LEE ATWATER

Described by Republican strategist Luke Byars as a “force” in the state’s politics, Sally Atwater was associated for some primarily with her late husband. Lee Atwater served as an adviser to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and as chairman of the Republican National Committee. The focus of the documentary film “Boogie Man,” Lee Atwater came to be known for his aggressive, “dirty tricks”-style political tactics.

It came to be known as Nixon's Southern strategy: a campaign that used fear of crime and lawlessness to tap into white Southern voters opposition to racial integration and equality without using overtly racist language. Nixon had to peel away some Southern white voters from Wallace without alienating voters in other regions. As president, Trump denigrated as animals some immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. Trump's take on the Southern strategy isn't necessarily aimed at Southern voters. His targets are more likely working-class white voters in battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin, Abramowitz said.