Surveying Videos of Insurgent Candidates for U.S. Congress

Democrat Kathy Manning, running for US House in the NC-13 against first-term Republican Tedd Budd, has up a professional 30-second ad on health insurance, built on her own experience dealing with a serious medical problem in her family. I've seen it on her Twitter feed but don't find it on her website (or any videos of her). Am I missing them? Why not feature video introductions and policy statements on the website, since she's so good on camera?

Other North Carolina Democratic candidates for Congress also don't have any video of themselves on their websites, and I wonder why -- Dan McCready in the 9th, David Wilson Brown in the 10th, Dr. Kyle Horton in the 7th.

I love DD Adams and I love her introductory video, and no wonder it's front and center on her website. The unspoken contrast to incumbent Republican Virginia Foxx, whose edge always intends to cut and separate, provides what you need to know about having a representative of the people in Washington, as opposed to a stinging hornet.

Phillip Price, running against house wrecker Mark Meadows in the 11th, emphasizes his blue collar work ethic. Frank McNeill, running in the 8th against George Holding, effectively emphasizes a work ethic than depends heavily on working together -- and exercising kindness (with an implied contrast to the nastiness of Twitterman). For McNeill's district he felt obliged to mention religion three times in two minutes.

Linda Coleman, running in the 2nd, has a very standard sort of bland presentation and message -- "I'm running for us, not us versus them" -- which maybe somebody finds compelling. But surely the campaign could find more than five people to stand behind her at the finale. Better maybe no people than just five, and those fixed smiles distract the viewer.

Democrat Ryan Watts is running in the NC-6 US House District against preacher Mark Walker,  and he's mounted an energetic and accomplished campaign. His introductory video is a head-on sales pitch and perhaps inadvertently highlights his noticeable youth. He's 29 but could pass for 19. But he's going for it and that's something to admire.


NOTE: I didn't go looking at video of the incumbent Democratic reps in Congress, David Price, Alma Adams, and G.K. Butterfield. Maybe another day!

Red-To-Blue in the 7th Congressional District

The Cook Political Report rates the 7th Congressional District of North Carolina as solidly Republican, and maybe it was and maybe it still is, or maybe something's afoot down there in 2018 that might wring the smugness out of incumbent Republican Congressman David Rouzer.

Back in March Rouzer faced a gale of protest from hundreds attending a town hall event in the town of Bolivia. (We have to give Rouzer props for at least holding an open event, unlike most of the Republicans representing North Carolina in Congress like Virginia Foxx.) The natives were restless, and if anything is true for 2018 it's that the pressure is only growing against the Trump agenda, which Rouzer has slavishly supported.





The first Democrat who announced a challenge to Rouzer is medical doctor Kyle Horton, who got profiled yesterday by Elisabeth Almekinder on PoliticsNC.com. According to Almekinder, Dr. Horton is one of eight women physicians who are entering congressional races this year: "There has been only one female physician in Congress to date, and there are none presently serving."

Horton comes from a military family and has a particular passion for providing health care for veterans and their families. She worked for Veterans Affairs in Richmond, Va., as a doctor, "and it’s

Dr. Kyle Horton

really the delays I was having with my patients that first made me get engaged in politics.”

“After I moved back to North Carolina to take care of my mother’s health issues, I was no longer bound by the Hatch Act, and receiving a government paycheck from Veterans Affairs, so I could engage directly in legislative advocacy and campaigns unrestricted. I was going back and forth to the Hill over the last few years, working on provisions of bills, and even grassroots work for integrated veteran suicide prevention, homelessness and female veterans’ issues. I’ve also been working on raising awareness for veterans exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of agent orange in Vietnam,” said Horton. “I have devoted all my time and energy to doing volunteer advocacy work, and now, running for Congress.”

Horton will likely face a May primary election with another young Democratic professional, a prospect that can make her a stronger contender in November if she's the top vote-getter. She's just one of a nationwide new wave of dedicated young women who intend to make a difference.

Kyle Horton's website (where you can make an on-line contribution): http://www.drkyleforcongress.com.