Abbi Overfelt
Staff writer
LUMBERTON — North Carolina went red last Tuesday, electing a Republican governor and keeping the GOP in control of both houses of the General Assembly, raising the question of how Robeson County, whose delegation to the state legislature consists of four Democrats, will fare during the next two-year cycle.
But local Democrats aren’t singing the blues, saying the issues that concern Robeson County cross party lines.
“I think we will be on both sides of the aisle,” said state Sen. Michael Walters, who was re-elected easily Tuesday in District 13. “At the end of the day, we represent rural North Carolina, and that’s the thing we have to stay focused on.”
Republicans now hold 77 of 120 seats in the state House of Representatives and 32 of 50 seats in the state Senate — more than enough for a majority. The only Republican House member to lose statewide on Tuesday was G.L. Pridgen, whose District 46 was redrawn to include much of Columbus County, too much to overcome in his race against the longtime mayor of Chadbourn, Ken Waddell.
Walters sees the challenge as not a party issue, but an urban-vs.-rural issue. He pointed out that 14 of the state’s most densely developed counties — none of them rural — now control the General Assembly. Robeson County, which is rural, has traditionally voted Democratic, and on Tuesday favored President Obama even though North Carolina went for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
“I think that’s the most important thing, that no matter if you are a Republican or Democrat, the needs of rural North Carolina and metropolitan North Carolina are different,” Walters said.
County Democratic Party Chairman John McNeill agreed, saying it might be difficult for Robeson to have its needs heard amid the demands of areas such as Charlotte, whose former mayor, Republican Pat McCrory, was elected governor.
“If you look at McCrory, his whole campaign was geared to a few metropolitan areas,” McNeill said. “For the last 100 years, eastern North Carolina has basically been in charge of the General Assembly, and that’s no longer the case … a lot of (McCrory’s) obligations will be in Charlotte.”
Garland Pierce, Robeson’s senior representative in the House with four terms under his belt, said he and his fellow Democrats “have their work cut out for them.”
“… All we can do … is take another look at our strategy,” he said.
Pierce, who represents District 48, and fellow Democrat Rep. Charles Graham of District 47, will be joined by freshman Waddell and District 66 Rep. Ken Goodman, whose district for the first time includes a small piece of Robeson County.
McNeill said Robeson County legislators will have to rely on the leadership of Walters, who has proven himself effective at bipartisanship.
“Walters, in the Senate end, will be very effective in working with the Republicans there,” McNeill said. “He’s a businessman and has built relationships that will cross over party lines.”
Pierce said Democrats will work hard to convince Republicans that the most important issues facing the county — education, health care, jobs and “providing a safety net” for those who are “the most vulnerable” to poverty — are nonpartisan.
“I would hope that most of the things that we would want for the citizens of North Carolina, they also would want,” he said.
There is one thing that those on both sides of the aisle can agree on — bringing jobs to Robeson County.
“If they have a plan that can get North Carolinians back working, it’s something I would definitely want to see and work with them on,” Pierce said. “That’s something that’s important to all of us.”
Bo Biggs, a Republican and political observer, added:
“I would say with all due respect to the current representatives, which are fine gentlemen, there’s no doubt that they’re in the minority party. With the loss of that Republican connection, that’s not going to help us with certain needs that we’ll take to the legislature.”
Walters is realistic, but optimistic.
“There are things that concern me,” Walters said. “Education is the forefront in my mind. How do we continue to fund educational needs here? But I have bridged that gap working with the Republican leadership in the past.
“Will it be easy? Absolutely not. But I think we can accomplish that.”
I propose a law that to cast a vote one must submit a credit check and have a score good enough to render one resposibile, and a drug screen that shows one is not on any mind altering drug......
This way elections will be better for all.
While it makes for a nice campaign ad, there is no evidence to support the rhetoric. They should stop repeating it.
Sure McCrory was the Mayor of a large city. That means he knows how to run big organizations. But his roots and election contradict any thought that he fails to understand rural NC.
He went to Ragsdale High School. A public school.
He graduated from Catawba College. It’s a small private University filled with rural students. As a member of a management-training program with Duke Energy, McCrory did everything from dig ditches to climb utility poles. He has a teaching certificate and is close with his sister who is a teacher as well.
As Mayor of Charlotte he successfully lobbied for the city to be the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. So maybe he can officially be labeled a redneck too.
But he’s not some rich city guy. McCrory had to live on his $39,000 Mayor’s salary when he first ran for Governor.
As Mayor he succeeded in a city where Democrats and Independents outnumber Republicans 3-1; so much for the partisan position too.
There is no evidence in the election to support this metropolitan versus rural issue either. In fact, McCrory owes his election largely to rural areas.
He won 77 out of 100 counties. He won by large margins in rural areas. But if was different in the urban areas. In Charlotte, McCrory won by only 3,000 votes out of over 400,000 cast. In Raleigh, he won by around 2,000 out of over 450,000 cast. Why the metropolitan versus rural fear?
McCrory visited Robeson a lot more than Bev Purdue. Robeson also raised record numbers in fundraising for McCrory. While his biggest initiative in his campaign was to make North Carolina competitive with surrounding states who have environments more conducive to business when you share so much border with them. Since Robeson shares a border with SC and has lost business to SC – he already is championing an issue that Robeson desperately needs.
The issue isn’t that some urban seats were lost to Republicans. The issue is that the whole state was lost to Republicans. Again, McCrory only lost 23 counties and those by fairly small margins except for a few counties like Edgecombe, Halifax and yes, Robeson.
Robeson has raised support and numbers to show McCrory Robeson needs help from Raleigh. It would be nice if the Democratic leaders joined us. Afterall, the campaign is over and they’re right, we need to now work on mutual beneficial goals.
The few Blue counties are already complaining before he even takes office? That will get you noticed - but not in the good ways.
Let's try working together. Let's trying supporting the Governor (at least until he takes office).
Robeson County Republican Party
Communications
Next time start the first sentence off with "to the minorities in our community, we promise to........"
This county is the poorest , least educated(dumb) in the whole state, and while other counties have gone republican and the state as a whole got back to reality, this county is still full of ignorance. Haven't any of you thought as to why this county is in such poor shape? Yeah, yeah I know what so many of you are thinking, "it's because of the white man".. You saw a black man running and you actually think he is gonna make things better for you than a mean old white man would. Oh well, when yall get over your race hatrid for whites, maybe you'll..... never mind, no you wont, there I go again hoping.
We nned to have drug tests before you are allowed to vote, cause if your mind is altered you can't cast an informed vote. Boy ol boy... this county is the laughing stock of the state.