Republican hopefuls agree: The key to the White House is working-class whites

WaPo ^ | January 13, 2016 | Philip Rucker and Robert Costa

[Zhang Fei]

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Lindsay Legault-Knowles is the kind of voter the Republican Party is desperate to rouse. She is white and from working-class Vermont. She fears the changes happening all around her. "It's hard for me to have friends," she said, "because everyone seems to disagree."

She drove here on a cold January night to make phone calls on Ted Cruz's behalf. The presidential candidate's wife showed up, too. With a silk Hermès scarf draped over her shoulders, Heidi Cruz, a former Goldman Sachs executive, sat down at the campaign office next to the college student, who wore a Confederate flag T-shirt.

They came from different Americas -- and never once spoke -- but shared a mission: to find more people with backgrounds like Legault-Knowles's, one call at a time.

Their encounter illustrated the urgent imperative of Republicans -- historically the party of business, money and power -- to broaden their coalition with many more white working-class voters. As the nation diversifies and the GOP struggles to adapt, the presidential hopefuls see this demographic bloc as the key to taking back the White House.

"Some of them have never voted," Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe said. "It's staggering. If they can be convinced to come out and vote, we win."

There has been a debate within the party -- and the political class -- about whether Republicans need to diversify to win or whether it just needs to attract more of its core constituencies. So far in 2016, led by Cruz and Donald Trump, the election has moved decisively toward the latter. The exceptions, such as Jeb Bush and Lindsey O. Graham, are either out of the race or on the edges of it.

[Zhang Fei]

Cruz and Trump may be trying variants of the Sailer Strategy, much as Democrats have morphed into the anybody but white party.

[Pelham]

Good catch, I’d forgotten about the Sailer Strategy.

[bigbob]

If so, that’s great news for Trump because he speaks from the heart in terms ordinary Americans can understand and says it like it is, just like their fathers and grandfathers who were part of the Greatest Generation did.

More than any other candidate since Reagan, Trump epitomizes the American Dream, not only because of what he has accomplished, but because he loves his country as much as those who gave birth and nurture to todays “working class whites” did. His simple message about what is important and what must be done to restore our great nation will resonate with what most non-immigrant Americans have heard all their lives from the people they most admire and respect.

[datura]

Heidi is not a former employee of Goldman. She took a leave of absence during the campaign to avoid the impropriety.

Her position is managing director - not some small fish.

[scooby321]

Trump has expanded his base more than anyone

If you think anyone else will get minority votes than anyone else

[Zhang Fei]

Heidi is not a former employee of Goldman. She took a leave of absence during the campaign to avoid the impropriety. Her position is managing director - not some small fish.

Managing directors are essentially department managers. Goldman has 2,000 of them, out of a workforce of 30,000.

[Zhang Fei]

Trump will probably lose 2 Hispanic votes for every black vote he wins. That’s why he polls 2% lower against Clinton than Cruz does.

[Albion Wilde]

Make America Great Again
2016!

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* * *

Selected Trump articles on FR with links, from 5:00 PM to 11:59 PM EST, 1/14/16:
TRUMP WON DEBATE!
Donald Trump Shuts Down Ted Cruz's Criticism Of His "New York Values" [VIDEO]
**DRUDGE POLL** WHO WON THE 6TH REPUBLICAN DEBATE '16? [Vote online]
Trump leads the pack, but Cruz wins one on one [Beaufort Observer - SC]
Trumpmania stomps on GOP strategy session
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Head Fearful of Inability To Influence Donald Trump...
Mmm Mmm Mmm, Donald John Trump
The Left's Endgame Hits the Wall (Wow! What an article!)
Where You Can Watch and Participate in the GOP Debate [LIVE THREAD -- 3,500 comments]
Trump More Than Doubles National Lead in NBC/WSJ Poll
Trump Breaks Ten Million Attendees and YouTube Views of Rallies

[Shadow44]

Considering they still make up a majority of the country, I’d say that’s a no-brainer.

The Democrats’ coalition is much more fragile, they just have leadership that is in touch with their backers. The GOP resents theirs.

[Cowboy Bob]

Wait? What? Appealing to 70-80% of the voting class...rather than targeting Black, Lesbian, left-handed midgets? What kind of voting strategy is that?? /sarc

BTW, it sounds "racist!"

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Conservatism knows no race, age, gender, nothing. We are all created equal with unalienable rights. Good policy raises all boats.

[TBP]

If Mitt Romney had gotten just 4 percentage points more among white males, neither Cruz nor Trump would be running for president, because President Romney would be running for re-election.

[free_life]

And Trump has working-class whites over everyone else combined.

[LeoWindhorse]

I am working class white and I am 100% for Trump

[IChing]

I thought they made it illegal for whites to vote or speak or be alive

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Yes, yes he does.

[marktwain]

“Republicans — historically the party of business, money and power”

Wow, nothing like defining Republicans as their enemies define them!

How about “Republicans — historically the party of limited government, low taxes, and individual rights.

[RKBA Democrat]

Very interesting article on sailer strategy. You should post it.