The 4th Congressional District Democratic Executive Committee reconvened for official business on July 11, 2020. Among other items of business, the Executive Committee received an update from the Cal for NC campaign, continued its discussions on its get-out-the-vote efforts, and held elections to fill district vacancies on various NCDP statewide committees.
The Executive Committee was joined by Cal for NC Deputy Political Director. Michael McShane. McShane provided an overview of promising developments from the campaign trail, including the campaign's recently reported $7.4 million fundraising haul for the second quarter of 2020. Impressively, this fundraising total represents the most ever raised by a candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina in a single quarter. McShane also reported on the work of the burgeoning NCDP Coordinated Campaign. As of mid-July, the statewide NCDP Coordinated Campaign already made more than 1.7 million calls to voters across the state.
Developments from the Cal for NC campaign and the NCDP Coordinated Campaign underscore ongoing efforts to adapt to the unprecedented circumstances of this campaign cycle. McShane noted that the Cal for NC campaign intends to continue hosting virtual events targeted towards critical constituencies throughout North Carolina. These events and other campaign initiatives are shared with campaign supporters on a rolling basis via the campaign's FOCAL Points newsletter. McShane also pressed attendees to consider applying to serve as Election Day poll workers for the North Carolina State Board of Elections. These positions are traditionally filled by retirees and other populations at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. As such, the State Board of Elections remains concerned that it could face critical shortages of Election Day poll workers in November.
Lastly, McShane noted how the ongoing public health crisis has exacerbated existing societal inequalities. Specifically, McShane referenced inequitable access to high-speed broadband internet as a significant obstacle to North Carolina's capacity to respond to the ongoing pandemic. McShane cited Cal Cunningham's plan for added investment in high-speed broadband to exemplify Cunningham's proactive approach to policy-oriented solutions.
Following remarks from Michael McShane, the Executive Committee transitioned to its elections to fill for district vacancies on the NCDP Council of Review, NCDP Resolutions and Platform Committee, and NCDP State Convention's Committee on Credentials and Appeals. These district representatives are traditionally elected by the annual 4th Congressional District Democratic Convention in even-numbered years, but contingency plans previously adopted by the NCDP State Executive Council directed the 4th Congressional District Democratic Executive Committee to hold these elections internally, at a later date.
Similar to recent elections for delegates to the Democratic National Convention held at this year's 4th Congressional District Democratic Convention, the district was well represented by a wealth of strong candidates from diverse backgrounds across the district. Elections were held by weighted vote of the Executive Committee. Congratulations to the following Democrats, elected to represent the 4th Congressional District:
Sheena Mathews of Durham County, elected to the NCDP Council of Review
Commissioner Renée Price of Orange County, re-elected to the NCDP Resolutions and Platform Committee
Jan Nichols of Chatham County, elected to the NCDP State Convention's Committee on Credentials and Appeals
Special thanks to all those who stepped forward to seek election to serve on these critical committees.
The Executive Committee next considered a resolution on the processes related to the nomination of candidates for Democratic Presidential Elector from the 4th Congressional District. Following some vigorous debate, the Executive Committee moved to table the resolution for further consideration at its next meeting.
The Executive Committee concluded its business with discussion on varying get-out-the-vote activities. The discussion addressed the recently enacted Bipartisan Elections Act of 2020 and how it may affect absentee vote-by-mail processes, past blue ballot initiatives from constituent counties, and Early Vote plans from constituent county boards of elections. The Executive Committee's Get-Out-The-Vote Subcommittee intends to carry on these discussions and report on further updates at the next meeting of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee will next reconvene for its standing monthly meeting on Saturday, August 8, 2020 at 11:00 am.