this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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I was just checking the ballot for my area, and half of it was unopposed Republicans. Where is the Democratic party?!

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[–] solarvector@lemmy.zip 30 points 2 weeks ago

Gerrymandered districts means that often the only election that could be truly contested is the primary.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 21 points 2 weeks ago

I mean, why didn't you run?

Take that answer and repeat it for 1- the number of voters in your district. And its not just true for elected offices, party offices are often given to "those who show up".

[–] geekwithsoul@lemm.ee 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Look at what percentage of the vote those Republicans won in the last election, and if it's over 60%, I can almost guarantee there's not a Democrat alive that can win that office. Doesn't make any sense for a Dem to run in a race they can't win, as it would take resources away from Dems in competitive races.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not that I disagree, just that it would be good to have an opponent.

[–] geekwithsoul@lemm.ee 7 points 2 weeks ago

Oh sure, totally understandable. I grew up in a mid-Atlantic state during the 80s & 90s, where even the Democrats would've been Republicans anywhere else. Tons of GOP incumbents never had opponents. It gradually got much better but it takes time and a change in demographics to make those changes, not Don Quixotic campaigns that are destined to lose.

[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Going after incumbents is hard enough, going after an incumbent with their voters as a majority is impossible. You could spend millions on your campaign or you could instead burn the money and achieve the same results.

[–] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 weeks ago

Not just in Texas. I filled out my ballot here in California and there were several local positions which were unopposed, or even multiple Republicans.

[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 weeks ago

A lot of my local elections are unopposed democrats. Local elections tend to be a lot less diverse.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

theyve been rigging the game for years to keep them in power. there hasnt been enough opposition to stop them