Why Are Democrats Reluctant to Be Woke?

The Party’s Fear of Alienating White Voters Is Misplaced—And Creating a Missed Opportunity

Recent debates over how race fits into American politics have centered on one word: “woke.” Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act,” which took effect in July, is intended to restrict how schools and businesses can talk about race. While this policy was part of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign against critical race theory, Democratic Party members have used similar language to argue against making race a central issue of their political platform. In November 2021, long-time Democratic Party strategist James Carville claimed “stupid wokeness” was to blame for the party’s loss in …

by Ashley Jardina | August 18, 2022

What the Remarkable Transformation of One Georgia County Means for America

Gwinnett County Is a Testament to the Political Power of 'a Racially and Culturally Diverse Group' of New Suburbanites

by James C. Cobb | December 21, 2020

Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia was surely the most surprising red state flip in the 2020 presidential election. Exploring the strikingly rapid transformation of Gwinnett County, the state’s largest suburban …

Californians Need a New Political Party That Can Keep Us Afloat

Forget Democrats and Republicans. Real Change Requires Fresh Ideology

by Joe Mathews | October 13, 2020

I got one of those calls again—they come every six months or so—from a Silicon Valley hotshot who wants to use his brain and his wealth to fix what ails …

Don’t Trust Kamala Harris; Trust the California That Made Her

Harris’s Path Through the Golden State Prepared the VP Nominee to Understand America as Few Can

by Joe Mathews | August 25, 2020

Kamala will be fine. She’s a Californian.

This column is not an endorsement of the vice presidential nominee. But you can ignore all the anxiety on the left about her shifting …

The 1958 Governor’s Race That Launched a Dynasty

An Internecine Fight Between Two Republicans Opened the Door to Ambitious San Francisco Democrat Pat Brown

by Miriam Pawel | November 6, 2018

As Jerry Brown nears the end of his record fourth term as California governor, his final months are swathed in nostalgia, superlatives, and retrospectives on a remarkable five decades in …

Why Single-Party Domination of Hawai‘i Politics Is Harmful to the Aloha State

The Democrats' Near-Monopoly Makes Voters Tune Out, Sidesteps Urgent Policy Questions, and Places Factional Infighting Above Shared Ideals

by Colin Moore | October 30, 2018

Most Americans have become accustomed to the bitter divide between Republicans and Democrats in Washington. Yet closely fought competition between the parties is the exception rather than the rule in …

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