Progressives Status As ‘Outliers' Remains Intact Following ‘Blue Reboot’ of the Louisiana State’s Democratic Party

"Did you ever think that challenging one of the most powerful dumbasses in DC would have been a good idea,?" asks progressive voter Sara Michelle Creppel to the Louisiana's Democratic Party leadership in a TikTok video. "Mike Johnson has no one running against him from the Democratic fucking party again!  Why was that not a priority? Defeating Johnson would have been as easy as a layup! This man is atrocious even in his own community."

David Levy, co-founder of Divergent Dispatches and a member of the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC), shares Creppel’s outrage. Since he hadn't heard a peep from committee leadership about issues finding a candidate to run against Johnson, he assumed Committee Chair Randal Gaines had gotten the job done. 

The satisfaction Levy got from playing a role in the "Blue Reboot" group's effort to oust the party's former chair, Katy Bernhardt began to wane in March, when it became clear the old guard were poised to take over the party's leadership instead of more progressive party members. Three time elected Democratic Rep. Randal Gaines, who replaced Bernhardt,  vowed to "recruit exciting candidates for every seat and give them the support they need to compete and win.” But since taking over the party's leadership Gaines, like Bernhardt, has allowed Mike Johnson to run unopposed, tossing away a viable opportunity for a Democrat to flip his seat. 

For all Levy knows the party's leadership could have decided not to put forth a challenger and kept the decision quiet. Though no one on the committee said that is what happened, "political consultant Mary-Patricia Wray theorized it could work in the Democrats favor to not field a candidate," according to a report by Piper Hutchinson for The Illuminator.  

Wray’s clients include former Congressman Cleo Fields, who is currently seeking an endorsement from the Democratic party for the new congressional seat that opened up after court-ordered redistricting mandate for Louisiana to create a second Black-majority district. Wray’s firm is also doing work for the State. Her firm secured a $49k no-bid government contract this year to do communications work for the Parks Department, that answers to. Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, a Republican.

Levy finds justifications by Wray and others for Gaines' failure to secure a challenger to Johnson suspect. He believes making sure the party has a challenger for as many races as possible is the party leader's role because no matter how slim a candidate's chances of winning, having a challenger forces the opposing party to spend money. 

Like Creppel, he finds it improbable Gaines couldn’t find a single Democrat in the state to run against Johnson. Had Gaines informed the committee that the party's leadership didn't find a candidate, Levy would have put his own skin and money in the game. And he is certain that he is not the only Democrat that would have been willing and able to challenge Johnson - if they knew the party had not secured a candidate.

After reviewing the agenda for the DSCC July 27 meeting at which the committee will vote on endorsements, Levy was taken aback to find out there will be little to no time available to address Gaines' failure to secure a candidate against Johnson. There is also no or little time allotted for any debate over the party-leadership's endorsement picks before the vote. 

At the start of the meeting, Gaines will announce the names of the candidates the party executives have chosen to endorse; then those vying for endorsement will each have five minutes to make their pitches; next the committee will vote and then announce the winners.  

The party already signaled it will endorse Cleo Fields, who is known for accepting a wad of cash from former Democratic Governor Edwin Edwards - A transaction caught on video led to Edwards serving time in a federal prison for corruption.  . Other committee members, like Levy, think Quentin Anthony Anderson, a far younger and more progressive newcomer in the party's political landscape, is a better choice than Fields.

To protest of the party's handling of the upcoming vote, Levy won’t attend the meeting or vote by proxy and is encouraging others to do the same. If enough members do that, there won’t be a quorum, which will prevent the votes on the endorsements from taking place.

Though Levy doesn't expect much traction on his last minute effort to slow down the voting process, it isn't stopping him from doing what he believes is right. He remains baffled at how few DSCC members signed a petition he authored requesting Dem. Senator Regina Barrow be censured for introducing a bill to surgically castrate pedophiles.  The legislation became law in the last regular session.  Levy sees the law as 'revenge legislation' — something a civilized society should not practice.  

Bernie sanders, considered an outlier by many centrists Democrats, visited Louisana in 2015 while he was running to be the Democratic Nominee. “I think my colleagues in the Democratic Party have made a very, very serious mistake and that is they’ve kind of written off half of America, including Louisiana,” Sanders told the crowd that packed the Alario Center just outside of New Orleans. “I’m here to tell you that the time is now for us to fight in 50 states.” Sander's campaign provided evidence he was right as droves of first time voters with a progressive stances registered to vote. The National Democratic Party, just like the Louisiana’s former chair offered little if any support for progressive candidates running for office.

Levy agrees with Sanders that the Democratic Party should be active in all fifty states and that even Louisiana could flip from red to blue. Which is one reason that he has no intention of giving up on the Louisiana Democratic Party, even if another 'Blue Reboot' or two is needed before the party becomes truly progressive.

If the actions Levy takes in an attempt to prop up more progressive voices in the party aren’t embraced - and he is considered to be an outlier, that ok with him-he doesn't give a fuck.