Persister observations of the 2025 Convention of the Watauga County Democratic Party
The 2025 Convention of the Watauga County Democratic Party met on Saturday, April 12th in the county courthouse. A quorum of representatives from every precinct was in attendance.
Overview
Some of what takes place at local precinct and convention meetings is administrative, such as voting for the slate of officers (this year's slate was unopposed), reporting on finances and fund-raising plans (part of our local party's success lies in investing in and training young Dems, some of whom spoke with enthusiasm and insight at this gathering). There was a standing ovation for retiring field operations manager Chris Behrend. The precincts submitted resolutions on issues of concern from protecting our national parks to protecting our right to vote, and each of the resolutions was approved and sent forward to the state party.
Understandably, there was some emotion in the room, notably when the chair read the party's statement of inclusion: "North Carolina is a diverse state, full of wonderful people from all walks of life and backgrounds. Democrats believe every North Carolinian should be celebrated, and our state should keep pushing to be an inclusive, diverse place that welcomes everyone. Our party is a big tent party. We believe that our diversity is a source of our strength – not something to hide – and we are committed to fighting for the civil and human rights of all North Carolinians. It doesn’t matter the color of your skin, who you love, how much money you make, or where you live, Democrats are fighting for you and your family."
That was followed by a moment of silence for "everything," because everyone in the room felt the grief of what the current administration is inflicting on every family, here and around the world.
It can be hard to engage with party politics because it is impossible to find a party where everyone agrees with you on every issue. Or even if everyone agrees on what they hope will happen, it is rare for everyone to agree on how to reach each goal. Another challenge we all face is at the heart of democracy itself: progress takes time and ongoing commitment, and a just cause may not succeed until you persuade enough people to support it.
What struck me was that the people in this room believe that getting involved in something is better than hoping for someone else somewhere else to fix everything. This Saturday, the county courthouse was filled with people who put in the work, show up for the meetings, make the phone calls, organize events, pass the hat for good causes, and pay attention to issues when others cannot.
Of course, there is more than one way to be active on behalf of our community, and engaging with political party organizing isn't the right fit for everyone. But given the divisiveness and destructiveness of current U.S. economic and legal policies, we all need to find as many ways as we can to connect to one another, including staying attuned to what is happening in local politics, such as this convention.
Frank Hughes
Good news, Frank Hughes is the real deal. A North Carolina native, Hughes has spent most of his life in Avery County, where he teaches world history at McDowell High and serves as the chair of the Avery County Democratic Party. In his brief speech, Hughes told how his father, a Methodist minister, had been deliberately apolitical, so Hughes initially registered as unaffiliated until Obama's second campaign inspired him to register as a Democrat. He also joked about when he and his wife first came home, they were tempted to attend the Avery County Democratic Convention because there would be free food. "In Avery County, you know, we've got a lot of Republicans, so people often ask me, why are you a Democrat? And I said, well, first of all, the Republican Party never offered me a meal." He grinned, then added, "Our mission as Democrats is to help people live a happy and fulfilling life...we do good work for people regardless if they agree with us or not." Some of Hughes' core positions include access to quality affordable healthcare regardless of age or income level, in safe and affordable housing, and in serving as a steward for our forests, rivers, and farms.
He felt good about his first time running last November, increasing Democratic turnout in the deep red Avery County and winning Watauga County, and he felt energized at the chance to run again in 2026, the midterm when everyone will have a chance to express their dissatisfaction with what's been happening in this country. Find out more about Frank Hughes at electhughes.com.
Judge John Arrowood, NC Court of Appeals
A native of Yancey County, Arrowood earned his BA from Catawba College and law degree from UNC-CH. After serving in varied legal roles for over 26 years, he has served on the NC Court of Appeals since 2017.
Judge Arrowood focused on making us aware of why these court races matter. "What your neighbors need to know is that the North Carolina Court of Appeals is the court of last resort for 90% of appeals." The Republican-dominated NC legislature recently made it more difficult for cases to move to the NC Supreme Court. "Almost anyone who walks into the courthouse with a litigation matter, it affects their life" that 90-93% of cases stop at the Court of Appeals. We already know what a difference this imbalance played in the biased rulings to allow Jefferson Griffin to undermine our last election, and he suggested that there were other times when the Republican majority seemed comfortable overlooking legal protections written in the statutes.
He further clarified that the current Court of Appeals has 12 Republicans and 3 Democrats. The 3 Democrats are Allegra Collins, John Arrowood, and Toby Hampson, and all 3 of those seats are up for reelection in November 2026, as is Justice Anita Earls, one of the few Democrats serving on the NC Supreme Court. The goal is to protect those seats next year and add more Democrats in 2028 to return to a more balanced court. Judge Arrowood also commented that Justice Riggs has warned that the Republican party wants to change the court seats to retention elections, which would make it easier for the Republicans to retain their seats in the future.
In these statewide races, huge turnout in blue counties made a difference. And, he said, he's been told that these upcoming court races will be the most expensive state court races in the country, so he did ask for our support. https://www.keepjudgearrowood.com
His comments helped me understand how critical the Court of Appeals is to most North Carolinians. This is also a good time to make sure everyone understands the importance of our NC Supreme Court, not only because it recently failed to protect votes by NC voters, overseas military voters in particular, but also because there is a direct line between the chaos and lawlessness at the federal level and our current NC Supreme Court. Just as the NC Court of Appeals affects all North Carolinians, the NC Supreme Court affects all Americans.
A helpful explanation can be found at flipnc.org. Before the 2022 election, the NC Supreme Court ruled in favor of fair district maps and against partisan gerrymandering. Based on the maps drawn to comply with the order for fair maps, NC would have sent 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats to the U.S. House, appropriately representing the 50-50 balance of voters that make up our state. But Republicans swept the court seats in 2022, and under their new map, NC sent 10 Republicans and 3 Democrats to the U.S. House, and yes, that would have changed the majority of the House to Democrat.
Thus, our current NC Supreme Court is why a radical is running the House instead of Hakeem Jeffries. A Democratic majority in the U.S. House could have protected Medicaid and reined in Musk/DOGE's tyrannical and frightening seizure of data and public funds, not to mention the senseless, reckless, and COSTLY firing of essential federal workers.
Anyway, next time someone tells you that you have a chance to hear from a candidate for the NC Courts, consider showing up because these elections are the whole ballgame. Should they be? NO! But reform, like progress, takes time, sustained attention, and... most of all…persistence.
And be sure to remember these names for 2026: Frank Hughes for NC State Senate and Judge John Arrowood for NC Court of Appeals.