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Dems Re-elect Meek
posted at 2007-01-21 10:06 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
Congratulations are in order for state Democratic party chairman Jerry Meek, who was re-elected Saturday by acclamation (i.e., no serious opposition) to head the state party for another two years.
When Meek was first elected to lead the party in 2005, it was kind of a coup - Governor Mike Easley had personally tapped longtime party insider Ed Turlington for the job. Turlington's centrist backers were worried that Meek and his grassroots supporters might move the party too far to the left, alienating business interests and voters in the more conservative parts of the state.
But that hasn't happened. Over the past two years, Meek has worked out his own terms of detente with Easley and earned the confidence of former Gov. Jim Hunt and other party pillars, while reaching out to reinvigorate more than a few moribund county party machines. And perhaps most importantly, he's proven himself an able fundraiser
in the last election cycle (even without the help of House Speaker Jim
Black, which is saying something). As the N&O's Rob Christensen points out, though, Meek may face a bumpier road over the next two years. North Carolina Dems benefitted more than many from the "blue wave" of '06, but they'll have to figure out how to hold on those gains in '08.
The state Dems' executive committee also agreed Saturday to adopt a resolution of formal apology for the party's role in the 1898 Wilmington race riots. The resolution includes a commitment to training programs for minority and women candidates and their campaign officials, plus a promise to host an "annual summit of [Democratic] minority elected officials." You can see the full resolution here.
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