What's the future for Oklahoma Democrats?

Democrats enjoyed nearly a century of local political dominance — four out of five state legislators in Oklahoma were Democrats from statehood to 1973 — largely because of its appeal to rural voters, especially in the southeast, a region dubbed "Little Dixie" because of political and cultural ties to the southern United States.

But the reverse is true today as Democrats have been relegated to a party primarily in urban communities.

Whether the party should try and rebuild its once great rural wall or exclusively focus on urban communities is one of the biggest internal debates among Oklahoma Democrats, according to interviews I recently had with more than two dozen current and former lawmakers, official party leaders, community-level activists and campaign strategists.

This week I published a story on the state of Oklahoma Democrats and where the party sees its future.

Some believe the party has become too progressive to appeal to rural voters and that Democrats should focus on electing city councilors and school board members within the state’s largest cities. 

Others said they had studied Republican states that have seen recent Demcoratic gains and believe there are examples to replicate in Oklahoma. 

You can read my story here. It has a bit of everything - history, statistics, a slew of voices, and ideas on what the future of Oklahoma politics might look like.