Truman National Security Project

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — — Seeing an opening in an area they’ve long ceded to Republicans, Tennessee Democrats talked Monday about how to win over voters in the national security arena.

Michael Breen, vice president of the Truman National Security Project, said Democrats in down-ballot races need to find a way to take advantage of the 20-point polling advantage President Barack Obama has opened up over Republican nominee Mitt Romney on matters of national security.

Obama, who gave the orders to capture and kill Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders, has dominated so thoroughly that Romney didn’t mention war in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention last week. According to The Associated Press, he was the first GOP nominee to stay away from the topic in 60 years.

But the president’s lead hasn’t “filtered down” to other campaigns, Breen said. In fact, most Democrats start out trailing by 20 points on national security.

“That’s just not right,” Breen told the Tennessee delegation to the Democratic National Convention, which starts here today. “This party and these leaders can keep America safe … much better than our friends across the aisle. We’ve got to carry that message out into the country.”

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The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.