Yesterday, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach the president. This morning, we awoke to find that US Representative Mark Meadows, one of Donald Trump’s chief defenders, is not seeking re-election. Meadows was once chair of the Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Members of Congress who once claimed fiscal discipline as a core principle. Then, Trump got elected and Meadows and company showed they don’t really have any principles. Rumor has it that Meadows will soon go into the administration.
That would make sense. Meadows is a good representation of Trump people. He’s a sycophant who’s loyalty lies with the president instead of the people in his district or the country. He spent much of his career railing against debts and deficits and then abandoned all pretense of fiscal discipline by voting for Trump’s budget busting tax cuts. He’s another evangelical Christian who excuses or ignores all of Trump’s unchristian behavior. Finally, he’s a guy who believes that dinosaurs roamed the earth just 6,000 years ago, showing both a disregard for science and a lack of any serious critical thinking skills.
In short, Mark Meadows is an intellectually challenged partisan who is easily manipulated and duped. He’s perfect for the Trump administration.
That leaves a question as to what happens in his district. Contrary to what twitter says this morning, Meadows didn’t leave because he was worried about losing his seat. Even with the new district lines, NC-11 is still a pretty safe GOP district. Trump won it by 17 points in 2016. The average Democrat gets about nine points less than the average Republican. Roy Cooper lost the district to Pat McCrory by about 25,000 votes. While a large turnout in Asheville could help a Democrat, rural voters are probably trending more Republican, not less. The impeachment might drive their turnout up even more.
Already, several candidates have filed in the district. Steve Woodsmall ran in the 2018 but lost in the primary. Gina Collias, who ran as a Republican in another district back in 2018 but lost her primary, is also in. Michael O’Shea, a musician, activist and native of Western NC, is running as a “Millennial Progressive.” Finally, retired Colonel Moe Davis, a native of Shelby, is also in the race. Davis brings the strongest profile and is raising money. However, he’s primarily known for his anti-Trump twitter feed, not a great way to get elected in a district like NC-11.
Speculation will now turn toward state Representative Brian Turner. Turner is seen as a rising star in Democratic politics. He won his seat by defeating Republican incumbent Tim Moffit in a district that was generally considered safe for the GOP. Turner’s family is well known in the region and he’s shown the ability to raise serious money. If any Democrat could put the district in play, it’s probably him.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
It long pained me that Mark Meadows represented my old congressional district. I worked in Asheville at the Citizen-Times for 16 years, the bulk of it as the newspaper’s editorial voice. I could see Asheville turning bluer in those days. I was just a little ahead of that change.
Anyway, I am glad Meadows is leaving the House. He and his cohort in the GOP are forever stained in history for supporting the corrupt fool who tarnishes the White House daily. I am not going to forget what they have done to their country. I suspect history will remember it, too.