Democratic republican on the Up and Up Again
Note: This analysis first published in Mississippi Today'due south weekly legislative newsletter. Subscribe to our free newsletter for exclusive early on access to weekly analyses.
Just most anybody who lived in northeast Jackson and southern Madison Canton got a knock on their door in the summer and fall of 2019.
When they opened their doors, they were greeted by a 37-year-erstwhile white adult female who began with something similar: "My name is Shanda Yates. I'1000 running as a Democrat to serve you in the land Business firm of Representatives. I'd similar to tell you why."
House District 64 encompasses most of the white neighborhoods in Jackson and a few Reservoir area neighborhoods in Madison County. Those commune lines had long been drawn to ensure a white, Republican sliver of the state's capital city, which is the Blackest large city in America.
The 31-yr incumbent of the commune was Rep. Bill Denny, chairman of the earth-shaking Apportionment and Elections Commission, overseeing the redrawing of legislative districts. Denny was considered a Republican Party elder and ane of the about powerful lawmakers at the Capitol.
But Yates, a former law partner of Republican Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, wanted change for her district. So she went out and sold it, sharing her unabashedly Democratic platform with voters.
Most prognosticators believed she stood no chance. But she received a pour of fiscal and political support from in-state Democrats, including party organizations and private donors and candidates. She was invited to speak at local and state Autonomous Party meetings. Old U.South. Congressman Mike Espy, who ran as a Democrat for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020, canvassed with her in northeast Jackson.
Several progressive groups based exterior Mississippi took notice. For a few cycles, these groups had been investing in districts similar Business firm District 64 across America, sensing the left-moving trend of middle-aged white women in suburban areas. Yates' campaign received tens of thousands of dollars in independent expenditures from out-of-land networks that exclusively support Democrats. She publicly boasted being endorsed by some of these groups.
The bet was risky, but the feeling was unanimous among all the Dems involved: Yates could win. They were right.
When the results were tallied on November. 5, 2019, Yates had defeated Denny by 168 votes. Every dollar spent and every vote had counted. But Democrats broadly viewed her victory every bit bigger than simply another D on the House roster and the exceedingly rare defeat of the GOP.
She'd instilled hope among Democrats — not the state party itself, which has long been in butchery, merely the group of individuals and organizations that champion progressive causes in the state — that change in cherry-red red Mississippi was possible. A white Democratic woman had knocked off a Republican icon in Jackson, and several people who helped her campaign in 2019 had already begun planning how to use it as a model for victory in 2023 and beyond.
But in a stunning blow to all those people, that hope abruptly vanished concluding week.
Yates appear on Jan. 13 that she had left the Democratic Party and would serve in the Legislature as an independent. She did non inform Democratic Party leadership of her decision earlier it was made public. Several Democratic lawmakers who consider Yates a close friend were non given a heads up.
Every Democrat who spoke with Mississippi Today shared a feeling of disappointment that Yates didn't give her colleagues the run a risk to address her concerns.
"Not mad. Non angry. Simply hurt," a prominent Democrat close with Yates said.
Several of the progressives who helped get Yates elected reached out to limited their disappointment and anger.
"We're Democrats in Mississippi. We're used to being frustrated and disappointed, but this is different," said a Democratic operative who worked closely with Yates during her 2019 campaign. "Shanda helped us believe that with the correct candidate, in the correct commune, even in this climate, we could win at the state legislature-level despite the brokenness of the state party. Nosotros worked outside the party structure and we won. Just here we are 2 sessions later, and it didn't matter because ultimately nosotros still lost."
Strengthening the blow, nearly every Democratic official learned of Yates' determination from Y'all Politics, a political blog that regularly runs messaging for Mississippi Republican Political party leaders. The GOP blog bearing the bad news has been one of the toughest pills for Democrats to swallow and has heightened speculation about why Yates ditched the party.
The reason for her decision, Yates fired off in a serial of tweets over the weekend, was the Autonomous Party'southward "toxic surroundings." In an interview with WLBT, she broadly alluded to pushback she received over her vote to approve the new Republican-drawn congressional districts — the only House Democrat to do so. She offered no specifics beyond that.
Yates spoke with Mississippi Today via text bulletin on Sun, and offered few boosted specifics.
"Post-obit the (congressional redistricting) vote, members of the Democratic Party and my legislative caucus made it clear to me that I was not welcome in the party any longer," Yates told Mississippi Today. "I do not program to publicly elaborate on the specific content of the statements that were fabricated to relay this message as doing so would serve no purpose aside from further dividing the Democratic Party and this is not my intent."
She continued: "I am saddened that some seem to presume that I have abandoned my behavior and ideals notwithstanding have no desire to look at the underlying bug that led to this decision. My constituents and those who supported me should know that I am the same person I take e'er been. The letter behind my proper noun doesn't change that. I will continue to represent District 64 to the best of my ability."
Yates said she would no longer caucus with Democrats, though "(House Democratic leader Rep. Robert Johnson) and I have a good working relationship, and he knows that he can come to me anytime it may be needed." Yates said she did non plan to conclave with Republicans, either, but is instead planning to "piece of work individually with members, every bit needed, depending on the issue/nib."
Repeatedly pressed for specifics about her political party switch, Yates declined to offer them.
Mississippi Today spoke with 10 House Democrats and asked what they've heard about the reasoning for Yates' defection. Rep. Robert Johnson, the House Democratic leader, was one of the only Democrats in contact with Yates about her concerns — which she first expressed a little more than one day earlier she announced her decision to switch parties.
Here'southward what Johnson said went downward:
"This all unfolded in a couple days. Shanda has always been a great Democrat, always has voted with united states when we've asked. After the (Jan. eleven) redistricting vote, two or three members of the Hinds County delegation told me they were upset that she voted with the Republicans on last passage. I told them they didn't need to worry virtually it, that she'd co-authored our amendment and voted with us there, and that we'd achieved exactly what nosotros were hoping to with that vote. I thought that would be the end of it.
Those couple members apparently shared their disappointment with some of their friends, who said some stuff virtually Shanda at the Hinds County Autonomous Executive Commission coming together that solar day. That got back to Shanda. She commencement told me about everything on that Wednesday (Jan. 12). She let me know that people were calling her law office and berating her staff over her vote. I was upset when I heard that, simply told her that it was coming from merely two members. I allow her know that she had the full back up of the overwhelming majority of the Democratic Caucus and that the one or 2 Hinds Canton members were not a problem.
All the same, we gathered a pocket-size grouping of Democrats and told those couple Hinds County members they got it wrong. She knew she had the support of the House Democratic Caucus. I wish she'd just weathered it. And look, I'm non necessarily defending her, but information technology'southward hard enough being a white Democrat in the Business firm of Representatives for whatsoever fellow member to trounce upwards on somebody similar this. Nosotros don't do that, except in Hinds County. The Hinds Canton delegation tin be crude. Information technology's all part of it. I just wish she'd stayed because she could have with the major support she had. She'due south been a good member, a adept Democrat. Just any idea that she didn't have back up of the overwhelming bulk of the conclave is wrong. If two or three loud Hinds County Democrats made it unbearable for her, I detest that."
Rep. Robert Johnson, Business firm minority leader
Several Democrats told Mississippi Today that Rep. Earle Banks, a Jackson Democrat, led the accuse against Yates for her redistricting vote. Banks, long a provocateur amongst fifty-fifty his boyfriend Democrats, did not return several messages requesting annotate earlier this story published.
A few minutes after the story published, Banks texted and said: "That is not truthful. I never stirred up whatever thing against her later that vote."
Every Democrat who spoke with Mississippi Today said they were given little or no heads upward about Yates' concerns and ultimately her decision to switch. Near of them hadn't even heard that she was struggling with her place in the party — a reality that has spurred feelings of confusion among Democrats, and has left open the door for wild speculation amongst both Democrats and Republicans at the Capitol.
As the dust settles, Democrats — already in the super-minority in both the Business firm and Senate, desperate for whatever legislative momentum — are now downwards some other member.
Yates is the latest of a string of white Democrats to defect; there are just three white Democrats left in the House, and two in the Senate. Those who have left in recent years accept reaped rewards from Gunn or other Republican leaders:
- In 2019, Democrat Rep. Nick Bain flipped to the Republican Political party. The next twelvemonth, Gunn named Bain chairman of the House Judiciary B Commission.
- In 2020, longtime Democrat Rep. Kevin Horan announced he would go an independent. Less than a week afterward, Gunn fabricated Horan chairman of the House Corrections Committee. Horan is at present listed on the Legislature's website as a Republican.
- In 2020, Autonomous Rep. Michael Ted Evans appear he would serve as an contained. That twelvemonth, Gunn named him to the powerful House Ways and Ways Committee. The next yr, Gunn appointed him to the House Transportation Commission.
- In 2021, freshman Democratic Rep. Jon Lancaster appear he was flipping to the Republican Political party. Lancaster was praised publicly by top leaders of the Mississippi Republican Party, including Gunn and Gov. Tate Reeves.
As for the Y'all Politics speculation, Yates chalked it upwardly to coincidence, saying she sent the press release at the same time to the blog and the Northside Sunday, a weekly newspaper that covers her district. She said she had non communicated with Gunn virtually her party switch earlier she announced it, saying: "He did not know. Not certain if he even knows I left the party."
"No nefarious intent," Yates said. "If that were the case I would exist naming names and saying lots of things. I'm non. I tried to do this quietly with a very mildly worded press release."
She connected: "I care enough well-nigh the party to not requite specifics well-nigh the comments and statements that other members of the political party fabricated to me. Doing that would only injure the party. And if the fact that I don't want to hurt the party (that I was told I didn't belong in) isn't proof enough that I care almost the underlying practiced of the party and the people who elected me, then I'chiliad sorry."
State of play and what to scout for:
i. The Mississippi Democratic Political party continues to be a mess. The party baffled most everyone Friday with a strange, ambiguous tweet near Yates' decision to switch parties. Even had Yates given her legislative colleagues a chance to make whatever wrong was occurring correct, there's non much the party itself could offer her by way of financial or political support. Democrats at the Capitol had a cracking deal of respect for Yates, simply respect from colleagues can only go and then far when Republicans can laissez passer any bill they want without a single Democratic vote.
2. Yates had support from legislative Democrats. In her kickoff term, her colleagues elected her vice-chair of the House Autonomous Caucus. Fifty-fifty feeling burned by Yates for her determination to exit, every legislative Democrat spoke highly of her and said they regretted she left the political party. Will Democrats make whatsoever move to extend an olive branch to Yates or bring her dorsum into the fold? Volition any Autonomous leader work to get to the bottom of why this happened in efforts to prevent information technology from happening again?
3. The non land party affiliated progressives who helped Yates get elected in 2019 — the groups responsible for the only semblance of effective Autonomous politics in Mississippi — are already discussing with each other whether they will support her in a possible re-election bid in 2023. Yates told Mississippi Today that she does currently program to run for re-election. No thing how they handle her, those individuals and groups will about certainly add a new question when deciding whether to support legislative candidates moving forwards: "Volition you lot flip if yous're elected?"
4. Legislative redistricting looms. Population changes in the 2020 Demography indicate that two of Jackson'southward majority-Blackness Business firm districts may need to consolidated. Could Gunn or other powerful Republicans reward Yates for leaving the Democratic Party with a redder district? It'south extremely possible some of those progressives feeling burned by Yates could work to find a Autonomous challenger to run against her in 2023. How her district is redrawn in a couple months could very well decide her fate at the Capitol.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated news of Rep. Jon Lancaster's party flip was broken past a conservative political weblog. Taylor Vance at The Daily Journal broke that news.
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Source: https://mississippitoday.org/2022/01/17/mississippi-democrats-shanda-yates-leaves-party/
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