North Carolina's electoral future may hinge on rural Black voters who feel ignored by Democrats

[Omaha Steve]

https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-black-voters-democrats-cooper-dc73fceb90a803534f563bc4625fe509

By BILL BARROW and MAYA SWEEDLER
Updated 6:09 AM CDT, April 1, 2026

NASHVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Ricky Brinkley has lived in rural North Carolina nearly all of his 65 years, and he likes it “out in the county,” past the street lights and bustle of the small towns that carpet the landscape.

But the former truck driver can feel left out when elections roll around in this battleground state.

“People don’t come out like they should and ask you how you feel about things,” Brinkley said while he manned the counter at his daughter’s beauty supply store down the street from the Nashville courthouse. “You want somebody to vote, but you don’t want to do nothing to get the vote. No, it don’t work that way.”

Brinkley is among the rural Black residents who Democrats have often failed to mobilize as they try to dent Republican advantages here. It’s an urgent demographic puzzle for the party, which is normally strong with Black voters but tends to fall short in rural areas.

FULL story at link above.

[legallyblondeNYC]

1. Another Dems are failing article.

Beware - our adversaries are VERY, VERY good at making Dems seem problematic. We saw this type of article in 2024. Anecdotal BS.

Won't be fooled again.

[sarisataka]

2. Remind me please,

What happened in 2024 when we ignored that anecdotal BS?

[legallyblondeNYC]

15. Not necessarily a logical analysis. n/t

[lostincalifornia]

3. In the end, people who refuse to vote actually deserve anything bad that happens to them. This is the same old

nonsense that seems to always come around elections, that there is no "difference between both parties". Sorry, but THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN republicans AND DEMOCRATS, and if they can't understand that simple fact, then then they are a lost cause anyway, especially after two terms of trump and the current republican congress.

[EdmondDantes_]

4. That's a shortsighted argument

Because it also gets us what you think they deserve. If the best argument you can muster is you think they deserve to suffer for not voting for us, you're not giving them an affirmative reason, or a reason to trust us, or a reason to compromise with us when there are inevitably differences on some issues.

[lostincalifornia]

9. I am referring to THOSE WHO DON'T exclusively, not anyone else. There is no remedy for stupidity

I don’t think Democrats are depending on them after 2000, 2016, and 2024. they are useless spoiled losers, because the differences are obvious.

[EdmondDantes_]

20. Still short sighted

What does refusing to be open to them do for us?

You may have noticed we lost those elections and generally by incredibly small margins. In a game of inches, everything matters. We aren't owed anyone's votes. We have to earn them.

[GusBob]

5. Somebody bring Ricky a pony

Or give him a hug

or something

[mcar]

6. And what have the Republicans done for him? nt

[maxrandb]

7. I gave Superman a kryptonite neckless! Why isn't he stopping the speeding train of racism and fascism?

[kacekwl]

8. But trump and his racist

regime are paying you so much mean. Wake up people.

[Vinca]

10. Wonder how many times Trump stopped in to visit with Ricky.

WTF is wrong with people? You should not expect a door knock from every presidential candidate. I don't think I've ever gotten a door knock from anyone other than volunteers a couple of times. You have to do your own investigating. Staying home is not an option. Voluntary head in the sand is not an option.

[Celerity]

17. From the article:

snip



snip

The founding pastor at Word Tabernacle Church, Gailliard was among the Black state lawmakers who lost seats after Republican-led redistricting. He said regaining ground will require neighborhood-level organizing and investment from national Democrats, something he struggled to get from Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.

“I couldn’t get any traction,” Gailliard recalled. “I begged them to bring her to Rocky Mount. I said, ‘Listen, Rocky Mount is the gateway to the East. If we crack Rocky Mount, we’ve cracked the East.’ Could not convince them to come. Two weeks later, guess who’s in Rocky Mount? Donald Trump.”

The Harris campaign sent former President Bill Clinton to the area instead. Gailliard said Cooper needs people like him to get elected. “Roy is a great friend, and I’m gonna run my butt off to help him in every way, but I’m not banking on his coattails,” Gailliard said. “I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to grow coattails for him.”

snip

[dsc]

11. It should be noted that Harris did go to Greenville

which is actually further east than Rocky Mount. I actually drove up there to see her. I live in a small town in eastern NC which is about 20 miles from Greenville and probably around 30 or so from Rocky Mount.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

12. The Democratic Party needs a better Southern Strategy than sending candidates here to sing gospel hymns at rallies.

[maxsolomon]

13. I live in a City. Politicians don't "ask you how you feel about things" here, either.

“People don’t come out like they should and ask you how you feel about things,”

“You want somebody to vote, but you don’t want to do nothing to get the vote. No, it don’t work that way.”

Actually, it does work that way. There are >400,000,000 people in every Congressional District. I vote whether or not I get a personal consultation from a candidate. It's my civic duty, Ricky.

[RT Atlanta]

14. And their alternative is what? the party that regularly seeks to strip voting rights?

This is click bait type article

[ColoringFool]

16. I Am LONG PAST Hearing About How "Democrats Fail" The Masses.

Living under TRUMP, WHO IS TRYING MIGHTILY TO ERADICATE BLACK HISTORY FROM EVERY PUBLIC SPHERE, AND SOME BLACK AMERICANS CRITICIZE THE PARTY OF CIVIL RIGHTS?!

STFU! GTFOOH!

[ck4829]

18. K&R. We gotta do more than book deals written by ghostwriters and private dinners with billionaires

Billionaires might dangle money in front of you, but, when the rubber hits the road on that day in November, these are the folks that actually provide the votes.

OK the Dow is 50000 or 40000 or 500 million or whatever, but how are THEIR stores doing? How is their work going? How far does a paycheck go for them?

[Aepps22]

21. Earn Every Vote

I’ve been saying this on DU for some time now, but there is potential softening in the support for the Democratic Party in the African American community especially amongst Black males that has to be addressed in a real way. We will still vote in large percentages for the party but that might not be enough if real engagement and real policy initiatives geared towards African Americans aren’t discussed.

We have to earn every vote especially the votes of your most loyal voting group. Showing up occasionally or doing the same old outreach efforts isn’t going to work. I also think the old “Republicans are worse” argument though valid, isn’t effective when you are dealing with a group of people that have been voting to reduce harm for years in a country that continues to hold us in low esteem. At some point you can’t just run against the other person but you need people to run towards you because you have policies that will make their lives better not maintain the status quo. If I were a political consultant I would focus on USDA reform in rural North Carolina as the USDA has consistently denied Black farmers access to grants and capital that other farmers have access to. This was a problem long before Trump and continues to be a problem. I would also attack local laws from the Jim Crow Era that also block Black farmers from access to capital.