UPDATE: When this was originally written, I didn’t know the catastrophic impact Hurricane Helene would have on Western North Carolina, resulting in over 200 fatalities and the loss of an untold number of homes and other properties. Please keep the people of our region in your thoughts and prayers and if you are moved to do so, please donate to World Central Kitchen or one of the organizations listed on this link from UNC. Also, please know that federal and military aid has played a huge role in helping our region. The continuing flood of misinformation from radical right-wing sources saying otherwise is false. FEMA and national guard units are working hard and deserve our thanks. I live near the airport and hear their planes and helicopters throughout the day, bringing vital support to vulnerable communities. I personally know a handful of people who have benefited from FEMA already. For more on the disinformation surrounding relief efforts, see this explainer from the Charlotte Observer.

The original post from September is below:

As I’m writing this, Western North Carolina is bracing for Tropical Storm Helene to make its way from the Gulf to the Blue Ridge, bringing all sorts of weather mayhem. People are acting a little crazy—making last minute grocery trips, getting gas, and filling up water containers. 

But Helene is not the only storm we’re dealing with here in Purple North Carolina. Day and night, we are being bombarded with a whirlwind of politics as Team Red and Team Blue fight it out.

The swing states are getting all the attention at the moment, and the deluge is intense.

When we came home from vacation last week, we had a mountain of political mailers waiting for us. On any given day, I get a dozen or more political texts. Since we still have a landline (I know!), we also get calls day and night. Radio ads, TV ads and streaming ads are nonstop.

The constant barrage makes it difficult to think sometimes, but tuning out is not an option, not when vulnerable communities are at risk.

That’s why I’m happy to share three great finds that have eased my Purple State of Mind, three little bits of sanity and reason and common sense that stand out among the hyperbole and frenzy.

First Up: An Unaffiliated Candidate Who Doesn’t Talk Politics

District Court Judge Lora Baker is that rarest of finds in North Carolina, an unaffiliated candidate. She wears this badge proudly—her campaign slogan is “Unaffiliated. Unbiased. Uncompromised.”

Last year, Judge Baker was appointed to complete an unfinished district court term and now she is running to keep her seat for a full term.

It’s not easy to run as unaffiliated.  Judge Baker had to collect more than 2700 signatures just to get on the ballot, but she says it is worth it because “politics has no place in the courtroom.”

Refreshingly, Judge Baker does not comment on political hot topics because she is strict about following the guidelines of the Judicial Standards Commission. Instead, she emphasizes that she cares strongly about civil rights, civil liberties and the constitution. “I care about people and try to treat everyone with respect. I think that I am even tempered, and I want everyone to feel heard, to get a fair day and a fair shake. Equal access to justice is important to me.” 

It’s been an honor for me to help Judge Baker’s campaign with communications, and I can attest to her meticulous commitment to fairness.  Her website is www.bakeronthebench.org. She is also on Facebook and Instagram as Baker on the Bench. If you feel inclined, please share the word!

Next: A Local Group Focused on Common Ground

I was very happy recently to discover FIVE HIVE, a nonpartisan coalition with the goal of stopping harmful extremism in Henderson County.  They curate information about five radical right-wing candidates whose politics are scary and completely out of sync with the majority of North Carolinians, no matter what their political party.

Unfortunately, there are still plenty of voters who haven’t even heard of some of these candidates.

The group has a website and Facebook page run by five anonymous “Bees” from a variety of backgrounds—evangelical Christians, suburban moms, business leaders, etc.

The Bees’ common ground is formed by five issues that transcend politics. They believe—rightly I think—that almost everyone wants excellence in education, sanity in reproductive health, sensible gun legislation, responsible environmental stewardship and a stable and fair democracy.

One of the things I like about FIVE HIVE is their effort to stop “Robotic Voting.” According to the website, “Robotic voting equals giving your vote to a person or group whose intentions may not be obvious. Please learn about the candidates for these crucial races, use discernment and remember that in America, voting is a sacred duty, not to be taken lightly.”

Their website has a fun bee theme that makes it easy to read. Each “Bee” gives an up-close-and-personal assessment of one of the five alternatives to these candidates, which offers authenticity.  Check it out: www.fivehivenc.com or their facebook page is here.

Finally: A Donor Giving Platform that is Data-Driven and Discreet

As a blue dot in a red county in a purple state, I have been looking for a good resource for political giving for years, and I think I finally found it at OATH.VOTE.

While I happily support local candidates, I believe it’s even more important to be strategic with financial giving so that I am doing everything I can to protect democracy in our country as a whole.

For me, this means looking for races that are high stakes, competitive, and in need of money.  Serendipitously, this is the exact algorithm OATH.VOTE uses to rate candidates.

While the first two factors are fairly easy to determine, the last one can be difficult.  And it’s even more difficult thanks to sophisticated advertising that promotes candidates with little chance of winning.  The classic example is the 2020 Amy McGrath/Mitch McConnell race in which McGrath raised almost $100M only to lose by 20 points.

OUCH.

While McGrath was a compelling figure and the stakes were high, the race was never competitive. Maybe people could ascertain this and still wanted to give her a chance, but what was difficult to see at the time was that McGrath had more money than anyone could spend effectively. Meanwhile, candidates in high-stakes, competitive races didn’t raise nearly as much cash.  Who can say what the outcome of the US Congress would have been if money had been directed more strategically?

Plus, who wants to “set your money on fire” as the folks at The Connector describe it.

OATH.VOTE gives an impact score for key races up and down the ballot all over the country.  Case in point: Senator Jon Tester in Montana.  Right now, he has a decent impact score because the race is extremely high stakes AND extremely competitive.  On the other hand, it’s not super high because OATH.VOTE estimates that he has 157% of the money he needs to run an optimal campaign.  Food for thought!

Another thing I like about OATH.VOTE is that you get to choose how they communicate with you.  More importantly, if you donate through their platform, they do not use ACTBLUE.  I think ACTBLUE is great in terms of convenience, and it’s great that now you can opt out of listing your phone number.  BUT after years of using it, my information is still being passed around to all sorts of candidates and some pretty terrible PACs.  Many of the PACs use negative, predatory marketing techniques. (WHAT CAN I SAY TO CONVINCE YOU?!?!?!  I’M BEGGING!!!!) Some of these groups have been described as scams and are so off-putting, at times I have questioned the intentions of ACTBLUE. (It’s not that crazy!)

OATH.VOTE is straightforward and data driven.  It also occasionally highlights nonpartisan races and unaffiliated candidates.  For anyone who wants to financially support a stable and healthy democracy, it’s definitely worth a look.