Local Democrats enthused about Kamala Harris

The elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket has sparked a wave of energy and enthusiasm in Burke County, according to Party Chairwoman Gena Singleton.

“Since Monday morning, our phone has just rung off the hook,” said Singleton, “and we’ve had lots of people coming in off the street wanting to know how they can get involved.”

“Folks are wanting to write checks, make donations, and learn what they can do to help,” Singleton continued.

That enthusiasm is further increased by the intriguing possibility that N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper is reported to be among Harris’ short list of potential running mates.

“We’re all pulling for Roy,” said Singleton. “You’re talking about a man who is seasoned, who is experienced, and who has won 18 consecutive elections in North Carolina.”

In addition to twice being elected governor, Cooper was four times elected as the state’s attorney general. Prior to winning statewide office, he served multiple terms in both the N.C. House and Senate.

Singleton also said that a separate “Harris for President” office will be opening in mid-August in the upstairs of the Burke Democratic Headquarters at 310 S. Sterling St., in downtown Morganton.

“Don’t have a lot of details on that yet,” said Singleton, “but we know it’s coming.”

Other local leaders of the Democratic Party are united in their belief that President Joe Biden did the right thing in withdrawing as a candidate for re-election.

And all are also enthused about the vibrant energy that Harris brings to her new role as head of the Democratic ticket.

Harris is expected to be nominated with little to no opposition at next month’s Democratic National Convention, slated for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

“President Biden made the right decision,” said Morganton Mayor Ronnie Thompson. “I’m proud of him for doing that and I’m excited about what Vice President Harris brings to the table.”

“She will appeal to a wider range of voters than perhaps President Biden could,” Thompson continued. “She is extremely qualified, and I think she will do a good job.”

Wesley Hendrix, vice chairman of the Burke Democratic Party and himself a candidate for county commissioner in November, said Biden, “has done a tremendous job and has been a very good president.”

“He showed great bravery in recognizing that his health simply would not permit him to continue into a second term,” Hendrix added.

“Vice President Harris,” Hendrix continued, “is a good fit for our nation, but she has a large selling job to do between now and November. As vice president, she knew her role and was mainly in the background. Now, she has to tell her story to the voters.”

Harris is said to be looking at half a dozen or more potential running mates, one of whom is N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper.

Burke resident Dorian Palmer, who previously served as president of the N.C. Young Democrats and who is now the Director of Coalitions and Community Engagement for the state party, said Cooper would bring a lot of positives to the ticket.

“He is a two-term governor and in each of those elections that he won — 2016 and 2020 — Donald Trump was at the top of the Republican ticket. Roy Cooper is a proven winner.”

“North Carolina has to be won,” Palmer continued. “There is no path to the White House that does not go through North Carolina. Roy Cooper would improve the odds of Vice President Harris carrying the state and he would strengthen the entire Democratic ticket.”

Palmer noted that all 168 of North Carolina’s delegates to the national convention have already pledged themselves to Harris.

“President Biden did what he had to do for the betterment of our country,” Palmer said. “And now Vice President Harris is bringing a whole new level of energy to this campaign.”

Palmer predicted that Harris will “handle herself well” in the upcoming campaign, noting her experience as a prosecutor, as attorney general of California, and as vice president.

Erika Graybeal, who at age 28 is president of the Burke County Democratic Women’s Club, referenced seeing Harris speak in Raleigh recently as one of the reasons she supports her candidacy.

“She has so many relatable qualities,” Graybeal said. “There’s an authenticity about her. She speaks to you like she knows you.”

Graybeal said that although she was prepared to support Biden, she believes Harris brings more energy to the campaign and has a better chance at winning.

“As a woman, I believe that women’s rights are very much under attack right now,” Graybeal said. “And I believe Harris will show strength and passion in defending those rights.”

Graybeal acknowledged that many young people “are simply burnt out on politics right now,” but said the Harris candidacy “will make it easier to talk to young people about the issues that affect them, such as reproductive rights and job opportunities.”

Asked about her preference for the vice presidential nomination, Graybeal noted that Roy Cooper would strengthen the ticket in North Carolina but said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is her personal favorite.

“He’s young and he’s progressive and I think would appeal strongly to a lot of young people,” Graybeal said.

Christopher Pedro, who is president of Teen Democrats at the N.C. School of Science and Math-Morganton, said Biden stepping aside “was perhaps the most patriotic thing he could do for this country.”

Pedro, who emphasized that he spoke only for himself, said that Harris was not his first choice for the top spot on the Democratic ticket.

“I was rooting for (California Gov.) Gavin Newson,” Pedro said, “but his flaw, I feel, is foreign policy. Kamala has experience in both domestic and foreign (policy) and that’s what we need.”

Pedro said his choice for the vice-presidential nod is Cooper, noting that Trump only carried North Carolina by just over 1 percentage point in 2020.

“If Democrats want to win our state,” Pedro said, “a Harris-Cooper ticket is the best way to go about it.”

Pedro summed up his thoughts on the 2024 presidential campaign by saying, “It is always important to remember that political violence is never the answer, and even though we have our differences, we are all still Americans.”