Alester Linton-Pryor is an African-American woman from New York City who is now spending every waking moment of what is supposed to be retirement trying to overtake the rightwing Republicans who dominate her region in South Carolina.

As chair of the Horry County (SC) Democratic Party (HCDP), Linton-Pryor leads a determined band of volunteers who share her concerns about the major social issues of today and are working to elect Democrats in an area where using that very word can get you snubbed, or worse.

On this episode of the Lean to the Left podcast, Linton-Pryor talks about the challenges she and other Democrats face in her ruby red area, but says she is confident that gains can be made if voters simply will be effectively informed about the benefits President Biden and Democrats in Congress have provided.

She points to the $1.9 trillion relief package the president pushed through Congress to help Americans through the economic disaster caused by the Covid 19 pandemic, and stresses the new jobs it is creating and the financial assistance it has provided. Likewise, the massive infrastructure law that Biden shepherded through Congress will also provide major benefits, including good paying jobs.

At the same time, she recognizes the difficulties that the President and Democratic leaders have encountered in the 50-50 Senate, where voting rights bills and the broad Build Back Better program have stalled, largely because of Republican opposition.

Linton-Pryor takes no prisoners in this interview, stressing that it is the Democratic Party that is fighting for voting rights, equal rights for all, child care, health care, education, and is opposing efforts to restrict what can be taught in schools and to interfere with a woman's right to choose what should happen to her own body.

For those who are involved with HCDP, the interview will provide a glimpse into what drives this leader and what she hopes to achieve. For those who do not, it offers insight into the challenges faced by determined progressive leaders who are bucking the odds in GOP-controlled areas.

Take a listen.