New Bern Sun Journal: Spirited Saturday at Democratic Convention
New Bern Sun Journal
Matt Tessnear
June 21, 2008
Rain and lightning greeted hundreds of democrats who gathered for the party’s state convention Saturday at the Riverfront Convention Center.
Ronnie Ansley, the democratic nominee for state agriculture commissioner, said the weather was a sign the party will rain down on republicans in November.
Party delegates from 94 of the state’s 100 counties attended the afternoon meeting to conduct business, rally behind candidates and select delegates for the national convention in Denver. Jerry Meek, the state party chairman, said this was a great year to hold the convention in New Bern.
“We came to New Bern because we feel Eastern North Carolina has the ability to produce a lot of democratic votes in the fall,” Meek said. “It’s also a beautiful city and a great place to spend a weekend, as well as conduct business.”
The meeting began with voting for the delegates who will travel to Denver in August. Democrats chose 26 at-large delegates and seven alternates, 12 delegates who are party leaders or elected officials and two add-on delegates, Joe Hackney and Pricey Harrison. Kerra Bolton, a spokeswoman for the state party, said 134 total delegates will attend the national convention.
People laughed when others yelled in favor or against a delegate choice. Representatives from different counties sat together in designated areas, but many mingled with people from other areas of the state. Alice Underhill, who represents Craven and Pamlico counties in the state House, ran between both delegations during the voting process.
“It’s just really a lot of fun to be able to have the whole party be able to enjoy this town,” Underhill said. “You can see how people get excited. It’s like a little miniature national convention.”
Men wore hats with Barack Obama’s name, and women wore flashing red and blue earrings. In the hall outside the ballroom, pro-life democrats, woman democrats and Beverly Perdue supporters sold T-shirts, bumper stickers, buttons and information about candidates.
Perdue, the party’s representative in November’s gubernatorial election, entered the ballroom about 1:45 p.m. and talked for about 15 minutes. She welcomed the crowd to her hometown and invited everyone to shop at area stores. She talked about her belief that quality education and health care should be available for everyone.
Sen. Walter Dalton, the democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, spoke at 3. Like Perdue, he said education and health care are important, citing senior prescription drug programs and strong community college programs the party has supported.
When Kay Hagan entered the room at 3:15, she told the crowd Washington, D.C. is broken. Hagan is challenging Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole for a U.S. Senate seat. Hagan said the country needs a new economic framework, a new energy policy to control gas prices and a safe end to the Iraq war.
She joked she is different from Dole because she lives in North Carolina and her husband can and will vote for her.
“It is so good being in a room full of democrats because we’re going to take over,” Hagan said. “What we want to do is give Libby Dole a pair of ruby red slippers so she can go home to Kansas to be with Bob.”
Democrats will go back to the convention center this morning as the event ends with meetings of the State Executive Council and State Executive Committee.
