems. But for Democrats who rejoiced Wednesday as the new senator from Alabama was sworn in, we offer some observations about what his victory might mean:

❚ Run everywhere and anywhere. In order to have the chance to exploit Moore’s nomination and scandal, Democrats needed a credible candidate. Jones was a successful prosecutor and respected attorney with a broad network of contacts in Alabama. We need similar people to step forward throughout the South as well as in the Midwest and other supposedly Trump or GOP strongholds. The wave will reach its full power only if there are plenty of surfers who know what they are doing atop it.

❚ Don’t trim your sails. Jones is a moderate Democrat willing to work across the aisle and find common ground to get things done. However, he did not alter his support for reproductive rights, immigration or gay marriage — or downplay his role in prosecuting two of the Ku Klux Klan members who murdered four African-American girls at a Birmingham church in 1963 — to curry favor with certain constituencies. Voters would rather you say what you mean than believe you are willing to sacrifice your principles in exchange for a few votes.

❚ Common ground works as a message, even in, and perhaps especially because of, these polarized times. Jones’ willingness to cross the aisle was an integral part of his message and a constant in our advertising. Our polling showed that Jones won two in five voters who had favored Luther Strange (the establishment choice) in the September GOP runoff, and Jones also won independents by nearly 10 points on Election Day. By election eve, 49% of Alabamians felt that Moore would “make things worse in Washington.”

❚ We have an energized coalition that can produce electoral magic. African Americans made a heroic demonstration of their political clout in Alabama: 96% favored Jones. And they punched way above their weight on turnout — exceeding their share of the overall electorate by several points while the white electorate that fueled the 2016 Trump win shrank.

College-educated white suburbanites and Millennials of all races and ethnicities helped produce the Jones victory margin as well. Our campaign and other groups used television, radio and mail as well as social media and direct voter contact in substantial volume. Campaigns must use every medium to communicate urgency to these voters.

❚ Groups within these communities need more support and resources to build strong get-out-the-vote efforts.

One caution: This special election stood alone on the political calendar, with everyone focused on one race. That will not be the case this fall. Campaigns must budget enough money to make the Democratic enthusiasm gap pay off in 2018.

Finally, we would urge the next wave of Democratic candidates to set their sights as high as possible while keeping a disciplined eye on the prize. The best contenders combine a sweeping vision or campaign strategy with resolute ability to stay on message. Think Bill Clinton 1992, Barack Obama 2008 or, for that matter, Donald Trump 2016.

And think Doug Jones 2017. He stayed incredibly grounded, even as his campaign soared to unthinkable heights. He might have pointed the way for his nation to become “Sweet Home America.”