North Carolina voters can register with one of three political parties — Republican, Democratic and Libertarian — or as unaffiliated. The last has become an increasingly popular option, both in WNC and across the state.
Tag: Chris Cooper
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Unaffiliated voters redefine Buncombe rolls
As of April 9, nearly 83,000 Buncombe County residents — about 40.3% of all voters — had registered as unaffiliated, compared with about 75,000 Democrats (36.5%), 46,000 Republicans (22.4%) and 1,700 Libertarians (0.8%). The shift represents an unaffiliated increase of nearly 15 percentage points since the 2008 primaries.
From CPP: Tight timeline for challenge to Cawthorn’s eligibility to run
Process and legal questions about involvement in Jan. 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol abound in legal challenge to candidacy of U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn.
Census data paves way for WNC redistricting
The N.C. General Assembly must take census results into account as members create new voting district boundaries that reflect the state’s population growth and follow strict legal criteria. Western North Carolina’s state Senate and U.S. House districts are both likely to see changes for the 2022 election cycle.
U.S. House race gets expensive
The money faucet is open in the race to represent Western North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. Republican candidate Madison Cawthorn has raised more than Democratic candidate Moe Davis, but Cawthorn’s campaign has also spent heavily to bring those dollars in. As of Sept. 30, Davis had more cash on hand than his opponent.
After the end: WNC prepares for extended election process
The period between the closing of polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the official declaration of results on Friday, Nov. 13, has already become the subject of intense legal debate. But local elections officials stress they’re doing everything possible to ensure that all eligible votes will be counted accurately.
Henderson GOP will likely pick Moffitt to replace McGrady Oct. 8
With Republican N.C. House District 117 primary winner Tim Moffitt now also the presumptive candidate to replace outgoing Rep. Chuck McGrady until the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election, how might his brief incumbency affect the outcome of the race and the new legislative session set to start in January?
COVID-19 campaigning divides local candidates along partisan lines
Many Republican candidates have continued to build voter support through traditional in-person campaign events such as rallies and fundraising concerts. In contrast, Democrats have largely relied on virtual efforts such as phone banking or Zoom calls, eschewing big events out of concern they might encourage spread of the coronavirus.
Candidates for 11th Congressional District meet in first debates
The race to represent Western North Carolina in Congress got a lot more real on Sept. 4 and 5, when Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis met for the first time in a public debate. Personal attacks were the order of both evenings as the candidates sought to gain an advantage in the tight contest and generate sound bites for campaign ads.
BPR, Mountain Xpress, Smoky Mountain News to host two-day NC-11 candidate forum Sept. 4-5
Republican Madison Cawthorn and Democrat Moe Davis, candidates for the North Carolina congressional seat left vacant by White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have both agreed to appear at a two-day joint forum hosted by three of the district’s largest media outlets.
Cawthorn takes Republican nomination for NC-11 seat
Henderson County real estate investor Madison Cawthorn took nearly 66% of the vote in a June 23 second primary against Madison County real estate agent Lynda Bennett, thereby securing the nomination to run in November’s general election. His 30,444 votes in the second primary exceeded the total ballots cast in the 2012 runoff between former Rep. Mark Meadows and Vance Patterson by over 7,400.
From AVL Watchdog: The race for the GOP nomination in the 11th Congressional district could embarrass Trump
As the race for the GOP nomination heads to the June 23 climax, Bennett appears by many indicators to be locked in a desperate race against 24-year-old political neophyte Madison Cawthorn of Hendersonville. A victory by Cawthorn, a political unknown until weeks ago, will be seen as a humiliating defeat for Bennett, a longtime GOP functionary.
Unaffiliated candidates face challenging path to ballot
Although unaffiliated voters are the second most-populous political group in North Carolina, no members of the state’s Congressional delegation are unaffiliated, nor are any officeholders at the state level. According to the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, just seven of 587 total county commission seats were won by independent or third-party candidates in 2018.
How districting changes could play out in WNC
Chris Cooper, Western Carolina University professor and Political Science and Public Affairs Department department head, considers the top five ways districting could play out in the region.
Buncombe quiet, Henderson contested in 2019 elections
Xpress reached out to candidates across the two counties to understand their motivations for participating in the municipal elections. Many of the topics the hopeful elected officials raised — diversity, transportation planning and preservation of small-town character — may give WNC politicos a sneak peak at what will be important to area voters in 2020.
The money race: Democrats outgunned in WNC congressional contests
Both WNC congressmen, Reps. Patrick McHenry and Mark Meadows, represent districts that are staunchly Republican. But most of the money they used to run their campaigns and boost GOP candidates in more competitive races came from outside of North Carolina.
2020 election campaigns already stirring in WNC
“We used to talk about presidents and members of Congress having permanent campaigns, meaning they never really stop campaigning, and I think the same thing has now trickled down to the state level,” says Chris Cooper, head of Western Carolina University’s Political Science and Public Affairs Department.
Is WNC fairly represented on state boards and commissions?
“We’re certainly not overrepresented,” says Republican Rep. Chuck McGrady, who’s in his fourth term representing Henderson County in Raleigh. In fact, depending on how you break down the numbers, you could say that Western North Carolina falls a little short of genuinely proportional representation on state boards and commissions, according to data obtained from the […]
Blunt talk: Medical marijuana takes root
Buncombe County commissioners identified combating opioid abuse and increasing teacher salary supplements as top priorities. But is legal marijuana a viable strategy for achieving those goals, or merely smoke and mirrors?
NPR journalist hosts Asheville discussion on city’s popularity
At a sold-out event in downtown Asheville, NPR journalist Michel Martin and local panelists reflect on what happens when your hometown gets hot.
Party crashers: The fight for the right to N.C. ballot access
In an election year that has many people looking for more choices, come November three presidential candidates will be on North Carolina’s ballot. Xpress looks at what it takes to gain ballot access in the Tar Heel State.