Credence
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2019
- Messages
- 17,856
- Reaction score
- 29,043
- Location
- Long Island NY
- Gender
- Female
- Political Leaning
- Independent
Good to see our country's young people get involved and perhaps will be our country's future leaders
The headquarters of North Carolina’s Democratic Party calls to mind times gone by, the stately, neoclassical mansion conjuring up visions of lazy summer evenings amid the sweet scent of magnolias. But the Goodwin House’s new inhabitant is anything but old-fashioned—25-year-old Anderson Clayton is gritty rather than stately, a woman on a mission, dissatisfied with the status quo, fiercely determined and keen to revitalize her party.
In February, Clayton ousted Bobbie Richardson—a woman 48 years her senior who was endorsed by the North Carolina Democratic establishment, including Gov. Roy Cooper—to become the youngest party chair in the nation. The upset surprised even Clayton.
“I ran for state party chair, not expecting to win anything,” she told Ms. “It was more about putting up a fight. Regardless of what you think of me, you know I am a fighter and will take on any injustice I see.”
Clayton is not timid about voicing her opinions on politics in general and the state Democratic Party in specific. When she speaks about injustices, she is alluding to what she calls the “money-driven” culture of politics and self-centered ambition that turns off people who are committed to the common good, especially, she said, “those who operate in the activist and organizing space. People who see politics as improving lives write off the N.C. Democratic Party as a party of power grabbers or people who want to make it somewhere. … Party politics is not about being a public servant anymore. It is about being a politician.”
msmagazine.com
Clayton’s strategy for revitalizing the Democratic Party in North Carolina is to expand the party’s base by focusing on young voters and rural communities.
The headquarters of North Carolina’s Democratic Party calls to mind times gone by, the stately, neoclassical mansion conjuring up visions of lazy summer evenings amid the sweet scent of magnolias. But the Goodwin House’s new inhabitant is anything but old-fashioned—25-year-old Anderson Clayton is gritty rather than stately, a woman on a mission, dissatisfied with the status quo, fiercely determined and keen to revitalize her party.
In February, Clayton ousted Bobbie Richardson—a woman 48 years her senior who was endorsed by the North Carolina Democratic establishment, including Gov. Roy Cooper—to become the youngest party chair in the nation. The upset surprised even Clayton.
“I ran for state party chair, not expecting to win anything,” she told Ms. “It was more about putting up a fight. Regardless of what you think of me, you know I am a fighter and will take on any injustice I see.”
Clayton is not timid about voicing her opinions on politics in general and the state Democratic Party in specific. When she speaks about injustices, she is alluding to what she calls the “money-driven” culture of politics and self-centered ambition that turns off people who are committed to the common good, especially, she said, “those who operate in the activist and organizing space. People who see politics as improving lives write off the N.C. Democratic Party as a party of power grabbers or people who want to make it somewhere. … Party politics is not about being a public servant anymore. It is about being a politician.”
In North Carolina, the U.S.' Youngest Party Chair Has a Plan for Attracting Voters and Winning Elections in the Battleground State
Elected at 25 years old in North Carolina, Anderson Clayton is the youngest chair of a state Democratic party. In February, Clayton ousted Bobbie Richardson—a woman 48 years her senior who was endorsed by the North Carolina Democratic establishment, including Gov. Roy Cooper. Clayton’s strategy...
msmagazine.com
