On Saturday, December 19, 2020, the Progressive Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party hosted a presentation by Elaine Berry, the campaign manager for Ricky Hurtado’s successful election in District 63 of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Hurtado is the first Latinx legislator elected to the North Carolina general assembly. And, he defeated a Republican incumbent, making this one of only two races that the Democratic Party was able to flip in the general assembly.
Yes, this is the Alamance County where protesters against vote suppression were pepper sprayed by police on the last day of early voting this year.
Berry’s presentation was via Zoom, and it was recorded, and is now available on YouTube here. The YouTube video is also embedded at the bottom of this story.
Elaine Berry is also chairman of the Alamance County Democratic Party. While she did not directly attack anyone in the North Carolina Democratic Party establishment, I do not think anyone can listen to her presentation, and not come away with a strong feeling that the state Party establishment really needs to be shaken up.
Alamance has been a solid Republican county since the 1980s, and I personally think a large reason why Democrats have suddenly become competitive in Alamance is because a bunch of new people have replaced the old guard.
I can give you one personal anecdote. About ten years ago, I was having dinner with a small group of activists, and we were discussing why the Democratic Party was not running someone against Republican fossil Howard Coble for the U.S. Congress Sixth District. Coble had been serving in that seat since 1985, and he was quite entrenched, but clearly it was time for him to retire. Fortified by a few bottles of inexpensive wine, we reached agreement that the then chair of the Alamance Democratic Party would be a great candidate. So, one of those present took out their cell phone and called her. When we told her we wanted her to run for US Congress against Coble, she explained to us that she would never think of it, never. Why? Because her father had been friends with Coble.
That little story actually tells you a lot, and accurately reflects how the state Democratic Party functions as a private club today, making it generally ineffective against the Republican seizure of power in North Carolina since 2010, and the destruction Republicans have caused with their power.
Berry explains that most Democratic campaigns failed because they are out of touch with their districts. The major campaign decisions are made in Raleigh, by the state Party, not in the district. People in the district just are not be asked what they want and what they need.
“A red district is not a blue district,” she says. “Too many decisions about candidates and campaigns are being made in Raleigh [the state capital], and they are being made by politicians with little knowledge of what it takes to win in a rural or red district.”
In other words, Democrats in power are unable to understand that the rural; districts in which they are contesting for power, are not similar to the urban districts that put them in power.
The remainder of the text below are my notes from the day of the presentation. I’m sorry, but I do not have the typing speed and skills to provide a full transcription, nor do I have the software to provide one.
One more note: I think it is very telling that not a single member of the state Democratic Party leadership was on this call to listen to Elaine Barry explain how Ricky Hurtado won a historic victory in historically red Alamance County, nor is she being asked to give a presentation to other Democratic groups and organizations in the state.
We took a first big step with Erica McAdoo’s campaign in 2018, who lost by only a few hundred votes. That showed people that Alamance was not hopeless for Democrats. So, the first thing you have to do is make people believe that winning is possible. If people don’t believe you can win, shy should they give you their money or their time?
Reframe discussion of issues. Listen to voters and let them know that your candidate has shared lived experiences with them.
1. Find a great candidate. “Flip NC put us on the map” with the McAdoo campaign.
In 2016, we didn’t even have anyone run.
If you don’t use your volunteers, you lose them.
Kicked off Hurtado’s campaign in July 2019.
You cannot have prima donnas on the campaign.
You have to be willing to listen to local folks. Too often, decisions are made by people who don’t know local folks and local conditions.
Too often, consultants act like the candidate is working for them.
3. Build relationships and find volunteers. From August 2019 to January 2020, the only canvassing the campaign did was to find volunteers.
Assisted by great local groups:
Neighbors on Call https://www.neighborsoncall.org/
Neighbors on Call was founded in Chapel Hill, NC after the 2016 elections by Andrea Stein and Becca Zerkin. Today the group is led by Becca and co-director Susan Blount. We are now a strong community of progressives in Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake Counties making activism our new normal.
County to County of OCDP
Indivisible Group in Durham
Hillsborough PerSisters
4. Be Flexible
The state did not change --- canvassing to phone banking
“When we were assigned consultants, we had to tell them that election day is NOT November 3, but September 11, when early voting began.”
When we began calling, we did NOT ask who they were going to vote for, and if they supported Hurtado. We’re in the middle of a pandemic. People are scared to death, and afraid to leave their homes. We decided you couldn’t just call and ask “who will you vote for?” We told people, “We’re just checking on you. Are you OK? Do you need anything?” If they needed something, we actually gave them Ricky’s phone number. He spent a lot of time helping people fill out forms.
Campaigns did not know if they were going to get money from the _______ until October. That was too late!
Young people are becoming politically active, but not necessarily as Democrats. They think Democrats are the best candidates.
Get activists to be leaders in the Democratic Party.
My own observation- establishment Democrats LOVE disaffected Republicans, because all that has to be done is ask them to give money. The disaffected Republicans do not expect personal service and do not ask for help filling out forms. They are not on welfare, they are not applying for housing relief or health insurance, so getting their vote does not force establishment Democrats out of their comfort zones.