I read that she’s a Republican. Can anyone confirm this?
GOP, that would be weird, man bites dog?
If it is a die-hard Democrat area [and odds are it is given the area’s southern cotton-growing history] chances are they’re all Democrats and their parents and grandparents and ancestors back to the Civil War and before are or were Democrats, because no Republican will bother- without being able to peel some Democrat voters from the entrenched Democrats in office; it’s a waste of time and effort that could more profitably be spent on one’s own business. A true Republican will get all the Republican votes if there are any to be had, but no Democrats will break family tradition to cross over to vote for a true Republican.
But an outsider Democrat, who cannot succeed in the Democratic primary against an old entrenched rat because only Democrats can vote in it, and so cannot get on the ballot in the general election later, can at least get onto the ballot in the general election by declaring as if Republican in the primary. Such a candidate easily wins the Republican primary because the spot is unopposed- and can probably win by simply voting for themselves. Then they get on the ballot in the general election and get to keep the Democrat supporters they already who know what they candidates are really Democrats, plus may pull independents and also Republican straight ticket voters who don’t realize they’re voting for a stealth Democrat. It’s the only way for an outsider to dislodge an entrenched Democrat who has heavy support.
This is why the GOP really needs to find ways to keep people from using the Republican primary to carry on Democrat politics and persuade some Republican to at least fill out the papers so that any stealth Dem is at least opposed.
Party affiliation doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know the locality very well and know if there are stealth candidates lying about their true party loyalty.