One of the districts I overlooked when I wrote my piece on the 10 House Districts Most Likely to Switch was HD-46, currently held by Rep. Ken Waddell. The 46th district takes in all of Columbus and parts of Robeson and Bladen counties and it can be best described as a conservative Democratic district.
Waddell, a member of the Main Street Democrats, has the kind of voting record that will help keep the 46th in Democratic hands. But today came news that businessman Brenden Jones, Waddell’s 2014 Republican opponent, plans to run again. A Tabor City businessman, Jones’ prior campaign experience would be an asset in picking up this seat for the NC GOP. Outgoing executive director Todd Poole tweeted, “[Jones] was a great candidate last cycle. We look forward to pushing him over the top in ’16.”
As for Waddell, he is noncommittal towards running again. But he would probably be Democrats’ best hope of retaining this seat in a region that is increasingly trending away from its Democratic roots. Regardless, this contest has the potential to be one of the most competitive of the 2016 cycle – and it’s a noteworthy example of where Team Blue will have to play defense.
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
One district where Democrats are certainly on offense is NC House District 92, where we’ve got a strong, Harvard-educated young Democrat running for the seat held by Charles Jeter. His name is Chaz Beasley and he’s got a great shot of flipping that seat blue.
Yup, no question, District 92 flips next year. The candidate doesn’t much matter but the demographics will call the shots.