In our opinion: Notes from the campaign trail

We’re still a few months away from Election Day. But it’s not too soon to join our excellent candidates as they work their way along the campaign trail.  

Each of our candidates is doing well. There’s a sense, fully supported by recent polls, that excitement about the Democratic Party is building. We noticed the increased fervor at Kimberly Hardy’s Brunswick County stop on her town hall tour. And we saw it during Roy Cooper’s June visit to Brunswick County (clearly, we’re a popular destination).

Hardy’s excitement and her campaign of joy and hope were real. So was the diversity of the crowd, as 200 attendees – men and women, old and young, black and white – packed the Brunswick Beer and Cider restaurant to join Hardy and several local candidates as they urged the party to victory in November.

The potential for the success of the Democratic Party in the fall election is attracting attention. Across the country, signs increasingly indicate the GOP is headed for a catastrophic defeat on November 5.

In North Carolina, the polls keep getting worse for Republicans. The latest Catawba College survey now shows a majority of voters in the Tarheel State (54%) disapprove of President Trump’s “leadership.” The same survey has Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper leading Michael Whatley, his GOP opponent, by 14 points.

The numbers also favor State Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, a consistent leader in the polls. Her victory in November is essential if Democrats are to break the GOP’s stranglehold on the state’s highest court in the vital 2028 election.

The lopsided numbers are excellent news for down ballot Democrats as well. Cooper’s success on the campaign trail, coupled with Trump’s dismal record as president, could help turn the tide for Democrats in the General Assembly. North Carolina politics blogger Thomas Mills reports voters prefer Democrats by a margin of seven points in the state’s House of Representatives. In the state Senate, the margin is eight, 45% to 37%. Mills says if 15% of undecided voters break for Democrats, the party has a chance to take over one of the General Assembly’s chambers, most likely the state House.

That’s good news for state House candidates Scott Nasiff and Dennis Breen, Democrats running to represent Brunswick County in Raleigh. The surveys are also a welcome sign for state Senate candidate, Rick Combes. And Brunswick County Board of Education candidates Sue Duncan and Brian Rupp stand to gain as enthusiasm for the top of the Democratic ticket grows.  

As the tide turns in Democrats’ favor, Republican incumbents continue to abide by their old rules – the first of which is: Avoid public discourse at all costs. In June, Brunswick County Commissioner hopeful Sara Singer challenged Patti Hewitt, her GOP opponent, to a town hall forum. As Singer pointed out, her invitation was an excellent opportunity for both candidates to air their views and give the pubic an opportunity to measure their potential as a member of the county’s governing body. 

Hewitt declined the invitation. In doing so, she followed the dubious example set by U.S. Rep. David Rouzer – who, as his opponent, Kimberly Hardy, knows all too well – has participated in only one town hall during the 12 years he has represented the Cape Fear region in Washington.

What’s wrong with public discourse? Why is testing the validity of your beliefs in a public forum a bad idea? Don’t candidates for public office have an obligation to discuss their views in public – with or without their opponents in attendance? Don’t voters have a right to witness an open discussion of viewpoints?

Good politicians embrace their constituents; bad politicians hide from them.

---

Visit our website’s 2026 Candidates page to view the full list of Democrats who will be on your ballot in November.