This is definitely outside the box — but right now the people of NC-09 do not have the benefit of front-line constituency services from their local congress-person — because the cheating GOP invalidated the 2018 election in that district.
If they had a congressional rep, that rep would have a local office (or two or three) staffed by hard-working constituency case-workers who go to bat in a largely non-partisan way for local people who are having a hard time getting through to the federal bureaucracy. It might be a military vet whose file has been lost by the VA or a local police department which needs help accessing training funds for community policing. These case-workers main focus is advocacy — there are other staff who focus on political strategy for the elected rep.
What if Speaker Nancy Pelosi went to the district and said:
“It’s unfair to the people of this district that they do not have access to the same constituency services from a house rep as everyone else in America. The Speaker’s Office is going to respond to this extraordinary situation by temporarily stepping in and providing local residents of NC-09 with constituency services at two temporary local offices and a mobile office for rural constituents.
“These offices will be staffed with professional caseworkers to assist local people with a link to the vast array of services and programs provided by the federal government. When the House seats a new representative after a special election later this year, the provision of constituency services will be handed over to that representative -- which is the natural order of things.
“These constituency services will be non-partisan -- and available to every resident of the district on an equal basis. As Speaker of the House, I will appoint a constituency-services director to manage this operation, which will be delivered to the people of NC-09 on behalf of the entire House of Representatives.
This office would keep its distance from the upcoming special election — but it would make an enormously positive local statement for the Democratic brand, and make it much more difficult for the GOP to demonize Nancy Pelosi during the upcoming campaign.
Plus — it’s just good public service… and that’s, at the root, what should be the driving force behind all progressive politics.
Would this work?