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DKos Asheville Open Thread: (NC-11) Beach-Ferrara vs Edwards, [1]
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Date: 2022-09-10
Mountain Express, Brooke Randle, 9-7-2022
In the general election, Edwards is trying to unite Republican voters after a bitterly fought eight-way primary in which he received just over a third of the vote. His Democratic challenger, Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, must convince voters who haven’t elected a Democrat to Congress since former Rep. Heath Shuler in 2010 that now is time for a change. (Libertarian candidate David Coatney, a marketing professional and filmmaker, is also taking his chances in a district that has never given a third-party option more than roughly 2% of the vote.)
With two months to go until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8, Xpress took a look at how the two major-party campaigns are handling their unique challenges.
On the trail
On the Democratic side of the ballot, the party’s District 11 chair, Matt Ballance, says that in-person events are critical for voter outreach. While such gatherings are always important, he says, they take on added urgency after two long years of COVID-19 restrictions.
“We had a hard time [connecting with voters] in 2020 because of COVID and trying to keep people safe,” Ballance admits. “Politics is built on relationships; relationships are built on trust. And trust is only built when two people are able to communicate and feel heard and validated. If candidates and party volunteers are out in the field listening to voters and making them feel valued and heard, that lends itself much more to that voter being persuaded to trust and vote for that candidate or party than a social media post.”
Through the party lens
Even without a debate between the candidates, their different approaches to the issues facing WNC are becoming clear as the campaign wears on. Edwards and the GOP are focusing attention on matters at the national level, while Beach-Ferrara and the Democrats are emphasizing issues with specific regional ties.
Changing lines and affiliations
On the ground
WLOS, Jennifer Emert, 9/9/2022
Ready, set, vote.
Absentee mail-in ballots were mailed Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, and could be in the hands of North Carolina voters as early as Saturday. In Buncombe County, election officials have already received online ballots for the midterm election. By 10:30 a.m. Friday, Buncombe County Elections had already received two overseas ballots from France, making North Carolina the first state in the nation to cast ballots in November’s midterm election.
In Buncombe County Friday, the staff stuffed 2,500 requests for absentee ballots.
“Anyone who wants to vote by mail in North Carolina, can vote by mail,” said Corinne Duncan, Buncombe County Elections Services director. By noon, those ballots were headed to voters, pre-sorted for the U.S. Post Office by zip code.
“That’s one step the post office doesn’t have to do to get ballots out fast,” said Duncan.
Asheville Watchdog, Sally Kestin, 9/7/2022
The US Open winds to a close this weekend in New York, and among those attending in the luxury suites at the tennis Grand Slam event will be more than two dozen Buncombe County VIPS – courtesy of the public tourism board and $1.3 million in local tax money.
The Tourist Development Authority announced last month that it had paid $1.3 million to become an official sponsor of the US Open and touted benefits, including signs promoting Asheville, television spots, and an Asheville Night on Sept. 7.
Not mentioned were some of the other benefits the TDA received, according to the sponsorship agreement: – A luxury suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium for two sessions to be selected by the TDA. “With the suite will be included 20 suite admission tickets, two host passes and three VIP parking passes.” The TDA also agreed to purchase a minimum of $1,800 in food and beverages (not counting gratuities, service charges and taxes) from the official US Open concessionaire for each session. – Invitations for four TDA executives and one guest each to the President’s Suite for one session. “Invitations are for the exclusive use by BCTDA executives and their guests and may not be re-sold or otherwise transferred,” the agreement said.
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