Candidate response: Sellus Wilder

Wilder: stop shrinking Democrats’ base

I’m grateful for the Herald-Leader’s kind words this week and I’m looking forward to surprising folks this Tuesday.

I entered this race to give a voice to Kentuckians who have been ignored by our political process. I share the frustrations of progressives around the commonwealth who have been disappointed by our statewide candidates.

I’m concerned that we’ve been shrinking our own base when we compete with Republicans to see who can be the most conservative. We consistently lose low-voter-turnout elections, and yet party insiders continue to sell this myth that fundraising, attack ads and repetitive slogans are what we need to win statewide contests.

If we want to compete in November, then we need to try something new.

I’m looking forward to defeating Rand Paul with the same strategy that has given me a shot at winning this primary. I’m engaging voters by running on Democratic values instead of running away from them (WilderForSenate.com). We need a progressive candidate who can fire up the Democratic base instead of taking it for granted.

Some insiders believe that I can’t win without big money, while others believe that my primary opponent can’t win without a platform or issues that folks care about. This election will test whether money or ideas matter more to Kentucky Democrats. I invite your readers to reject cynicism and believe in a brighter future for our commonwealth, and I hope enough folks will vote with their hearts this Tuesday to make that future a reality.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Candidate response: Sellus Wilder."