Maggie Jeffus, Democratic candidate for NC House, lends an ear to Jason Cannon, vice president of government affairs for the Greensboro Partnership.It was a busy day in Guilford County politics.
Competing for candidates’ and voters’ time yesterday — depending somewhat on inclination, orientation and access — was the Triad Real Estate and Building Industries Coalition’s “Pig, Poultry and Politics” reception at Castle McCulloch outside of Jamestown, the early-voting tea party rally sponsored by Conservatives for Guilford County at Governmental Plaza in downtown Greensboro, an NC Senate Democrats function at the home of US Sen. Kay Hagan and a fundraiser for Democrat Pricey Harrison — the latter two events taking place in Greensboro’s exclusive Irving Park neighborhood.
The Triad Real Estate and Building Industries Coalition, or TREBIC’s annual “Pig, Poultry and Politics” event is billed as an “old-fashioned political rally,” but a note on the organization’s website stipulates, “This event is not open to the general public.” Candidates, according to local elections watchdog Keith Brown, are invited to come to attend for free. The listed price for tickets is $35. The “pig” in the events title refers to the barbecue pork on the banquet table. “Poultry” and “politics” need no explanation. Bluegrass music with patriotic flourishes is the music of choice.
Of all the political events in Guilford, this one draws candidates from the lowliest soil and water board race up, along with statewide candidates for court of appeals that are looking for exposure with the movers and shakers in the state’s third most populous county.
Candidates often struggle to be heard and noticed above the din of conversation.
While not comprehensive, candidates seen at this year’s event include Lon Cecil, Libertarian candidate for US House District 12; John Bloss and Jane Gray who are seeking separate seats on the NC Court of Appeals; Don Vaughan, who is seeking a seat in the NC Senate; Maggie Jeffus and Marcus Brandon, who seeking seats in the NC House; Becky Smothers, Mary Lou Andrews Blakeney, Regina Chahal, Bernita Sims, Jill Harwood, Christopher Whitley, Geoffrey Shull, Jason Ewing and Jim Corey, who are seeking seats on High Point City Council; and Dick Phillips, who is seeking reelection to the Guilford County Soil and Water Board.
While I was finishing my plate of barbecue at TREBIC’s event, Jeffus mentioned that she was leaving to attend a fundraiser for fellow Democrat and invited me to tag along. I accepted without hesitation.
Old colleagues: Cal Cunningham and Pricey HarrisonHarrison’s $100-per-head fundraiser took place at the gracefully appointed home of Margaret & Bill Benjamin. Harrison spent her childhood in the house before it passed from her family’s hands. Gathered at the reception were several prominent Democrats, including former US Senate candidate Cal Cunningham; former Greensboro Mayor Carolyn Allen; Margaret Arbuckle, Guilford Education Alliance executive director and former county commissioner; Wayne Abraham, Democratic chairman for North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District; and superior court judges Robby Hassell and Lindsay Davis. NC Sen. Don Vaughan came in late with his campaign manager from another fundraiser for the state Senate Democrats hosted by Sen. Kay Hagan’s nearby home that featured NC Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight.
Laura Edwards, the candidate’s sister, took to the staircase to rally the crowd, rhapsodizing about a house that was once furnished with a bar stocked with Scotch between the living room and the library and reminisced about how Pricey Harrison had first discussed the idea of running for the House with their mother there, along with a train of other Greensboro politicians, including Yvonne Johnson, Carolyn Allen and Margaret Arbuckle.
“This house has a lot of memories,” said Harrison, a progressive Democrat who is an heir to the Jefferson Standard Life Insurance fortune and granddaughter of Greensboro City Council member Julian Price. “You all know that politics isn’t necessarily in my blood, but public service pretty much is, and this has been a real opportunity for me to shape policy on issues that I care a lot about — about environment, about civil rights, about social justice, about economic equity. You know, it’s not looking pretty in November. I’m feeling very good about my race, in large part because of y’all’s support. My poll numbers came back yesterday. I’ve got the best numbers in the state of any Democrat. I’ve got to keep my eyes on the prize because it’s going to be no fun to be in the minority in Raleigh. It’s hard enough being in the majority — I’ve told a lot of you all that — butting up against leadership on issues that I feel passionately about, but others don’t quite share my passion.”
Harrison added later: "We're gonna crush 'em in November. Hopefully, I won't have any opposition in 2012, so I can help out with other candidates' races."
Asked to quantify the internal poll numbers, campaign manager Matt Phillippi gave a more sober prognosis, describing Harrison's chances as "fairly positive."
Cunningham, a former colleague in the General Assembly who lost the Democratic primary for US Senate to Elaine Marshall, sang Harrison’s praises.
“She’s gonna call it right, and she’s gonna call it right for the right reasons,” he said. “I’ve appreciated watching her and working with her and supporting her and having her support. And so there is nothing, I think, more important than making sure her voice is still heard…. While the environment is tumultuous right now —voters are in a lot of anxiety. I think the public is anxious about where we are, where we’ve come from, and what the solutions are going to be to things like a three or four billion-dollar deficit in the state of North Carolina or the job challenges that we face nationwide. Those who have been making governing decisions have a lot to be proud of. And when we argue that to the public, the public, right now, as the polls have opened, are responding and energy levels are rising. The public attention, I think, is gathering to the fact that simply saying ‘no’ isn’t the way to get out of the hole that we are in. It takes innovation. It takes hard work. It takes drive. And it takes taking the case to the public in order to win.”
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