Andy Beshear (D) is the governor-elect of Kentucky. John Bel Edwards (D) is the governor of Louisiana.
Many Democrats viewed the result of the 2016 presidential election as a sign that we should abandon whole sections of the country as unwinnable.
But having just won statewide in Kentucky and Louisiana, the two of us believe our party should move in the opposite direction. If Democrats choose to run and govern on a grounded set of issues that draw a clear line between our platform and a voter’s kitchen table, we can win even in the reddest of the red states.
The secret sauce is not really a secret. To win, we had to reach out to people across the political spectrum, including people who voted for President Trump. So we campaigned everywhere, treating every voter with respect, as winnable, because showing up still matters to the people we wanted to lead.