Should D D Adams Win?

Guest blogging: Jeanne Supin

Friends and I recently held a fundraiser for 5^thDistrict Democratic congressional candidate D D Adams. Framed by our beautiful Blue Ridge vistas, we gathered outside on the deck, wine and food in hand, to hear from and celebrate an exuberant, tireless, intelligent, and delightfully warm woman who has dedicated her life to public service.

Not a horserace ... a question of character

Before, during, and after the event more than a handful of people privately asked me, “What do the polls say? Does she have a chance? Can D D win?”

At first I entertained the questions, talking about the new district’s composition, the piqued passion of new and once-disillusioned voters, the fact that Millennials are now the nation’s largest bloc of eligible voters, that certainly the 5^thDistrict is as enlightened as Georgia, let’s say, or Florida, in judging candidates by the content of their policies and their character.

But those conversations about polling data and voter predictions quickly grew uncomfortable for me. I didn’t like joining the narrative equating campaigns with horse-races. I got sucked into evaluating D D Adams by calculating the electoral odds, by doing the numbers. And it quickly felt all wrong.

Elections should never be reduced to over-simplified probability, statistics, and a win-lose mentality. They should be about policy. They should be about values. They should demand thoughtful consideration of the future of our nation. They should be exalted as the deepest privilege and responsibility of a civil and democratic society.

Look, I know we all need to make choices. And I’m not naïve; I’ve been working in politics and government for 40 years. Plus I run my own business, my pockets aren’t deep, and I only have so much time and energy. So I get it. 

But I still don’t like the question Can D D Adams win? It feels calculating and cynical to me. It seems to miss the point.

Instead I’m asking: ShouldD D Adams win? I’ve decided that’show I will choose which candidates to support and which candidates deserve my time, my energy, my money, and my vote. 

And the answer to the question ShouldD D Adams win? Absolutely. Without question. Born and raised in District 5, she has spent her whole life giving back to our community, through works with her family, her profession, her faith community, and as a Winston-Salem City Council member. She’s experienced at bringing together diverse interests to help public schools, local businesses and farmers, and community groups.

She will bring to Washington tireless advocacy for policies I believe in: access to quality healthcare for all; real commitments to living wages, middle class wealth and security, and tax codes that are just and unifying; affordable education within reach to all who want to better themselves; sound immigration policies that establish clear legal rules yet also reflect our aspirations as a welcoming and humane melting pot; securing our safety and our borders through wise, firm diplomacy and policy; meaningful efforts to reverse climate change, and reclaiming values of diversity, inclusion, kindness, and equality for all.

Sure, it sounds flowery. But today, as we lead up to the election on November 6, 2018, these policies and these ideals are in grave danger. I’m 57, and I’ve never seen anything like our current political collapse. I am alarmed for me, for my community and my country, and for the future my children and their children might face.

I’m not playing anymore by the old rules: What do the polls say? What about the numbers? Can D D Adams win?I’m standing firm with the one and only question I think matters: ShouldD D Adams be our next congressional representative? And I’m committing all that I can to YES.

I invite you to do the same.

September 20, 2018