Former Democratic nominee for both a U.S. House of Representatives seat and Mississippi secretary of state Shuwaski Young has announced that he has left the party he had long identified with.
Young, who worked in the Department of Homeland Security while Barack Obama was president, stated that he is now a “Christian Conservative” and no longer a Democrat. In an op-ed, Young laid out his rationale for ditching the party. The up-and-coming politician alleged that the party had undergone a seismic change to the point of becoming unrecognizable. An advocate for Christian traditions, masculinity, economic prosperity, and policies that help the middle and lower classes, Young believes the modern-day Democratic platform is contrary to his core values.
“Over time, I have continuously witnessed an intraparty course change: from advocating for fairness and equity in the workplace to unrecognizable liberal policies that challenge traditional gender norms, traditional family values, bedrock beliefs in religion, and the mocking of men for being men, while advocating for economic policies that do not improve the lives of the poor and middle class and do not advance strong unified families,” Young wrote.
Though Young neither announced a switch to the Republican Party nor endorsed a specific candidate going into the upcoming presidential election, he did express a nostalgic feeling for a time in American history when Black fathers and husbands were much more respected in that role than they are today.
Young specifically mentioned that Black communities ahead of the 1960s — ones that typically voted for Republicans — had a strong familial component that allegedly dwindled as a result of Democratic President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiative. Young added that these policies and others espoused by Democratic leaders “ripped Black families apart” by incentivizing Black mothers to kick Black fathers out of the home for the sake of a check from the government.
“In reaching these decisions, I was reminded of Black communities before the late 1960s, before the political party switch — a time when our fathers were held in high regard, and mothers were proud of their children’s father because he had a job and he provided,” Young wrote. “A time when children cherish their father because he was home and they were loved by him.”
Furthermore, Young took issue with the popular “tax the rich” talking point used by many on the left and allegedly embraced by Democratic leadership. The Jackson State University alum contended that the idea of tax increases and redistribution of wealth to solve the economic problems of the poor is not only problematic but also counterproductive.
“Again, I concluded that the government alone cannot serve as an eternal solution to the socio-economic ills onset by poverty — only hard work, the pursuit of self-economic interests, and the presence of a strong family could achieve socio-economic advancement for the working poor,” Young wrote.
Looking at the current state of the U.S. economy where inflation has driven up the costs of homes and goods across the map, Young envisions a day when Mississippians can live a more affordable life unburdened by threats of government interference in their pursuit of wealth.
Young’s latest aspirations for political office, both as a Democratic candidate, resulted in a loss to incumbent Republican Michael Guest for a congressional role in 2022 and a short-lived campaign against Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson. Young ultimately withdrew from the latter race due to health concerns. Ty Pinkins later earned the eleventh-hour Democratic nomination but lost to Watson last November.
As for the future, Young has not announced any major moves other than that he is no longer a Democrat due to his belief that the party’s current tenets are contrary to his Christian principles that promote a strong Black family, a pathway to economic success, and a life free from excess government intervention.
