North Carolina is ostensibly a purple state, but one where Democrats have had only limited success. Gov. Roy Cooper won office in 2016 on the heels of the disastrous anti-trans “bathroom bill” backed by Republicans, and was reelected in 2020, but Republicans still run the legislature and tend to win statewide and presidential elections here. The important thing here is to stop a Republican supermajority and continue to build power in hopes of one day making North Carolina a bluer shade of purple. Investing in grassroots organizing this year will also help give a boost to Cheri Beasley in her Senate race, which she still has a chance to win. With those goals in mind, Blue Tent recommends the following options for donors:   

• Movement Voter Project North Carolina Fund 

• Valerie Jordan, State Senate

• Laura Budd, State House

• Christy Clark, State House

• Don Davis, U.S. House District 1

• Wiley Nickel, U.S. House District 13

Grassroots Organizing

Whatever happens this Election Day, donors should be thinking about the Democratic Party’s long-term prospects in North Carolina — there will be a gubernatorial election in 2024, it could be a swing state in the presidential election that year, and chipping away at the Republican legislature majority will be vital. To support groups working on power-building here, we recommend giving to Movement Voter Project’s North Carolina Fund. MVP has a track record of moving money out the door quickly, so they’ll distribute it to on-the-ground groups that are doing get-out-the-vote projects in 2022, which will help Democrats up and down the ballot this year, and also help progressives in future elections.

Congress

There are three congressional races that could be described as competitive here. In the 6th District, incumbent Democrat Kathy Manning is likely safe and has outraised her opponent by a massive margin, so she’s a low priority. The 1st District, which is open, is rated as “Lean Democratic” by Cook Political Report, but Democrat Don Davis has only a narrow lead in the polls and is lagging slightly behind Republican Sandy Smith in fundraising as of the last FEC report. In the 13th, Wiley Nickel is neck-and-neck with his opponent in both fundraising and the polls. Both these candidates are priorities for donors. 

Cheri Beasley, the Democratic nominee in the Senate race, was at one time lagging behind on fundraising, but has since pulled ahead of Republican Ted Budd. It’s an expensive race, but Beasley has the war chest to compete, so she’s a low priority for donors. 

State Legislature 

These are the lowest-profile races in the state, but potentially the most important. The goal here is to stop the GOP from winning veto-proof supermajorities, which they’ll get if they pick up three seats in the State House and two in the State Senate. To stop them, donors should get behind strong candidates who haven’t yet separated themselves in fundraising. Blue Tent has identified three candidates who fit those criteria: Valerie Jordan, Laura Budd and Christy Clark.  

State Supreme Court 

The North Carolina Supreme Court is a bulwark against Republican power grabs; earlier this year, the Democratic majority struck down Republican-drawn legislative and congressional maps that would have given the GOP a major advantage. So it’s of vital importance that the two Democratic-held seats up for election this year stay out of Republican hands. Luckily, Democratic donors have boosted those candidates far above their GOP opponents’ fundraising numbers, so these races are low priority.