Tonight, at a Durham fundraiser, Obama supporters were jazzed about the increasingly real possibility that their man will win North Carolina on election night. The state moved into the "toss up" category about two weeks ago and Obama has led by a 1% - 5% margin since then. Looking this blue is a stunning turn of events for a state that has voted red in every election since 1980.
Amy Tornquist, owner of Watts Grocery Restaurant opened her doors on a Monday night for the fundraiser, which was co-sponsored by several local Obama campaign workers. All of the restaurant workers donated their time to the event, because it was "the right thing to do," according to Zavi Lahiff, general manager. About 80 attendees, who contributed at least $100 each to the campaign, were treated to Tornquist's modern southern cuisine, while a quartet played jazz.
Among the guests were a number of Obama volunteers who thought they knew why he was doing so well in their state. Ariel Rogers is the leader of a "Mobile Obama Team." Her job is to take teams of volunteers to small towns in North Carolina, to register voters and recruit campaign volunteers. She said, "The Obama campaign has five full time staff in Durham. They provide materials and a walk list for canvassing. They have a contact in each county. This is what it means to have a community organizer running for president. Because of the organization of this campaign, volunteers have registered record numbers of voters. Republicans put Obama down for his community organizer background, but that's one of the reasons we're going to win the election."
Faulkner Fox, author, Yale graduate and lead organizer of Durham for Obama, agreed that the strategy in North Carolina is "extraordinary voter registration." She talked about a registration drive that took place in Goldsboro last weekend, where more than 600 new voters were registered. "People who have never voted before are registering to vote. People who are in their 60's. Obama is the first candidate that they feel enthusiastic enough about to vote for. After they register, then they volunteer to work and give us 20 hours per week."
Another campaign volunteer, Daphne Davis, went on the Goldsboro drive. She told the story of registering a 70 year old woman who hasn't voted since the '60's because "government hasn't done anything for her. We told her Obama would." After registering, this woman called four of her friends, who came to her house and registered, too. When asked if she thought the newly registered voters would actually vote, Davis said, "We're going to go back and take them to the polls."
Holly Lewis, a successful marketing consultant who left big business to "pursue things I care about" talked about the voters she has helped to register. "These are people who have been left out of the political process. They are totally confused... and don't know how to vote. Some of them who managed to vote in the primary thought they had already voted for president. But they are so open to us, not at all embarrassed to admit their confusion."
All of the campaign volunteers at this event spoke of the enthusiasm they were encountering. "There is no pulling teeth to get people to volunteer for this campaign," said Faulkner. "It's a grassroots base of volunteers who are interracial and intergenerational. It's incredible and inspiring to be part of this moment."
What if the efforts of these volunteers are successful and North Carolina goes for Obama on election night? As things currently stand, Obama has 264 electoral votes lined up from states that are either solidly for him or leaning heavily in his direction. If these states remain in his corner, he would need one more state to put him over the 270 electoral votes required to win the election. With 15 electoral votes, North Carolina is one of five toss-up states that could do the job alone (Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Colorado are the other four).
James Tulsky, professor of Medicine and Nursing at Duke University and a member of the Alpha Change Crew (a crew of campaign volunteers covering five voting precincts in Durham) has helped to register 1500 new voters. He believes that anywhere between 200,000 and 400,000 new voters have registered in North Carolina and "If we get the vote out, we'll win." Asked what he would do if that happened, he said, "I would cry. I've thought about it and that would be my first reaction."
Tulsky said he comes from "good progressive stock" and recounted how, after moving to Durham 15 years ago, he noticed that Jesse Helms was only winning his elections by small percentages. He felt that one day, North Carolina politics might move in a different direction, and has worked tirelessly for the Obama campaign toward that effect. "To be able to move our state in this direction and support this candidate at this time would be a huge statement about who we are as a state and also about where this country has the potential to go. There is no such thing as red and blue states when you get people involved."
Tulsky is not the only one who will react with tears if Obama wins North Carolina. Michael McRae, an African American psychologist and father said, "I'm going to cry...such an emotional point. It would be such an accomplishment. My daughter, Amari, would get to see Obama, a black man, doing such a phenomenal job. She cares about it."
McRae continue, "It sends a powerful message to young black boys and girls, who might think there is a glass ceiling. Obama represents the American dream. He has had so many experiences -- black kid who grew up in a white family, grew up in Kansas, Hawaii. Everyone relates to a piece of him. If Republicans searched hard, they would find it in him as well."
Not everyone will react with tears to an Obama victory in North Carolina. As her guests were leaving, Tornquist said, "That would be awesome. I told my children I would dance in the middle of the street, in the middle of the biggest street I could find."
In the meantime, voter registration in North Carolina ends on October 10. After that, these campaign organizers will turn their attention to their next and final task: getting all these newly registered voters to the polls. Motivated by the chance to break a 28-year red streak, they seem up to the task. If all goes as they plan, these North Carolina Democrats are going to need plenty of Kleenex and some dancing shoes on November 4th.
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