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Could Charles Booker's 'hood to the holler' Senate campaign be a 2024 blueprint for red-state Dems? [1]

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Date: 2022-11-08

The “hood to holler” concept was specifically created to connect with Kentucky voters, and meet them where they are.

x We will beat Rand Paul, but the bigger victory is the work we are doing to beat hate and bring the people of Kentucky together. pic.twitter.com/HK5xy5aGHo — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) November 7, 2022

“What I have seen across Kentucky are a lot of people in all backgrounds tired of the status quo,” Booker told WYMT-TV in Eastern Kentucky. “They are tired of Rand Paul mocking and disrespecting us. Disregarding our lives.”

x Kentucky has been hurting for a long time, and our commonwealth deserves better.



Send me to Washington. I’ll be the vote to deliver real progress for our families. pic.twitter.com/RgDT7iK9Ad — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) November 1, 2022

Booker spent the last day of the campaign canvassing in Louisville, where he grew up—in one of the state’s poorest neighborhoods. The former state representative has experienced homelessness, and at times had to ration his insulin because he couldn’t afford the medication he needed as a Type 1 diabetic. Booker knows that poor rural white Kentuckians face similar struggles as people of color living in urban poverty, and has made an effort to show up in these communities and focus on similarities—and solutions.

x Stacey is a lifelong Republican who understands what this moment means.



We have to come together and fight for our rights and our future.



Kentucky, I am proud to earn your vote. pic.twitter.com/STODHhAL3l — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) October 29, 2022

Abortion rights are also on the ballot Tuesday. Voters are being asked to decide whether the state’s constitution should be amended to explicitly state it doesn’t protect the right to an abortion. Republicans put the measure on the ballot in an effort to squelch any challenges to anti-abortion laws passed by the state legislature.

Abortions are currently banned in Kentucky, except to save the life of a pregnant woman or to prevent a disabling injury. The near-total abortion ban is being challenged in the state’s Supreme Court.

At rallies, Booker has said it’s “just ridiculous” for Paul to call himself a libertarian because the “government should not be in the business of forcing personal beliefs on others.”

Booker is Kentucky’s first Black major party nominee for the U.S. Senate. An advocate for racial and economic justice, Booker first rose to prominence in 2020 during protests over the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in a no-knock raid by Louisville police.

x For nearly two years, we have been doubted and counted out. Tomorrow, we’ll prove every doubter wrong. Let’s win this damn Senate seat. — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) November 8, 2022

In 2020, Booker finished a surprisingly close second to former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath in the Democratic Senate primary. She raised about $90 million, but lost to current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 58% to 38%.

As of Oct. 19, Booker had raised a little over $6 million for his Senate race, according to the Federal Election Commission. He has not received the major financial backing from the national Democratic Party’s big donors to get his message out through TV and radio ads, but instead has relied on making multiple campaign stops each day.

It will be interesting to compare Booker’s results to McGrath’s, and see whether his campaign can set an example for Democrats in other red states in 2024 and beyond.

x The same reason I went to the tracks to stand with coal miners is the same reason I went to the streets to stand with grieving communities after Breonna Taylor was killed. When your family is hurting, you show up.



That’s the leadership I’ll bring to the U.S. Senate. (PART 3) pic.twitter.com/1pk4Auvn0N — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) October 25, 2022

Surprisingly, there’s been only one public poll released on the Kentucky Senate race—and that was back in January, before Booker was even the Democratic nominee. That Mason-Dixon poll showed Paul leading Booker by a 55% to 39% margin.

All the same, Paul is forecasted to win by multiple analysts, from FiveThirtyEight to POLITICO.

One factor that should boost Booker’s percentage is that he’s running against Rand Paul, who may be the second-most hated Senate Republican (after Texas’ deeply reviled Ted Cruz).

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It’s clear that Paul really doesn’t care about his fellow Kentuckians. Both candidates were asked by the website LINK NKY what they would build upon if sent to Washington, D.C. The incumbent’s answer was instructive.

RAND PAUL: If Kentucky sends me back as their senator, I promise to build on the momentum calling for investigations into Dr. Fauci, Covid origins, and all the awful repercussions of the pandemic response. If I chair a committee with full subpoena power, I will use it to uncover the truth that has been redacted and hidden from the public. CHARLES BOOKER: In Washington, I’ll work to support and pass legislation that supports Kentuckians. The Social Security Expansion Act is imperative to protecting the promise our nation makes to its workers and will ensure a high quality of life for our elders. Also on my docket are expanding Medicare, codifying Roe v. Wade, and legalizing marijuana.

Booker’s campaign from the hood to the holler has led to some compelling and even comedic moments, from winning over Carl ...

x I love all the friends I’ve made on the campaign trail, especially the ones you least expect. Thank you for the support, Carl the pig! pic.twitter.com/8MynmHCY68 — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) November 7, 2022

… to taking over the mic to shout the lyrics to ‘90s hit “Crush on You” with a crowd.

x Started the day in the hollers, ended it in the hood. Taking our message of love all across the commonwealth.



6 days to make history. Let’s show out! pic.twitter.com/RMGxNNLdqL — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) November 2, 2022

Greg Stumbo, former attorney general and Democratic Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, told Louisville radio station WFPL that Booker is a “different” kind of Democratic candidate in Kentucky.

“He is a trailblazer. He’s the first person we’ve really had that stepped up to the plate and ran a campaign based upon what a lot of people would call progressive ideas,” Stumbo said.

WFPL quoted Booker as saying:

“This isn’t just about winning an election. It isn’t about winning a Senate race. It’s about winning our future here in Kentucky.”

x Our last canvass before Election Day. Baby Justyce even got on some doors!



Kentucky, let’s bring it home! pic.twitter.com/If5O1kF8eG — Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) November 7, 2022

If you’re in Kentucky, it’s not too late to help get out the vote for Booker and other Dems!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/8/2134451/-Democrat-Charles-Booker-has-run-inspirational-from-the-hood-to-the-holler-Senate-campaign-in-KY

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