From the Chair - June 2025

May brought good news to North Carolina. Judge Jefferson Griffin unexpectedly – and finally – conceded his challenge to the NC Supreme Court on May 7. Justice Allison Riggs was sworn in to begin her eight-year term on the court on May 13. This is an incredibly important step for the Democratic Party’s plan to reshape politics and policy by 2030. The next four years will prove to be incredibly important for our agenda. Our next priority steps include winning municipal seats in 2025, re-elect Justice Anita Earls and flip NCGA seats in 2026, and in 2028 flip the NC Supreme Court to Democratic control while continuing the flip NCGA seats.

All of that activity will allow NC Democrats to be in a position of power to redistrict electoral districts and have a Supreme Court ready to defend those districts. 2030 will bring the next census and North Carolina stands to gain seats in the US Congress. The next four years are an opportunity for us to bring major changes to the direction and politics of our state.

This year we have 26 municipal offices up for election. Candidate recruitment continues and the filing period is July 7 to 18. Local offices are incredibly important and impact our daily lives. A lot of money is being spent. We need Democrats to step up and run for these seats and voice the issues our communities are facing. We also need Democrats to step up and lead in different areas of the county party.

Across the county, municipalities are currently working through their budget process for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Catawba County and the City of Hickory are highlighted below.

Catawba County:

• Total recommended budget: $345,000,757.00

• Represents an increase of 6.9% over the 2024-2025 fiscal year which saw a 8.1% increase over 2023-2024.

City of Hickory:

• Total recommended budget: $159,075,833.00

• Represents an increase of 9.9% over the 2024-2025 fiscal year which saw a 5.8% increase over 2023-2024.

These increases translate directly to higher taxes and fees for all of us – millions of dollars – brought to us with Republican majority leadership. Are we really getting our money’s worth? We as a party need more involvement with local government.

Pat Harrigan is one of 435 voices in the US House.

City of Hickory has four of seven seats up for election.

City of Newton has three of seven seats up for election.

City of Conover has four of six seats up for election.

City of Claremont has three of six seats up for election.

Town of Brookford has three of five seats up for election.

Town of Catawba has two of five seats up for election.

Town of Long View has three of six seats up for election.

Town of Maiden has four of six seats up for election.

Want to make a real tangible difference? Run for local office. We can start to have impact and make real improvements in our communities by winning these seats.

Mark your calendars for Monday, July 7th at 6:30 at headquarters for a candidate training session. Our first canvass of 2025 will be on July 12. Stay tuned for details and signup information.

This month, we will host a precinct leader social (with a touch of training) on Monday, June 16 at 6:30 at Headquarters. Desserts will be provided. We are planning other events and fundraisers for the coming months. Details will come soon.

Finally, we are pleased to announce our first Jonathan Mott intern, Melanie Mora, who will work with us this summer. Melanie is from Catawba County and is pursuing her Master of Business Administration at Lenior-Rhyne University. She has an impressive background which includes work with Centro Latino and rural organizing with Blue Wave America. Welcome to the team, Melanie!

RUN FOR OFFICE AND VOTE BLUE!

Michael