Edwards targeting rural conservatives

Dem presidential hopeful, Sen. John Edwards (NC), is bucking recent political trends by "targeting rural conservative voters.

Aiming to buck a 20-year trend, Edwards -- a Democrat -- is courting the conservative rural voters who are some of the Republican Party's most reliable voters. The effort could make some traditional Democrats a bit squeamish, however, because it embraces gun ownership rights and trumpets cultural passions such as NASCAR that might be viewed by some as unsophisticated.

Guns are a loser national issue for Democrats, and they should abandon it in all but the most local races. As for NASCAR, who gives a damn?

Democratic Virginia governor Mark Warner won his race, just weeks after 9-11 in a solid conservative state, by using similar tactics. And the key is gun ownership.

[N]o issue resonates among these voters more than the issue of gun ownership rights.

Among the Democrats most actively vying for their party's nomination to challenge President Bush in 2004, Edwards has one of the most pro-gun stances.

This statement is not really accurate, as Dean had a solid pro-gun record as Vermont governor. Still, Dean's Vermont roots may scare off southern voters unable to overlook negative New England stereotypes. It'll be interesting to see how this issue shakes out.

(Via Political Wire.)

Posted September 09, 2002 07:35 AM | Comments (2)