House Dist. 37 Features What Ought To Be an Endangered Republican

 

Civitas rates NC House District 37, a big chunk of far southeastern Wake County -- R+3. Dave's Redistricting sez 45.4% Democrat, 51.9% Republican, with 2.6 Independent. Those numbers alone suggest that a Democratic insurgent will need to do aggressive voter registration and reach out to the Unaffiliated.

Erin Paré, Republican incumbent

Paré, according to Bryan Anderson, "is one of her party's most effective messengers and has become somewhat of a rising star in conservative circles. Through [gerrymandering], the GOP gave her added protection, moving her from a Trump +3 district to a Trump + 7."

She's only been in Raleigh since the election of 2020, when she beat Sydney Batch by only .06% of the vote. The Libertarian candidate took 3.15% in 2020, which was also determinative for Batch's loss. Paré did better in her reelection in 2022, winning comfortably with almost 53%.

In August 2023 she made an announcement that she would be running for Congress in Dist. 13, and she was putting some effort into it:

In her video campaign announcement, which includes images from protests and riots, Paré says she is “everything the far left fears the most” and calls herself a “conservative wife, mother and business owner.” A news release said Paré was putting $400,000 of her own money into the campaign as it begins. (AP)

But in November 2023, she backed out of the Congressional race. Said nevermind, I'm running for my House seat instead.

In a past life, she was a military spouse with a career military husband for 12 years, then did a 7-year stint on Capitol Hill as a lobbyist for something called the Regulatory Improvement Council, which "advocated for the improved use of transparency, sound science, and cost-benefit analysis in the federal regulatory decision-making process." She looks Junior League and clearly appeals to upscale Republican women who don't cotton to Trump. You certainly don't find any sign of Trump or of trumpism on her Facebook and Twitter feeds. She may be one of those suburban women who'll secretly go for Kamala Harris.

Safiyah Jackson, Democrat

She's been endorsed by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and by Emily's List. Her Twitter feed stopped operating after March. She's doing more on Facebook, posting frequent video talking-head spots about her campaign.

I like her bluntness: "Safiyah is the granddaughter of a domestic worker and the daughter of middle-class parents. Raised in a close-knit church, school, neighborhood, and family environment, stable and nurturing communities have shaped her foundation."

Some 20 years ago, she left a corporate marketing and sales role with Ford Motor Company. Since then, she has focused her policy-set on "early childhood education" and the support that young families, often single-parent, need from institutions including government.

Her linked-in page says this about her: "Champion for the quality of life for infants and toddlers: Systems, Strategy, Policy, Implementation, Evaluation, and Communication." But what does she do? According to NewPolitics.org, "she serves as Chief Strategy Officer with The North Carolina Partnership for Children, a nonprofit that supports a network of early childhood organizations (The Smart Start network)." She's clearly sharp and can talk like a master of the class, and she's clearly "professional" enough for the Republican women of House District 37.