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WASHINGTON — In the midst of an identity crisis, Democrats’ future may rest in the hands of which past GOP presidential voters they’re better able to woo this fall.
Supporters of President Barack Obama who flipped and backed Republican Donald Trump in 2016 could hold the keys to reclaiming some traditionally blue territory. Meanwhile, newer suburban battlegrounds rely heavily on welcoming supporters of 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney who ditched the GOP for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Democrats need to flip 23 GOP-held seats to retake the House this year — and have more than 100 targets.
On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Ground Game reporters Alex Roarty and Katie Glueck explore two polar opposites on that list — California’s 10th and Illinois’ 12th — to see whether the party is succeeding at either.
Also in this episode, Ozy political editor Daniel Malloy introduces some political newcomers trying to overhaul the Democratic Party from the inside-out.
Malloy sat down with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Queens months before she shocked the political establishment by upsetting a member of Democratic leadership in New York’s 14th District.
McClatchy’s Beyond the Bubble show is produced by Jordan-Marie Smith and Davin Coburn. Alex Roarty and Katie Glueck, national political correspondents for McClatchy, recorded this episode at McClatchy’s Washington Bureau, July 2, 2018.