All roads lead through the South, and the region may be shaping America’s political future more than the national conversation realizes. Jen Palmieri and Erinn Haines join Grace and Katherine to examine the changing political landscape across South Carolina and the broader South, including rising voter engagement, new Democratic candidates, shifting coalitions, and the long-term infrastructure needed to compete. They explore why Southern politics is not as settled as it looks from Washington, how voting rights and gerrymandering are influencing participation, and why South Carolina could play an outsized role in the future of the Democratic Party. We also look at what national media gets wrong about the South and why understanding American politics increasingly means paying attention to the people organizing, voting, and building power there.
Long Play Series
https://www.youtube.com/@longplayseries
00:00 All Roads Lead Through the South
04:32 Why South Carolina Is the Political Epicenter
06:36 Why South Carolina Democrats Are Surging
08:42 Voting Rights Backlash Is Driving Turnout
10:51 A New Generation of Southern Candidates
16:13 Southern Politics Is Starting to Shift
21:19 What Southern Voters Actually Want
28:14 Building Political Power Across the South
35:08 Remembering Dolly Parton