Charles Graham Launches a Strong Challenge to Dan Bishop

by | Oct 5, 2021 | Politics | 1 comment

State Representative Charles Graham is drawing strength from history in his effort to make history. Announcing his challenge to Congressman Dan Bishop, Graham invoked one of the most inspiring moments in the 500-year history of Native resistance: the Battle of Hayes Pond. In this episode a group of Lumbee Indians routed a band of Klansmen who had hoped to rain terror on the Sandhills’ Indigenous community. Graham has defined his campaign as the next step in North Carolina Native Americans’ battle for equality.

The excitement Graham’s video caused on the progressive internet both makes sense and counts as a little ironic. Charles Graham has been the only Native in the North Carolina legislature for years–and the most conservative Democrat in the House. Five years ago, he was one of about a dozen House Democrats to vote for HB2. Now he’s running against the bigot who wrote that piece of legislation, one Dan Bishop, Congressman from North Carolina’s Ninth District. As progressives examine Graham’s campaign, he’ll have to come up with answers to explain why he voted for the Bathroom Bill.

But on the whole Graham presents as a strong candidate to win in that district. His Lumbee identity should help him win back the very culturally conservative Native voters who backed Dan Bishop against Dan McCready. In a right-of-center district, his relative conservatism places him close to the center of gravity that most local voters occupy. His strength, furthermore, is in the rural, eastern part of NC-09 that delivered a narrow victory for Bishop in 2019. Assuming continued Democratic trends in the western component of the district, Graham’s crossover appeal in places like Robeson County provides the raw material for a winning coalition.

Furthermore, Dan Bishop is arguably the weakest Republican incumbent in the state’s Congressional delegation. A recent poll found his approval rating below 40%. After barely defeating Dan McCready, he had to put up a fight against challenger Cynthia Wallace in 2020. Bishop is a nasty person and a flamboyant provocateur, two qualities that endear him to the far right but hardly appeal to middle-of-the-road voters (who, to be sure, lean right in that district). He loves the spotlight and loves offending people. History clearly shows that he’s vulnerable to a strong challenger.

Graham should be able to win the primary with relative ease. With the greatest name recognition and a powerful campaign kickoff, he is well positioned to win the Democratic nomination and launch a strong challenge to one of the most egregious far-right provocateurs in Congress. Political geography, personal identity, and ideological proclivity all tend toward Graham’s being a strong nominee for the party in this red-leaning district.

He has the potential to excite Democratic donors across the country. No political mad scientist could have invented a better foil for a Indigenous Democrat than Dan Bishop. Graham’s announcement video shows that he has the pulse of Democratic activists. But he’ll have to mend fences–the LGBTQ community in particular deserves to know that he’s willing to repent for his pro-HB2 vote. Still, Dan Bishop should be a little more nervous today about the future of his political career.

1 Comment

  1. Simple Country NCian

    Incumbent Bishop is no more nervous today than before Graham announced.

    The lines aren’t even drawn for this district and somehow Charles Graham is deemed by some consultant to be the best of the announced Democratic candidates in the area before the filing deadline.

    Only on the consultant planet Grift does this analysis make any sense.

    Of course, there’s much more than HB2 Graham has to flip-flop for — and it seems his consultants already began that yesterday. While I oppose HB2 and the like, the argument that he “suits the district better” would hold more water of Graham didn’t flip-flop so quickly.

    From voting for the marriage amendment in his first term to voting to override Cooper’s veto on anti-choice bills in his current term — and many more regressive votes on human rights and education in between, Graham has shown who he is for a decade.

    Foolish DC funded consultants that can’t stop trying to find candidates from central casting should remember that Elaine Marshall is still in office and Cal Cunningham lost twice.

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