The N.C. Democratic Party is a mess.
Its incumbent governor is not running for re-election, nor are a number of congressmen and legislators.
The most likely people to run for several high offices have announced they will not do so. The party's best known entrant in the gubernatorial primary may be the lieutenant governor, who is largely unknown outside the party, and the party's already depleted legislative delegation is being wracked almost daily by announcements that veterans are quitting.
What's going on here?
To some extent, the party is the victim of regular political cycles, the first being redistricting.
Because they lost so severely in 2010, Democrats lost the power to draw new legislative and congressional districts to their liking. Republicans drew districts that both favor their candidates and "double bunk" incumbent Democrats so they would have to run against each other in primaries.
The maps also affect some incumbent Republicans who don't like the new districts drawn for them, especially when it means they are likely to get a primary opponent. But the new maps affect the GOP to a far lesser extent.
Democrats also face the typical retirements that come when one political party, or coalition, replaces another. People who were accustomed to having power spent a session without it and then decided they'd had enough.
Democrats also hurt themselves, however, in two additional ways.
The party has spent most of the last decade with key officeholders facing criminal charges: Gov. Mike Easley and House Speaker Jim Black, as well as a congressman and an agriculture commissioner. All were embroiled in scandals, and Gov. Bev Perdue's 2008 campaign is still facing scrutiny. This seriously harmed the party's public image.
At the same time, the party failed to develop bench strength, promising younger politicians to take the place of those tarnished. Democrats did not nurture a new generation of candidates to replace the establishment that either aged out or went down in disgrace.
The filing period runs through the end of the month, so things can change. But, at this point, the state's longtime dominant party looks very dysfunctional.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement