Democrat Richard Chapman in HD53: May the Force Be With Him

Richard Chapman

Other than the Republican bosses of the NC Senate and House, Phil Berger and Tim Moore, if you need a gen-YOU-wine legislative villain, look no further than David Lewis of Harnett County. As chair of the House Rules Committee, he's been the principal vote suppressor and prime gerrymanderer. And most recently, he's the dude who insisted on a special session to grab away the power to write captions for the six constitutional amendments on the ballot this fall.

Democrat Richard Chapman is challenging this jerky Goliath. He's a retired journalist (and I wish his website was more detailed about that work -- where and when and what kind of reporting he did). If he can think critically and write perceptively, I like him already. Journalists -- the good ones, at least -- have well developed bullshit detectors and a deep understanding of human nature.

Far as we can tell (and we can tell), Chapman hasn't yet raised significant money, but District 53 is entirely contained in Harnett County which means it should be a good deal easier to canvass than any of the mountain counties. When you don't have money, you do have shoe leather, and an army of willing volunteers can do what money can't -- reach voters in the most meaningful way.

Republican Lewis has enough campaign cash to burn a wet mule, but he may not be inclined to spend too much of it. He likely feels invulnerable. Feeling invulnerable could be a fatal error in a year like 2018, which also means that Richard Chapman could usher in a miracle ... if he can raise volunteers where he can't raise money and if he hits the ground hard.