Welcome to the next installment of Sanders Democrats, where I highlight local candidates who support Bernie Sanders. Last time I talked about a young woman who is making waves in her County Commissioner race, but today I am highlighting a candidate that could impact the entire state of North Carolina.
That candidate is Peter Noris, running for the NC House of Representatives in District 104. Peter is a lifelong Democrat and brings a wealth of knowledge to Mecklenburg County and hopefully to the General Assembly in November.
The previous representative in this open seat was Dan Bishop. Dan is a lawyer who has done a wonderful job representing North Carolina by introducing bills such as the NC Religious Freedom Restoration Act, so the gub’mint can’t make bakers sell wedding cakes to gay couples, or something…
But, hey, he did important work for NC’s citizens by making sure we can buy Carolina Panthers license plates. #keeppounding!
Peter has a tough race ahead of him. District 104 has a Cook PVI rating of R+12. That means Peter’s Republican opponent will be going into this race with a 12 point advantage (assuming the District lines don’t change very soon). That, plus the natural advantage that comes with incumbency means that Peter will have a major challenge in winning the majority of votes in November.
Unfortunately, due to the GOP’s exemplary job of gerrymandering NC House districts, there aren’t a lot of seats that are actually “in play.” If Democrats want to take back the legislature in North Carolina, they will need to figure out how to build majorities in tough districts like this one.
Can a blue wave led by Bernie Sanders help flip this seat for the Democrats?
I recently sat down with Peter to talk with him about his candidacy:
“ The overwhelming topic, by far, has to be Climate Change. The Republican Party talks constantly about terrorists as an existential threat. Climate Change is an existential threat, so when you look at states like Nevada and North Carolina impeding progress on solar energy, you have to wonder if they are shooting themselves in the foot long term. Senator Sanders is right about Climate Change.”
“I am planning on talking to my future constituents about the jobs we can create while producing green energy.”
How do you plan to win the race in this tough district for Democrats?
“I am going after Unaffiliated voters who either switch votes or vote Democratic consistently. I’m looking for roughly 7,000 Unaffiliated voters to vote for me, and I will attempt to talk to all of them by the time November rolls around.”
Let’s talk about your opponent, Andy Dulin (likely winner of the Republican primary in March):
“He’s a wonderful guy. I would love to have him as my neighbor, but when he goes to Raleigh he is voting down the line with the GOP and Pat McCrory.”
(This seat is open due to Dan Bishop stepping down to run for NC Senate.)
What would your legislative goals be if elected?
- Change tax code to encourage solar investments in farms, homes. Specifically, a tax rebate/voucher/discount for home owners to install solar panels on their roofs.
- The second step regarding solar is investing in power storage. Tesla has an option and other companies are following suit.
- How about pay for our teachers? Can we get those 7,000 teachers’ aides back?
- The GOP is trying to change the rules on Charter Schools. I think that’s a BIG mistake. [...] The government should not be in the business of encouraging privatization.
Helping Bernie from Day One
Peter Noris was one of the first volunteers to get involved with Bernie Sanders’ run for President. Back when Bernie was polling in the teens in most states, Peter and a few other volunteers were passing out flyers at Charlotte bus and train stations to inform citizens about the upstart candidate. This completely unofficial organization spread the word about Bernie and his Progressive plan for America before the official campaign put any support into our state. The work that Peter put in during those early months brought the official campaign volunteers and support that give them a head start in the North Carolina primary on March 15th!
Long Time Democrat, Long Time Progressive
Peter is no stranger to the Democratic Party. He has been involved with local politics since 1972, and has worked on several campaigns, including the campaigns for McGovern in 1972, Carter in 1976, and most recently Obama in 2012.
Hardball Politics and the Birth of Super Delegates
And now for something completely different. Peter has a lot of political knowledge spanning back to his time working on the McGovern campaign in 1972. He shared this essay with me about some of the events that transpired during that period:
Gather ‘round to hear about real world politics, ca. 1972. There may be some insight here as to why - and how - Bernie may have trouble with the ‘regular’ Democratic Party, and where superdelegates came from.
The George McGovern campaign was one of the big blow out elections - like Goldwater eight years before - that are held up as a cautionary tale. If you weren’t there, it’s hard to understand the level of hatred many Americans felt towards the Democratic Party nominee. The campaign had it’s own share of self inflicted wounds - google Thomas Eagleton - but for once, an American politician ran on an anti-war platform.
Wars were different then - even though we killed 1,400,000 Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians, U. S. deaths were 51,181. Almost every American knew someone who was killed or wounded. It is not an exaggeration to say being against the war elicited a furious response. The combination of anti-war protests and the counterculture provoked a split rivaled only by the Civil War. Many families, including my own, never recovered.
Both parties had conservative and liberal wings. A liberal Republican was closer to a conservative Democrat on many topics, than a conservative Republican, except on the war. The ‘superdelegate’ concept grew out of McGovern’s nomination - if the people couldn’t be trusted to nominate a candidate that was broadly acceptable, the Party could step in and make things right. But in 1972, the people spoke, and Democrats were sick of the war.
I volunteered in Palm Beach County, Florida - home of the hanging chad. John Lindsay, ex-Mayor of New York, had made a good run at the Republican nomination, but lost to Richard Nixon. Shortly after Lindsay withdrew, his Palm Beach County chair came to the Democratic County Party with an offer. If the Party would designate him the Palm Beach County campaign leader, he would turn over Lindsay’s donor list. This was a big deal - there was enough overlap between the Parties that this list (on several sheets of paper he had copied) - was very valuable. It didn’t take long for the offer to be accepted, and I went from being supervised by a group of men in their sixties to being led by a 25 year old not long out of college. Most McGovern workers were young, and we were excited to have one of our own in charge. The excitement lasted almost half a day.
I was there when our new leader made the call to Party HQ to find out what resources we would have available to us. His face went white, then red and then he started yelling. About five words in, he held out the phone and went “they hung up on me”. Yes, he did indeed run the Democratic campaign in Palm Beach county - but he got no money, no staff and no support. They had the donor list, he had the title.
We knocked on a lot of doors, but calling it a blow out is kind. Not until I got sandbagged by Lloyd Dogget did I see such an example of politicians pulling strings. Be warned!
More Info
Website: www.peternoris4house104.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Noris4House104/
Sanders Democrats is an ongoing series highlighting candidates in this election who are supporting Bernie Sanders. I will continue to report on up-and-coming Progressive leaders in my state and across the nation who are building Bernie’s “political revolution.” Bernie can’t change our nation alone, and that’s why hundreds of people are running at all levels of government to spread his message.
Previous Sanders Democrats posts:
Here’s Bernie’s Revolution: Introducing “Sanders Democrats”
Lula Dualeh — A new voice for Mecklenburg County, NC