David Young runs for NC Democratic Party Chair

Former Buncombe County Commissioner David Young has been tapped by Governor Bev Perdue to throw his hat in the ring in the race for the chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party — and he’s got some powerful backing.

“I’d been looking at the spot. I’ve had experience with statewide politics before, running for [state] treasurer. I was president of the [North Carolina Association of County Commissioners]. Then the governor called and asked if I’d do it,” Young told Xpress. “I’m excited.”

Since that Tuesday call, Young has also gained the endorsement of outgoing Chair Jerry Meek and Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, along with those of 70 other Democratic officials from across the state, he said.

Young was a Buncombe County Commissioner for 16 years. In 2008, he declined to run for re-election to pursue an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer.

Meek departs a party that was anything but unsuccessful in the 2008 elections, with the Democrats racking up impressive victories at the state and local levels, including the first time since 1976 that the state voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.

Young says he’ll try to build on those gains.

“Jerry Meek did a great job of building a grassroots effort and increasing our fundraising capabilities, and those are two things I really want to build on,” Young said. “The biggest challenge is going to be keeping the people who turned out in the last election — many of them first-time voters — involved. If we can keep them excited, there’s a lot we can do.”

The party’s executive committee will meet on Jan. 31 to vote on Meek’s successor. The other contenders include: Luke Hyde, the Democratic chair in this congressional district; Jim Neal, who vied with now-Sen. Kay Hagan for the party’s nomination in 2008; long-time activist and campaign manager David Parker and former Anson Democratic Party Chair Dannie Montgomery.

— David Forbes, staff writer

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5 thoughts on “David Young runs for NC Democratic Party Chair

  1. Blagojevich II

    Three words come to mind: corrupt, corrupt, corrupt.
    David Young is like the congressman back in the ’70s who said into the FBI tape recorder in a restaurant booth:“I have larceny in my blood.”
    For David Young, everything is a trade, a deal, a quid pro quo. He’s Blagojevich without the Big Shoulders.
    Thank God he’s not our state Treasurer, but do NC Dems really want a leader who’s bound to get them into steep stool?
    Remember this, you heard it here first: scandal is a-comin’.
    By the way, I’m a loyal Buncombe County Dem. And I don’t want this leader.

  2. AvlResident

    Since this is a moderated forum, does the Mountain
    Express have any liability if the first comment is considered defamation? What is the applicable Internet/media law?

  3. September Girl

    I’m curious about the top post, too. Those are tough words to throw around without any background or evidence.

  4. Blagojevich II

    Like Blago, David Young will be revealed when the FBI has him on tape, and only then. Those who know his dealmaking also know his vindictive ways, and they want to protect and preserve their businesses and their employees. I’m not saying you should act on this, I’m saying remember it, and you’ll know you heard it here first. He is not in this for public service, and within a few years, the public will know it. The NC Democratic Party will be weaker for it.

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