I've been working for Democrats since 1972 when I went door to door for McGovern. I was an Ensign in the Navy at the time, and I learned first-hand what it's like to be on the receiving end of right-wing hate.
Since 1972, I've worked hard and raised money for nearly every major Democratic candidate for state and federal office here in North Carolina. In the past ten years alone, my wife and I have given approximately $80,000 to Democratic candidates. We hold an average of seven fundraisers in our home every year, and have generated more than $500,000 in contributions during that same ten year period.
Last week, the Democratic Party establishment, including ex-Governor Jim Hunt, Governor Mike Easley, and the leadership at the DSCC panicked in the face of a gay businessman (Jim Neal) running at the top of the ticket. Within a few days of Neal's coming out, they recruited a state Senator named Kay Hagan to run in the primary. Less than three weeks earlier, Hagan had announced unequivocally that she would not run. She specifically said she could serve the people of North Carolina better by working in the NC General Assembly for her district.
Read More