I think the Republicans started winning the South because the Democrats came out against racism. I think the Republicans kept winning the South because the Republicans didn't have the strength or numbers to to dismantle the social safety net. I think the Republicans have taken over the South because their daddies were agin the desegregators and that's the way it's always been but I think the Republicans are in danger of losing the south because they've cheerfully watched it slide into ruin. it's easier to say that "conservative" politics dominates the Republican field without recognizing that what elected Trump? Was radicalism. There have been five polls in the past year in which Trump beats Sanders. I'll let you discover how many he wins in.