As NC Democrats reflect on election missteps, a party shake-up is underway

North Carolina Democrats were optimistic about their chances in the midterm elections. But following disappointing results, party insiders are dwelling on missed opportunities, and a party shake-up is underway.

Meredith Cuomo, who had served as the North Carolina Democratic Party’s executive director since 2019, said Saturday in an email to staff that she had stepped down from the state party’s top staff position. She moved into an advisory role on Dec. 1.

Her decision to leave was made prior to the election, Cuomo said in the email, which was obtained by WRAL News. Cuomo didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the coming months, some party insiders expect more leadership changes.

“I would be absolutely shocked if more than half of the officers kept their positions,” said Ryan Jenkins, president of the state party’s progressive caucus. Jenkins spoke to WRAL before Cuomo’s announcement.

Asked about the state of the party, he said: “People are fed up.”

Going into November, the party had several reasons to believe key races might swing their way. With Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr retiring, Democrats had their first chance in 20 years to flip an open North Carolina seat, a win that could’ve helped protect the party’s majority in the chamber.

Despite low approval ratings for President Joe Biden — which can affect voter sentiment in the midterms — Democrats thought voters might be inspired by Cheri Beasley, the state’s first Black Senate candidate in 26 years. And they banked on moderate voters being angered by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to revoke a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.

Yet on election night, as the party triumphed in other swing states, North Carolina Democrats had less to celebrate.

They won the congressional seats they were expected to win, as well as a closely watched toss-up race in the Raleigh area. They also stopped Republicans from gaining a supermajority in the legislature.

Political insiders believe North Carolina Democrats would have performed better if national groups had spent more on the U.S. Senate race, if the state party hadn’t left legislative races uncontested, if they had organized more quickly, and if the party had done a better job of turning out its base. Election data show that turnout among regular Democratic targets — young voters, Black voters, and voters in metropolitan areas — fell short of participation levels in 2018.

Since Election Day, Democratic factions have been examining the North Carolina party’s weak spots and devising plans to become better organized. Who will lead those efforts is now unclear. Digital Director Lillian Taylor is serving as state party’s interim executive director while the party searches for a permanent director.

The party also announced that it was laying off nine staff members due to financial constraints, a move that’s not uncommon in the wake of elections.

“This is not a decision we took lightly and is in no way a reflection of the fantastic work they accomplished in their tenure at the NCDP,” Cuomo said in the email. “But the financial landscape over the course of 2022 was much different and the money is not there to continue to staff at the capacity we had.”

With the party set to elect new leaders early next year, some insiders expect even more changes.

“I’ve talked to people in almost every caucus. I’ve talked to Democrats from Transylvania County to Pamlico County,” Jenkins said. “No one is completely happy with the direction the party is going. Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to has expressed extreme anger and frustration.”

What the data show

North Carolina’s total turnout was 51.4% this year, about 2% lower than the 2018 midterms. Voter participation declined in each of the state’s largest voting hubs: Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Forsyth, and Durham counties.

Jane Whitley, chair of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, said in an email that “being able to connect earlier with the statewide coordinated campaign would have helped” get-out-the-vote efforts.

“My records show that the coordinated campaign was organized and holding volunteer events here by June 2018,” Whitley said. “There were some volunteer GOTV events held this past summer, but the coordinated campaign was still hiring field organizers here in August and September 2022.”

Beasley lost her race by 121,737 votes. If the same registered Democrats who voted in 2018 also voted this year, Bitzer found that Beasley likely would have won her race. Nearly 820,000 voters skipped out on this year’s election after participating in 2018, he said. About 333,000 of those lapsed voters were registered Democrats.