The argument that South Carolina Democrats should vote in the GOP primary to pick the Republican “who will do the least harm” sounds clever. Yet, it’s a horrible idea, strategically, morally, and mathematically, and it gives away the very power Democrats do have in this state when we turn out to vote.
First, the argument is built on a false premise that Democrats are powerless here, that South Carolina is a “one-party state,” and Democrats don’t matter. Tell that to the voters in cities and towns where Democrats flipped seats earlier this month in partisan elections, and in the special elections Democrats won this year in Republican districts.
Tell it to the GOP incumbents who panic every time we organize, and to the thousands of new voters moving into our state every day.
Unlike columnist Steve Bailey, we are not prepared to concede the next cycle, or any cycle, to a Republican Party that relies on gerrymandering, voter suppression, and manipulated primaries to maintain power.
If Democrats truly didn’t matter, the GOP wouldn’t gerrymander legislative maps until they snap, suppress votes at every turn, or try to eliminate the only Democratic congressional district. If Democrats were irrelevant, Republicans wouldn’t work this hard to hold on to power. They do all of this because when Democrats turn out and vote, we are a threat.
Encouraging Democrats to vote in the Republican primary to choose the so-called least harmful Republican is how you create a one-party state, not end it. It says we surrender to the GOP’s rigged system as permanent and unchangeable. That mindset ensures one outcome: Republicans stay in charge, no matter who is on the ballot. Voting for Republicans in a Republican primary doesn’t expand Democratic power. It erases Democratic power.
It cements South Carolina as a place where Democrats retreat and never compete statewide because they stop giving themselves the chance.
If we never invest in our team, we will never grow our bench. And if we never grow our bench, we will never win. That’s not strategic voting; that’s political resignation. Democrats don’t win by propping up Republicans. We’re here to fight for our values and working people.
Helping the GOP weed out its worst candidates is political malpractice. Why on earth would Democrats use their votes to make the Republican Party more electable? That’s like spotting your opponent 10 points before tipoff and calling it strategy. If Republicans want to nominate less extreme candidates to be more palatable to most South Carolina voters, that’s their job, not ours. We’re not here to sanitize their brand.
Democrats need to vote for like-minded candidates who share our values and who believe in feeding children, providing access to affordable health care, and addressing the cost of living. The two parties are not the same. Democrats should cast their votes in the Democratic primary to strengthen our own slate of candidates, not to clean up theirs.
Elections aren’t fantasy football games. Democrats can’t sit on the sidelines, look at a Republican primary roster full of deeply conservative candidates, and somehow, on a wish and a prayer, draft a “moderate” or “reasonable” Republican into the starting lineup, even though we don’t control the team, the playbook, or the fan base.
The idea that Democrats can strategically swoop in, outsmart thousands of Republican primary voters, and engineer a reasonable GOP nominee is not a strategy; it’s a fantasy. It’s not how primaries work, and it’s not how power works.
Voting in the Republican primary isn’t a strategy. It’s surrender. Republicans don’t surrender and concede to Democrats in blue states and have seen recent success in places such as Maryland, Maine, and Vermont. So why should Democrats cede ground in South Carolina?
Democrats don’t strengthen democracy by helping the GOP right its ship. We strengthen democracy by building our own ship and steering the state toward a future where voters have a real choice. And make no mistake: We’re doing that work every single day.
