Are Dems looking harder at MS?

Following the Republican's November political wave in Florida, delivering Gov. (Ron) DeSantis and Sen. (Marco) Rubio double-digit wins, some Democrats are giving up on that state and looking elsewhere in the South. Democrat strategist James Carville is saying the party may be “better off looking harder at Mississippi.” He cites the state’s large Black population as a reason for hope. Blacks in Mississippi make up 38.7% of the population, but "only votes 30 [percent],” Carville says. The percentage of Black citizens in Mississippi represents a larger share of population than any other state in the nation, according to the 2019 Census, including Georgia, where Dems have recent success. Black Georgians make up less than 33% of the population. Is Mississippi an alternative? Conor Dowing, a poli-science professor at Ole Miss, says Dems could have a chance at winning, but only if they put time and money into the party's infrastructure ... "like we’ve seen in Georgia. In 2020, President Biden won more than 41% of the vote in Mississippi. The last Democrat governor was Ronnie Musgrove, who served one term from 2000-04. 68.5% of Blacks in Georgia are on the voting rolls. In Mississippi, more than 83 percent of Black voters are registered. Those numbers aren't the only key to success, however. Democrats consistently won the Black vote in Georgia by wide margins decade and after decade, but weakness with college-educated suburbanites sank their chances statewide. Educational divides also are behind recent Democrat gains nationwide. Biden won voters with at least a college degree by 14 points. The issue for Mississippi is that it has fewer college-educated voters (23%) than Georgia (32%). Dowling notes that Democrats like (Rep. Mike) Espy could have won if not for a weak state party and low registration rates among Black. For Democrats to win, he says there can’t just be a “one-off investment when there’s a high-profile race.” (NY Sun 12/06/22) Carville: Democrats Looking for Gains in Deep South Should Consider Mississippi (nysun.com)