EDENTON — In a rousing town hall event held Thursday inside Edenton’s historic 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and House Democratic Whip Rep. Terry Brown rallied local Democrats and residents from across northeastern North Carolina as part of the party’s 50-county Rural Tour.
Clayton, the youngest state Democratic chair in the nation, took the podium to cheers and applause, immediately setting a lively and personal tone.
“How are y’all doing today, Chowan County? Woo hoo!” she exclaimed, grinning as the crowd responded with energy.
Clayton explained that her mission as state party chair isn’t just to raise money and hire staff—it’s to reconnect with rural North Carolina, especially communities that she says the party has “divested from for far too long.”
“A big part of what our party has done historically is make it possible for people to stay and thrive in rural North Carolina,” she said. “We’ve got to stop accepting the idea that young people need to leave to make something of themselves.”
She invoked the legacy of past Democratic leaders from eastern North Carolina like Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt, and reminded the audience of their commitment to public education as the “great equalizer.”
“Public education built the North Carolina I’m proud of—one where your zip code didn’t determine your future,” Clayton said. “We don’t have to look like Mississippi. We are North Carolina—we are the Research Triangle, the banking capital, 17 UNC schools, six public HBCUs. That’s our story.”
She also emphasized that Republicans have systematically dismantled that vision since gaining control of the legislature in 2010.
“They know education is power,” she said. “That’s why they’re draining public schools to fund private ones—billions of dollars in giveaways while our teachers are left behind.”
Joining Clayton was Rep. Brown of Charlotte, the state House Democratic Whip, who brought a mix of policy frustration and campaign optimism.
“Let me tell y’all something: Republicans have every lever of power in this state,” Brown said. “They’ve had it for 15 years. They haven’t raised the minimum wage. They haven’t raised teacher pay. They haven’t passed a budget—and now they can’t even agree on how to adjourn for the summer!”
Brown noted the Republican leadership’s failure to pass a state budget before the July 1 deadline, leaving “teachers, union workers, healthcare workers, and farmers high and dry.”
“This isn’t just gridlock. It’s government failure,” he said. “They’ve got all the power and none of the will to use it for working people.”
Brown proudly highlighted that House Democrats, despite being in the minority, broke the GOP supermajority last cycle by one seat and have worked in lockstep to uphold Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes.
“Tuesday, no vote. Wednesday, no vote. Thursday, no vote. Why? Because every Democrat showed up,” he said to applause. “We’re holding the line.”
As the sun set outside the courthouse—one of the oldest colonial government buildings in America—Clayton and Brown took questions and called on attendees to organize, knock doors, and rebuild a Democratic presence in the northeast corner of the state.
“We’ve got a chance to flip the House,” Brown said. “Get us to 55 or 60 seats, and we’re not just changing policy—we’re changing the direction of this state. That’s not just possible. It’s necessary.”
The Chowan County stop was part of the NCDP’s ongoing effort to engage communities often overlooked in statewide politics, and it drew attendees from Bertie, Washington, Perquimans, and Gates counties.
For Clayton, who hails from rural Person County, the message was personal.
“I still believe in rural North Carolina,” she said. “And I believe y’all are worth fighting for.”
The Rural Tour will continue throughout the summer, with stops planned in more than 40 additional counties before November.
