343 Comments

What to say, really? We all knew this was coming. And as long as an otherwise progressive state keeps electing a conservative legislature and judicial seats, we should expect nothing better. What this tells me, Jeff, is that it's time for you to take the next logical step and aim for the Senate. Or, and I'm just tossing out ideas here, maybe you've seen enough of the s**t-storm that is our federal government and would rather go back to being a homebody and fighting the good fight from the grass-roots level. Whatever your decision, know that you have been a bright light in the murky haze of Congress. Your service to our country and, especially, your constituents is greatly appreciated!

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Ditto to Stuart’s comment

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Dotto from me too.

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Stuart said it well.

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Agree completely. A bright light, indeed. If you run for Senate, at least we'll be able to vote for you. And we will.

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It feels wrong to click "like". It is shameful and anti-democratic to try and win this way, no matter what your political affiliation is.

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I agree.

I gave Jeff’s email a ❤️, since there isn’t another option; but I certainly don’t ‘like’ it☹️. I’m mad and disgusted, and my voting will reflect this. I can only hope that the others who agree will take the appropriate action.

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That is the social media way. Their algorithems can't follow faint shades of gray. Black/White only.

Pisses me off.

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Unfortunately, if the Democratic party was in charge of NC politics like the GOP is, they would do the same thing.

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I've always hated that "the same" argument because it's generally so far from the truth. Democrats normally do the right thing even when it hurts them personally.

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In California, a very blue state in general, the voters replaced legislative control of redistributing with a bipartisan commission. From what I understand, it has resulted in generally fair maps.

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They did do the same thing many years ago. It didn't make it right then either. It's wrong that a party can draw their own maps. It's unbelievable how we can even think that's plausibly a good idea

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I hate when people justify corruption with "they both do it." It blurs the line between victim and aggressor... it reduces culpability and protects the TRUE culprit. It's almost like saying "boys will be boys" NC has 11 Republican districts and only three Democratic districts... when did Democrats do this gerrymandering you speak of? And why only three districts? And generally, with a Republican majority in the legislature? Really! When Democrats reclaim districts gerrymandered by Republicans, this is NOT "gerrymandering". This is a misguided right-wing narrative; a projection, to motivate credulous partisan supporters like Dallas P.

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No. Jeff’s mentioned it in the past. He’s said the last democrats weren’t right when they did it. It’s been the game for parties in power. Everyone decries it but uses it to stay in power. It’s never been right. I think each party should publish a map. A nonpartisan group should publish a map and a AI popular vote map should be added. Then average them all. 😁

I believe Michael Bitzers book covers the states history : https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-80747-4

https://www.vox.com/22961590/redistricting-gerrymandering-house-2022-midterms

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/02/us/politics/congressional-maps-gerrymandering-midterms.html

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I will still have to disagree with that assertion… NC was a Democrat party ruled state until the passage of the Civil Right Act of 1964/Voting Rights Act of 1965. After the passage of these two acts, many conservative white Democrats switched to the Republican Party. FYI… the post-Civil War Democrats were essentially KKK sympathizers, disgruntled confederates, and anti-civil rights supporters… you know the same ones the "right" is always saying created the KKK. Kinda misleading to say “both parties” when the Democrats in question were actually the Republicans of today.

But yes, I agree. A nonpartisan commission should be created and adopted by all the states to do away with partisan gerrymandering BUT in the interim, we need to stop justifying this blatant corruption with ”they both do it” because this assertion is historically false and misleading.

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Well aware of Dixiecrats. But you can’t say that people with power don’t try to put their finger on the scale: “A Maryland judge ruled on Friday that Democrats in the state had drawn an “extreme gerrymander” and threw out the state’s new congressional map[...]”

Due to a two party system we have to say both sides. However, it may not be as egregious. Might not be as racial. Might not be as common. There is a gradient. They arent equal. But power has a tendency to not sit well when cronyism is at play.

But at least we agree that it’s wrong. 😁

No matter what, I wish for a day of more parties and proper coalitions. This two party system is just not diverse enough to hold all views properly.

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I do not agree. But, here's to an opportunity to test out that theory!

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Mentally ill for supporting inclusion of all Americans? Unless I misread your comment, I'd say you are the one with a mental problem.

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You didn't misread his comment.

Read his bio: "Burn the left to the ground and piss on the ashes."

Dallas is a troll. He lives to get a reaction. Don't give it to him.

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I would encourage you to use your time as a Congressman as a stepping stone to the US Senate. I’m certain that the others who post here will be in full agreement. People like myself, who don’t live in your district, will jump on board state wide to bring you to victory. It’s time to move forward at the Senate level and you are the candidate the Democratic Party needs to get behind from the mountains to our coast. God bless as you struggle with these decisions moving forward. Let’s all promise one another to move to a brighter future in American politics. If we all come together as one, we can do it.

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I second that, and volunteer to work on your campaign!

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Seconded and thirded and submitted in fourplicate.

If there's any way you can take Budd, or Tillis seat it would be amazing.

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What is happening in our state is just sickening! I’m praying that somehow you keep your seat and that Josh Stein gets elected.

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I'm so sorry to hear this. I love reading your emails about what is going on in Congress and am hoping that if what you say proves true and you don't get re-elected in 2024, that we will see you running for federal office again soon -- maybe Senator? Somehow we have to get out of this stranglehold Republicans have on our state!!

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This is evil. We are watching the slow slide towards the end of democracy. And the Republicans offer a bomb thrower like Jim Jordan!

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Says the side that is actively destroying this country. 🙄

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Please be specific with your allegations and cite your sources, or is this just your uninformed opinion?

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Ukraine money laundering, Hunter Biden being a pedophile traitor with dementia stricken father, insider trading, destroying American energy, open border, liberal shithole cities that crime is just acceptedas normal life now. I could write a novel with what your side is doing to this country. But you people have your heads so far up each other's ass, you can see out their mouths.

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And your language says it all. Willfully blind as a bat and as full of venom as a baby copperhead.

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It’s far less destructive than the damage the “side” you apparently support does and continues to do!!

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Just one example that can be very helpful here is the full reporting of what Ukraine has done with the money given to them. It is quite detailed and surprising. If you google, maybe you can find that--various filmed reports answering the question of where the donated money is going.

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So I guess you missed the $1.1M shopping spree zelensky's wife just had in NYC. Or the Ukrainian officials that have been arrested in other countries with huge summs of cash. You people have a tv between your ear. It is painful the amount of willful ignorance you people display.

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You are a traitor to your own country, a true pro-Putin sympathizer. Don't you know what will happen next, should Putin take over Ukraine? Did you ever hear of WWII and Nazi Germany and its leader, Adolph Hitler? Apparently you are ready to repeat what you did not learn from history; don't take the rest of us with you.

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Dallas. You are being brainwashed by Fox lies. Fox admitted that nothing they say can be considered the truth, it’s just their opinion. I love how one minute they say Biden is a criminal mastermind and the next minute he has dementia and doesn’t know what is going on. Which is it? I voted Republican from 1976 until about 2012 when the Freedumb Caucus took the Republicans down a rabbit hole. I urge you to see a psychologist, you need help.

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Wow, you actually believed that!?

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Again, please send us the links to your sources of information!

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I always check information. If you search for information on this, you WILL find that she was in Canada, and busy there. Here's a small exerpt to reveal the source of your information:

"The video was shared initially via pro-Russian social media channels, a sign it may have been part of a disinformation effort. It was posted on Wednesday morning by Telegram user infantmilitario, and later picked up by other Russian and English-speaking channels.

@MyLordBebo, who shared the claim on X, has been associated with other misleading claims about characters and events associated with Ukraine. Last month, they shared a rumor, without evidence, that a drone strike in the Russian city of Pskov was fired from Estonia, a NATO country. Estonia firmly denied the claims and the rumor was not attributed to any reliable source. The X account regularly shares other anti-Ukrainian content."

This makes your identity worth questioning. (Anger is bad for the soul!)

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You could have left out “uninformed”. You did not site your evidence to back up that allegation. You are assuming facts not in evidence and alleging someone as “uninformed” can be construed as insulting and triggering.

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Everything he posted is "evidence and facts" that he is uninformed and possibly a little dim-witted but sometimes, the TRUTH can be "insulting and triggering".

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I suggest that you watch and listen to different news sources. You sound unnecessarily angry about the wrong things. Cheating and lying and distorting result in inability to know what is true and what is false. That's no way to live!

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Completely respect your procedural and progressive communicative leadership!

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We need you in the Senate. You will have my vote.

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I am never voting for another Republican in our state ever again. For a party that wails against the Dems taking away our gun rights, our religious rights, our free speech rights, etc - here they are AGAIN taking our system of free and representative elections. Please, please, please run for public office again.

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And don't forget about how the GA just approved millions of dollars under the voucher system so the wealthy folks could get tax breaks for sending their white kids to private, typically religious schools, where they are already attending. And that same GA also took more power away from the Dept of Education. The Republican plan, years in the works with baby steps of execution at every opportunity, is coming to fruition; only remaining element is that public schools are destroyed or educationally worthless. And the GA leaders perform mental acrobatics with clever words to describe & justify their actions which are associated with "failing schools" yet the GA is the body that funds school systems. Mind boggling..........

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I am sick at what is happening in NC. I thought there would be a turn around with the influx of new business and voters. So sorry to hear that and cannot believe that they can get away with this....

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I think there has been a significant shift in the demographics and voting population in NC, but unfortunately as soon as Republicans got their hands on the power to do so, they gerrymandered the hell out of districts all over the country and stacked the judiciary. Our elected and appointed officials, at both the state and federal level, no longer represent the will or wishes of the people. It's a slow-rolling coup, in my opinion.

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Agree, but to keep perspective it's important to remember that Democrats have also done their share of gerrymandering. Redistricting should be done by an "independent" commission, or perhaps by computers that include no info on political leanings.

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Oct 19, 2023·edited Oct 19, 2023

Totally agree. It's the only way that makes sense — this back & forth gerrymandering is unproductive and bad for democracy. That said, I think the gerrymandering Republicans do is much more blatant and destructive.

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A two-party system doesn't work. The European countries are a good example of that.

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I hate when people justify corruption with "they both do it." It blurs the line between victims and aggressors... NC has 11 Republican districts and only three Democratic districts... when did Democrats do this gerrymandering you speak of? And why only three districts? And generally, with a Republican majority in the legislature? Really! When Democrats reclaim districts gerrymandered by Republicans, this is NOT gerrymandering. This is a misguided right-wing narrative, a projection, to motivate credulous partisan supporters like Dallas P.

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Sadly I agree with you. I am new to the state (4 years) and from a liberal environment and was hoping that the gerrymandering would be halted - or slowed down but no.....it is horrible and very uncomfortable. With Mr. Cooper leaving I am very concerned about the GOP in NC- of course that is not to say we have to look very far to be concerned nationally.....

good luck to all of us.

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Me too — we moved here 4 years ago from the San Francisco Bay Area, where I was born & raised and where I raised my kids, and man oh man, has it been a political culture shock. I remembered reading about a Democrat governor of a Southern state who had most of his powers stripped by the Republican legislature as soon as he took office, and when we moved to NC I realized, oh my gosh, that's *this* governor, and knew I was in for a time.

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hear you....I'm from Boston and what a shock(although I live in a "blue" area, it is still all around us......be safe and vote with those of us who are a little more open with our views of government and the world!!!!

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I understand your sadness. The NC legislature began taking away newly-elected Roy Cooper's power even before he was ever sworn into office. It began under McCrory. And it continued through the current session, taking away more power while passing bills to allow the General Assembly to operate under the covers of Republican power.

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When I moved here from the northeast 28 years ago, I chose NC for location and that it was quite progressive for a southern state. I am disgusted at the changes since McCrory was elected governor. Very sad to be moving backwards.

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Dallas, I’m not sure where you’re from (doesn’t really matter). Your attitude and words are not helping to resolve any issues. As a native Carolinian for 66 years. I am hurt that others think you represent us. This is your second comment that seems intended to incite drama.

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Oops!!!! More like your sixth or seventh sad comment

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Dallas - what is the matter with you? You sound like a rebellious little 13 year old trying to get attention. Have you noticed how ignorant your rants are compared to everyone else that posted here. If you are just drunk and mad then I hope you get some help.

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Troll.

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What the NC GOP is doing to our districts is so blatantly obvious it is pathetic. I am heartbroken, and it is a great loss to the state and the country to have you only serve one term. If this is indeed the way the maps pan out (will hold out hope until the last possible second), I will follow your career as far as it goes, which I hope is all the way. You have so many supporters, at home and across the country. 💙

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You will always have my vote, whether you are in my district or not!

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I'm so sorry. Democracy is being ever more undermined by Republicans in NC as well as by our conservative state and US Supreme Court Justices. The good news is that Republicans know the only way they can hold onto power is by thus diluting the votes of Blacks and Democrats, for the GOP is slowly dying from a self-inflicted wound whereby they have publicly bled out all political and moral integrity.

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So... North Carolina in the last 6 elections is roughly a R+2 state, give or take; the most recent elections have been closer. But the state has 11 or 10 Republicans to 3 Democrats representing them in Congress. Ridiculous.

There is a word for this, and I'm kind of waiting for American's to wake up to it: Taxation without representation.

Your voice will be missed, but I suspect you will find another way to be involved, best wishes.

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A sad time for North Carolina, back toJesse Helms days. Keep your chin up.

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Actually worse that those days, in many ways. The Republicans are completely locked in for years to come and already dismantling democracy in our state.

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Democrats controlled both houses of the legislature in North Carolina for 100 years straight. Was that a threat to “our democracy“?

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No it wasn't. Those Democrats played under different rules in bipartisan ways and helped NC get out of the dark ages, but leave it to today's Republicans to destroy every good law, freedom or privilege that Democrats were able to implement. It's a different, cruel, insensitive, sinister play book that Republicans use. Have you seen how your US House is operating lately?

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I’m not a Republican, but let’s review your words: ‘Those Democrats played under different rules in bipartisan ways and helped NC get out of the dark ages, but leave it to today's Republicans to destroy every good law, freedom or privilege that Democrats were able to implement. It's a different, cruel, insensitive, sinister play book that Republicans use. ‘ Do you believe this is a reasonable point of view that accurately reflects the historical record? Some might say those democrats created the dark ages that you give them credit for ending. I don’t think the world is so black and white, but I’ll leave this page to those who want to continue congratulating each other for their virtue and courageous fight against evil.

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Oct 19, 2023·edited Oct 19, 2023

I am angered that gerrymandering is legal. There should be a nonpartisan committee that makes the lines for districts. I understand if that would happen the Republicans probably wouldn't be happy, but we should be fair on all sides. Shouldn't be able to win by hook and crook. I hope you stay in politics, we need more people like you. Thank you.

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