Be Happy! Watauga in the New 14th CD

 

Except for Virginia Foxx's residential precinct, the rest of Watauga County is now the northernmost chunk of the new 14th Congressional District, and the blue voters here make everything better for every Democrat south of us. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project rates the district with a 46.13% Democratic vote share and a 53.69% Republican share. Those are numbers any congressional candidate, especially any candidate running against the likes of Madison Cawthorn, should be able to work with and build on.

Here are the Democratic candidates (alpha order) that I know about, with more probably arriving presently:

Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (D)

Jay Carey (D)

Katie Dean (D)

Eric Gash (D)

Bo Hess (D)

Josh Remillard (D)

Brooker Smith (D)

Chelsea White (D)

Two days ago on Twitter, Dr. Steve Woodsmall, retired USAF major and a former Democratic primary candidate in both 2018 and in 2020 for the 11th CD nomination, made an announcement in reaction to more juvenilia from Cawthorn (Cawthorn had threatened anyone who opposed him with violent retribution):

Woodsmall

This is the last straw. I am now ready to run against this lowlife little twerp but since a Dem can’t win here I will run unaffiliated IF y’all can help me get the 9400 petition signatures to get on the ballot!

After his primary loss to the 2020 Democratic congressional candidate Moe Davis, Woodsmall left the party and has seemed bitter about it. In 2018, I profiled Woodsmall here with his primary opponents. In 2020, I did it again here.

So far as Woodsmall's opinion that "a Dem can't win here," I reject that, especially when the opponent is a juicy spectacle like Madison Cawthorn. Adult Republicans are also sick of his immaturity and preening self-regard, and the right candidate from the list above could rally the Dems and the Unaffiliated to beat him. Not, however (probably), if there's a third candidate draining away the independents.