Upset Democrats
How did this happen? Leaders of the Fayette County Democratic Party, in the wake of resounding defeat, must have asked themselves that question over and over again yesterday. Bill Lincoln – the party’s hand-picked commissioner candidate, former state senator and state party chairman who never before faced opposition in many runs for office – failed. For the first time in anyone’s memory, the party lost control of the commissioners’ office. Quite a feat when one considers that the party has had the equally unlikely circumstance filling all three commission spots with Democrats.
So how did this happen?
County Democrats need to first recognize this trouncing didn’t come out of nowhere. There were quite a few clues that party leadership in general, and chairman Fred Lebder in particular failed to read.
Clue No. 1: Through the last several commissioner cycles, voters by electing Democrats the party failed to embrace (Susanne Teslovich, twice and Sean Cavanagh, twice) let it be known they were weary of old-time, backroom politics.
Bill Lincoln, in the minds of many of these voters, is a holdover to the days of patronage, secrecy and the party exerting pressure to keep Fayette at the bottom of the heap and waiting for federal and state handouts.
Clue No. 2: In the last decade, the formerly non-existent Republican Party, has outpaced the Democrats in signing up new voters. Most likely these are younger voters who don’t give a hoot about political jobs and contracts. They have nothing to gain by voting a straight Democratic ticket. Ten years ago Democrats outnumbered Republicans in Fayette County by a 4 to 1 margin. Today, that gap has narrowed to 3 to 1.
Clue No. 3: Voters by continuing to support Commissioner Vince Vicites, in giving him the majority of votes each time he runs, show they want changes. Vicites started as the party’s favored son, broke away and won the allegiance of voters. During this general election, Vicites was once again embraced in the party’s fold and decided to run with Lincoln as a team. He might have still been the top vote-getter but not by nearly the margin he’s used to.
So what does all this mean for the county Democratic Party? If it wants to remain a dominant force in Fayette County then it must recognize that it isn’t in tune with the residents it wishes to govern. It is time for Lebder & Co. to step down and let younger people with vision of Fayette’s future, rather than its past, emerge as the new leaders.