The Eastern Shore is not an Impenetrable Red Wall.
The Eastern Shore of Maryland and the rest of the Delmarva Peninsula is visited by hundreds of thousands of people from the Western Shore and around the country each year. However, when it comes to politics and the culture the Eastern Shore is often misunderstood or blatantly ignored resulting in so much potential gain for the Progressive Movement and the Democratic Party going to waste. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is much bluer than you think, and with the proper investment in local organizations like the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus, we could yield big wins for the party and movement at the local, state, and federal levels.
The 2020 Presidential Election was historic in many ways, especially after four years of the Donald Trump nightmare that caused so much pain for so many Americans. However, one of the biggest pieces of history has been swept under the rug and that is the fact that the election of Joe Biden signifies the first time a citizen of the Delmarva Peninsula has held executive office at the federal level. That is a major milestone for the Shore and shows that as a region we are a lot bluer than you think. Joe Biden won several counties on the Eastern Shore including Northampton, New Castle, Kent Delaware, Kent Maryland, and Talbot. Biden also came within 860 votes of winning Wicomico county which was the best result for a Democrat running for president in the county since 1996.
The Lower Shore Progressive Caucus helped in the effort to elect Joe Biden in two major ways. The first way was by supporting congressional candidate Kara Eastman in the crucial Nebraskan Second Congressional District. Our work in this district included text banking, social media awareness, and hosting a joint fundraiser to help get much-needed resources into the district. We are proud to say that our work paid off as Biden won NE-02 and from it won its all-important electoral vote in the electoral college. This electoral vote was crucial in Biden’s path to 270!
The second effort we did to help elect Joe Biden was our organization’s local effort focused on contacting voters here on the Lower Eastern Shore. Over the course of several months, members of the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus spent many days texting and phone banking local voters to build support for our locally endorsed progressive candidates and remind them to get out to vote. Our biggest effort was when we sent out over 48,000 text messages to voters who didn’t vote by mail or through early voting on election day itself. These efforts directly contributed to the massive turnout we saw on Election Day here on the Lower Shore and helped connect voters with rides to the polls if they needed them. Most importantly it not only contrived too but also expanded the leftward trend the Lower Shore has had over the last few cycles.
It has been the narrative for decades that the Eastern Shore is an impenetrable red wall that can not be won by Democrats, let alone Progressive Democrats. However, the Shore is far bluer than what the common narrative would have you believe and the Shore is much more than a highway and some fields between the Western Shore and Ocean City and Assateague. It is a region that with the proper investment and care put into it can yield big results for the Democratic Party and Progressive Movement.
The Eastern Shore’s Democratic trend started in the 2008 Presidential election when Kent County was won by President Obama. The following cycle in 2010 saw many more gains for Democrats as Senator Barbara Mikulski won a commanding 5 out of 9 Eastern Shore counties. Senator Mikulski’s performance on the Shore shows that when Democrats don’t take our region for granted and invest the resources and manpower needed to be competitive they can win.
Senator Mikulski wasn’t the only Democrat to perform well here either. In 2018, current Senator Ben Cardin heavily invested on the Eastern Shore and went on to win 4 of the 9 counties.
When it comes to investing and campaigning on the Shore, nobody has done it better than Comptroller Peter Franchot. For years, our comptroller has made frequent stops on the Shore and has built up his name recognition and a broad base of support across the political spectrum and within every demographic in our region. This hard work paid off when he won an outstanding 8 of the 9 counties and by over 15% of the vote. A landslide victory on the Eastern shore by a Democrat is something that has not been seen in many decades; however, this result just goes to show when you make an effort and invest here you can win by large numbers. When you are a good candidate who cares about the Shore, the Shore will care about you.
Election recaps aside I’m sure you are probably wondering to yourself “okay so how do these results show that Progressive policies and candidates can win here on the Shore?” Well, in terms of down-ballot races the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus has been able to elect 12 progressives to the office on the Lower Shore in just 3 cycles. We were also able to help turn out the vote for Joe Biden and have vastly increased Democratic turnout by highlighting the more Progressive aspects of the Biden/Harris Platform. Progressive policies such as the Fight For 15, the Legalization of Marijuana, Environmental protections, Green Energy initiatives, and guaranteeing healthcare to all via Medicare for All are not only popular policies but also a winning message out here.
For decades now resources and man power have been taken away from the Eastern Shore and sent to other races that are either solid blue or out of state. This divestment has caused the Republican party to gain the upper hand in many communities and left us organizing on the bare minimum. The effects of this are shown with the election of radicals like Andy Harris, Mary Beth Carroza, and Nicole Acle. In order for us on the Shore to continue to build on the successes of 2020 and our down-ballot wins, we need your investment to ensure we can afford what we need to compete across the board in 2022.
Now that you have learned about the true politics of the Eastern Shore and how the Progressive movement is growing fast here I am asking you to support the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus by donating here Bit.ly/lspcpac. Your support will make the difference between victory and defeat in 2020.
Jared Schablein
Wicomico County
Chair of the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus
