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It’s become increasingly apparent that state and local politics are more important than ever when it comes to preventing total chaos, especially in light of the racial conflict playing out on the national stage.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez knows that, and he’s traveling the country trying to deliver a message of unity. It is a message that focuses on the economic goals we have in common — whether we’re black or white, immigrant or native-born, Christian or Muslim.

While interviewing Perez this week about several important local races, I wondered whether such a message could resonate in a time when our conflicts are so pronounced, and the flames of bigotry are being fanned from the highest levels of government.

I wondered, quite frankly, whether the message of common ground was enough to combat the chaotic forces of division that have kept Donald Trump’s White House firmly at the front of the news cycle. I asked Perez what would happen if Democrats decided to address the underlying racial issues that helped to fuel Trump’s victory.

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