U.S. Senate candidate Brandaun Dean is urging Democrats to organize candidate forums so Democratic voters can properly vet their Senate candidates.
Dean recently addressed his frustrations on what he considers to be lethargy on the part of Young Democrats and other Democratic groups with the primary, and he believes this just shows the sluggishness of the members of this leadership and executive team of the Alabama Young Democrats.
“My initial thoughts in reaching out are that this should initiate a comprehensive phase of development for my campaign to become Alabama’s first Black and the nation’s first Black millennial anti-poverty collectivist U.S. Senator,” Dean told 1819 News. “[This would] Further an advancement of Alabama Young Democrats as a force for youth in our state who face the daunting reality of being underrepresented and sparsely included in the civic and political process. I am not foreign to that experience as a person who has endured harm at the hand of the justice system, a former elected official of a fragile enterprise, and as a human coping with housing displacement among other socially disabling realities.
“This, unfortunately, is not my first attempt at gaining an audience with Alabama Young Democrats. In the past, I attempted to join you for an important discussion on the text of former Gov. Siegelman’s justice narrative Stealing Our Democracy. Additionally, on more than a half dozen occasions I have made visible outreach to the organization and its president via social media, each time failing to be acknowledged with a correspondence.”
Dean alleged that establishment forces within the Alabama Democratic Party have conspired to deny him access to Democratic groups and forums.
“[A] Sitting young, elected official is also a person who has repeatedly denied me the dignity of open communication around my candidacy as well as my efforts to retain credibility in my public facing efforts,” Dean said. “So while I am not absolutely clear about the motivation for abstaining from giving me an audience, my concerns are great.”
Dean warned that parochialism among Alabama Democrats has the potential effect of squandering the opportunity for Democrats to take back a Senate seat. Alabama Democrats held the other U.S. Senate seat from Alabama from 2018 to 2020.
“The upcoming United States Senate election is paramount to any of our apprehensions around ego or personal loyalties,” Dean said. “It is critical that this be understood widely.
“Moving forward my request is for a more visible effort at engagement with underserved parts of the electorate, a greater articulation of Alabama Young Democrats policy goals, and cooperation with all millennial candidates expressing values alignment with those this organization should be serving,” Dean wrote in a letter to Young Democrats.
Dean is the former Mayor of Brighton, Alabama.
Will Boyd, Brandaun Dean, Lanny Jackson, and Victor Keith Williams are all running for U.S. Senate in the Democratic party primary on May 24.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandon.moseley@1819News.com.
