The Democratic National Committee sees the South as the country's next political center of gravity, the DNC chair tells us in an exclusive interview.

Why it matters: The Democratic Party is increasing spending and organizing in red states like Louisiana.

The big picture: Chair Ken Martin sat down exclusively with us last week while the committee was in New Orleans for its spring meeting.

• With many of the country's fastest-growing states in the South, he says he foresees a population shift by 2032, when congressional districts are reapportioned.
• He expects some congressional power and electoral votes to shift from the North to the South.
• "The next presidential race in 2032 will not run through the North and the blue wall of the North," he predicts. "It will run through the Sun Belt of the South."
• The party needs to start laying the groundwork now, he says, "so that by the time this map shifts, we're in a position to actually compete and win down here."

Flashback: "It wasn't that long ago that this was a blue state," Martin says about Louisiana. "One of the reasons we're in this place that we are is because we've stopped investing and building infrastructure."

Zoom in: The DNC is giving an extra $5,000 per month to the state parties in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and West Virginia.

• Some people in D.C. are "frustrated" with the strategy to invest more in state parties, Martin says.
• "They have focused almost exclusively on federal power at the expense of state and local power," he says. "We can't be that party anymore."

Reality check: The DNC has teetered on the edge of insolvency during the past year. It has about $15 million cash on hand but is more than $17 million in debt as of last month, according to Axios' Alex Thompson and Holly Otterbein.

What's next: Five potential host cities were vying in New Orleans to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention.

• Site selection visits happen in the next several weeks.
• We're told Atlanta trolled the Philadelphia folks by showing up outside their party venue Friday night and playing "Welcome to Atlanta."
• We appreciate that level of petty, even if we aren't fans of the Dirty Birds.

Keep reading.

📥 Our Axios 2028 colleagues have more news from the DNC's meeting.

Sazerac, the maker of Buffalo Trace bourbon and Fireball, reportedly has made a takeover approach to Brown-Forman, the Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey maker that's been in talks to be acquired by Pernod Ricard.

Why it matters: Booze brands are in decline, thanks to a sober-minded Gen Z, and are hoping the scale and synergies can reverse the skid. Particularly when a merger-friendly White House is in power.

Zoom in: The Sazerac Co. was founded in New Orleans and has distilleries in Kentucky and elsewhere. Brown-Forman is based in Louisville. Pernod Ricard is French.

• Brown-Forman shares are up more than 20% over the past month, giving it a market cap of nearly $14 billion.
• "The founding families of Sazerac, Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman all maintain stakes in their companies, with Sazerac remaining entirely family-owned," according to the WSJ, which first scooped the news.

Zoom out: William Goldring is the chairman of the Sazerac Co., which owns roughly 500 alcohol brands and a dozen distilleries around the world.

• The New Orleanian is the third richest person in Louisiana, Forbes says. He's worth an estimated $6 billion.

DYK: The Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans. Go deeper.

🥳 It was a busy weekend. Recap:

• Hogs for the Cause raised a record $6.5 million for families fighting pediatric cancer. See the food winners.
• The Hondo Rodeo Fest had barrel-racing, bull-riding, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Tyler Shough in a cowboy hat.
• Power boats raced in Lake Pontchartrain.
• The NOLA Pirate Gathering descended on Lafitte's.
• Giant puppets paraded. See them in action.

🙏 Loved ones mourned Michael Garcia with a second line in the Marigny. Police say the Marine Corps vet was killed in crossfire during a shooting last week. (WWL)

🍲Doson Noodle House aka Pho House is closed for good after nearly 30 years. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

• Chicken's Kitchen is also closed — for now. The restaurant is moving to a new location next month.