April Montgomery, independent for state house

Montgomery's candidacy can combat hyper-partisanship and gerrymandering.

North Carolina has an independent candidate for state House. April Montgomery of Sanford was qualified by the state board of elections after securing the required number of signatures to get on the ballot in November. House District 51 includes all of Lee County and part of Moore.

Montgomery needed the signatures of 2,243 registered voters in the district and collected more than 3,300. The boards of elections verified 2,826. She spent months talking to real voters across the district, not the partisan warriors who determine primaries in both parties.

Montgomery is a small business owner who has built and sold companies. She has a strong background in the commercial side of renewable energy and currently serves as the Chief Development Officer of an energy storage company. She and her husband, David, also have a company that renovates historic commercial properties. Montgomery understands the pressures and challenges of small businesses.

She’s lived in Lee County for more than twenty years and has raised her family there. She’s been deeply involved in the community, serving on numerous boards and commissions, including executive board chair for the Sanford Area Growth Alliance and chair of the Lee County Environmental Advisory Board. She has also been heavily involved in public schools where her sons were educated.

In short, Montgomery more than passes the bar to serve as a state House member. More importantly, though, she’s the type of leader we need to see in the legislature. She’s earned her place through her commitment to the community and her success in business. She’s been an unaffiliated voter since she arrived in Lee County. She didn’t come up through the party ranks and is not beholden to any agenda.

If we’re going to get past the hyper-partisanship that defines our current politics, April Montgomery is the type of candidate we need. She’s pro-community, pro-business, and pro-education, much like the centrists who once dominated both parties in North Carolina.

For years, I used to hear people say, “I vote for the person, not the party.” My response was, “You may vote for the person, but the person votes for the party once they’re elected.” Partisan politicians will vote overwhelmingly with their party’s caucus in the legislature.

For people who really want to vote for the person, not the party, Montgomery is their opportunity. She’s not beholden to anybody but the voters. She doesn’t owe her candidacy to anybody but the wide array of registered voters who signed her petitions. Candidates like Montgomery are only beholden to the people in the district, not a party apparatus.

Montgomery faces a Republican who owes his nomination to deep-pocketed Republicans and GOP special interests who helped him through a primary. In the legislature, you can be sure where his loyalty will lie. The Democrat who initially filed has withdrawn her candidacy.

Montgomery’s candidacy is also the best way to combat gerrymandering. There’s no chance that a Democrat could win the district unless the opponent is Mark Robinson. Roy Cooper got closer than anyone in 2020 and he only garnered 43%. Most Democrats get about 40%.

Montgomery has different math to win. There are more registered unaffiliated voters than Republicans or Democrats. With no Democrat in the race, she will likely win the vast majority of Democrats because they won’t support a Republican. Then, she needs to win a solid majority of her fellow unaffiliated voters. She gives them an option they haven’t had before. If she picks up any Republicans, that’s gravy. It’s a tough race, but it’s certainly a possible one, especially in a year like this one where the party in the White House is deeply unpopular. She just needs the resources to run a competitive race.

We need more independent candidates. They could both shift the politics of the legislature to the center and throw a wrench in gerrymandering schemes. Montgomery is a great candidate to lead the way. She fits the district. She has the practical experience. And she’s more pragmatic than ideological, just like most voters.

This is the way.

Full disclosure: I am helping April Montgomery with her independent campaign for state house.