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On the Campaign Trail in Charlotte With Hillary Clinton
Submitted by: Brittany Desgeges, Field Organizer for TurnOUT North Carolina
As a field organizer for TurnOUT NC, I have been working to elect pro-equality candidates in the Charlotte area who will appear on the ballot with Secretary Clinton. This week, I was so excited to have the opportunity to hear Clinton speak in person about her plans for our country.
Canvassing alongside local candidates like Chaz Beasley for NC House District 92 and state Sen. Jeff Jackson has heightened my enthusiasm for electing candidates willing to repeal HB2. I was so proud to see state Sen. Jackson hit the stage and get the crowd hyped up before Clinton’s entrance.
Among the sea of “Stronger Together” signs, I stood directly in front of Clinton’s podium among a group of HRC leaders from Charlotte, including Dan Mauney and Jay Biles. Multiple people walked up to our group to ask if they could take pictures of us wearing our #turnOUT shirts. The overwhelming amount of support that I felt from complete strangers was awesome and made all of the work we’ve been doing for the election even more worth it.
With the hit that our state has taken both socially and economically as a result of our current elected leaders like Gov. Pat McCrory and the discriminatory legislation he helped pass in HB2, I appreciated how Clinton made a point to highlight the work of local leaders like Rev. Barber from the NC NAACP, and U.S. Senate candidate Deborah Ross, as well as Ross’s plans to get our state back on the right track. Clinton also had a strong get-out-the-vote message and encouraged people to make their voices heard by heading to the polls and voting early.
As a young woman of color, I realize that the stakes are extremely high in this election and will greatly influence the way we define ourselves as a nation. I believe that our country needs a commander-in-chief who has experience in the political realm, who believes that our nation prospers when the economy works best for everyone, not just those at the top. We need someone who wants to make America a country that gives everyone the opportunity to live up to their potential, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion. We need someone who recognizes that we really are stronger when we come together, not when we divide ourselves by inspiring fear and spreading hate. That person is Hillary Clinton, and that’s why I’m working to #turnOUT the vote for her, alongside other pro-equality candidates.
Today, there are an estimated 255,824 LGBTQ adults living in North Carolina — a substantial population given that the state was won in the last three presidential elections by an average of 180,500 votes. Nearly 90,000 LGBTQ adults live in the Charlotte Metro Area alone. The LGBTQ voting bloc in North Carolina will play a pivotal role in the presidential, gubernatorial and other down ballot races.
Click here to sign up to volunteer at our Charlotte or Raleigh offices. If you have questions about HRC’s work in North Carolina to #turnOUT voters, please contact HRC Associate Regional Field Director Ryan Wilson at [email protected].
Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
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