Democrats hit the campaign trail in rural North Carolina
Anderson Clayton, who chairs the North Carolina Democrats, has emphasized reaching out to rural voters. Cory Vaillancourt photo
Old-school campaigning is back in rural North Carolina, and this time it’s the Democrats leading the charge.
In the 2020 election, North Carolina Democrats lost the presidential election by fewer than 75,000 votes and are looking to make up for those missed opportunities this election cycle by turning to old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning and hosting events in rural counties to connect with voters.
North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton, along with Democratic candidates, met at the Folkmoot Community Center in Waynesville July 28 as part of a rural listening tour. Clayton and her team have traveled around the state connecting with voters discussing the importance of getting out to the polls.
“I’ve had people come and say, ‘I’m unaffiliated, and I’m here to listen,’ and the candidates are what we’re trying to really showcase on this [tour].” Clayton said. “You got to get out here and talk to people. I don’t think voters are monolithic, and I don’t think the party should treat them as such. Rural people want to shake the hand of somebody, they want to introduce themselves, they want to be able to have that conversation.”
Rallying a traditionally Republican area around Democratic views is no easy task. Democratic candidates believe that getting out and talking with voters is important and they plan on catering to their values.
“I think freedom is a value that we all associate with, especially in rural North Carolina,” Clayton said. “Democrats for a long time have shied away from talking about this in rural North Carolina and I think rural women value the opportunity to have a choice.”
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Seventy-eight counties in North Carolina are considered rural, and with roughly 3.5 million people, the state ranks second only to Texas as the state with the largest rural population.
Of the 5.5 million registered voters in the 2020 General Election, only 35.6% are registered Democrats, of which only 75.1% turned out. Roughly 655,000 registered Democrats did not vote at all in 2020.
President Joe Biden ending his reelection campaign July 21 has revived the Democratic Party, and the way has now been paved for Vice President Kamala Harris to take the spotlight for the Democratic nomination on the November ballot. Clayton and other Democrats on the ballot are looking to rally those missing 655,000 voters to the polls this November by lighting up the campaign trail with high energy and excitement following Harris’ candidacy announcement.
“Energy was really high across the state even before Biden dropped out, but this last week it has been dialed up to an 11,” Wesley Harris (no relation), current North Carolina House representative for District 105 and North Carolina Treasurer candidate, said about the energy across the state after the announcement of Kamala Harris’ candidacy. “I am very optimistic on what we’re going to be able to do for the next 100 days.”
Clayton sees Kamala Harris rallying voters around abortion rights and education this election cycle. The North Carolina General Assembly rolled back abortion rights with S 2023-14 which made it a felony to have an abortion after 12 weeks. In North Carolina, 10,000 teachers left the profession after the 2022-2023 school year showcasing the ever-growing teacher exodus from the state.
“We’ve seen a gubernational candidate, Mark Robinson, say he’d like to further roll back those rights even more,” Clayton said. “Personally, the ways I’ve seen people talk about women in politics has changed under a Trump presidency and I think it’s only going to change even more with JD Vance as the vice-presidential pick and the way he talks about women. There’s a real harm to us this year that could come from that [Trump presidency] again.”
The Dems’ rural N.C. listening tour will continue at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 1 with a stop in Cherokee County at 142 Main St. in Andrews.
