James Thompson: The progressive vying for Kansas
The state of Kansas has forever been excluded from the American mainstream. A state made famous in pop culture but ostracised by national politics. The classic musical, The Wizard of Oz, and acclaimed Truman Capote novel, In Cold Blood, were both produced deep in Kansas’s heart. A a juxtaposition in genres, both showed Kansas as a stereotypical middle American state where an American Dream opportunism passed by. The Dorothy’s and the Herbert Clutter’s represented a rural and vast land inhabited by forgotten Kansans. A working-class agricultural haven regularly destabilised by America’s Midwestern cyclone season.
The cyclone season now perpetuating through Kansas is not due to traumatic weather patterns, but to the international press attention covering its upcoming elections. The traditionally Republican, gun-country state has seen its 4th congressional district for the U.S House of Representatives invaded by left-wing progressives. Former Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, lead a crowd of resounding chants in a packed town hall in the state recently. Newfound socialist hopeful in New York’s midterms, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also travelled to the state to speak for a new faction in Democratic politics.
The visits from Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez were purposeful. It was to endorse a primary contender for the Democratic bid, James Thompson. A progressive leftie whose campaign to sit in the U.S House has captured the frustrations of a working-class base. Although not identifying with the ‘socialist’ coinage, Thompson has used the same adages as them to attack Republicans and his own party’s establishment.
There are numerous reasons as to why Thompson is garnering momentous attention from optimistic socialists and intimidated Republicans. The primary election for this midterm seat ends on 7th August, where socialist tendencies in reshaping leftist politics may be conclusive.
James Thompson is a Kansas native and survivor of the states deprived underclass. He has come from a tough background relying on a public-school system and an attempt emancipation from an abusive parent to succeed. Once a forgotten Kansan himself, he has used his experience to generate popularity even from Trump voters. Although not dissimilar to socialism, his positions generally align with the staunch left splinter group.
He is a pro-choice feminist with firm beliefs in criminal justice reform, immigration and an overhaul of education. He dreams of a universal healthcare and Medicare-for-all future. Thompson is currently a civil rights attorney and former military serviceman. He supports the legalisation of marijuana and gun ownership. In a deep red state, Thompson has coincided Trumpism frustrations to create an alternative progressive wave. His empathy with the working-class is alike Trump’s but more authentic.
To understand Trump America, it is essential to understand the voter. With automation on the rise and America’s poorer classes disenfranchised, it was inevitable that an anti-establishment candidate succeeded. The desperate Kansan in one final search for their American Dream should find hope in a local progressive. A man devoted to bringing change to his particular district; James Thompson could set the tone for the future of America’s political climate.
