Orange County Democrats look to midterm elections

After a disappointing 2012 election for state Democrats, Orange County party members convened Saturday to regroup before next year’s midterm elections.

About 100 Democrats gathered at Mt. Zion AME Church in Hillsborough to eat barbecue and discuss the future of the party at the 2013 Orange County Democratic Party Convention.

“It’s encouraging that we do things like this. Eating barbecue in such an ideal North Carolina setting puts us all on the same page before going into the convention,” said Orange County Commissioner Penny Rich.

The atmosphere was electric with cheers and hisses as the speakers — including U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C. and former N.C. Senator Cal Cunningham — reviewed the year.

The party also elected officers and State Executive Committee members for the upcoming year.

Matt Hughes was re-elected as chairman of the party, former N.C. General Assembly member Alice Bordsen was elected as first vice chairwoman and Chapel Hill Town Council member Lee Storrow was one of five elected to the 16-member State Executive Committee.

Hughes said the party successfully outlined its goals at the convention.

“In the next few years, we should be laser-focused on modernizing, organizing and strategizing the Democratic Party from top to bottom,” Hughes said. “We must focus on the upcoming municipal elections, which are very important.”

Graig Meyer, Orange Grove precinct vice chairman, said even in a non-election year, it’s important for the party to come together.

“It’s a good chance for the party to convene and coalesce. We still have the business of seeing where we want to go as a county,” he said.

Meyer said one of the key successes of the past year was electing former Orange County Commissioner Valerie Foushee, D-Orange, to the N.C. House of Representatives.

Foushee won the seat with 55 percent of the vote even though the original voting district had been redrawn by the Republican legislature.

Meyer said Democrats need to actively pursue their goals in order to regain the majority in the General Assembly.

“The challenge is that we don’t want to play defense just because the Republicans have the power. We need to find ways to play offense,” he said.

Cunningham said North Carolina has always been a closely divided state.

He said even though 2012 elections were not successful for Democrats, the party still managed to tally more votes in total than Republicans.

“It’s important to reflect on the fact that elections matter, and the quality of leadership we get out of those elections matter,” Cunningham said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.