RALEIGH, N.C. — Anderson Clayton, 25, is the newly-elected chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, and she's ready to shake things up.
"Our party is ready for change. I think that we are ready to have a generational shift, honestly," Clayton said, on WCNC's Flashpoint.
Clayton, a former chair of the Person County Democratic Party, believes the party has neglected rural voters.
"The Democratic Party has got to rebuild trust, and especially in rural North Carolina," she said.
Clayton said the Democratic Party can simultaneously appeal to urban voters and rural voters.
"The values that I hold here as a rural person in a rural community are the same things and the same issues that people in my urban communities are also fighting for," she said.
In a state split among unaffiliated votes, democrats, and republicans, Clayton's strategy isn't unlike the position of those in the GOP: reaching across the aisle to new voters.
"I think that she hit on a right tone, which is that you cannot ignore a large swath of voters across North Carolina. You know, the Republicans generally tend to have a rural advantage. Democrats generally tend to have an urban advantage," said Michael Whatley, NC GOP chair.
But Whatley argues Republicans have issues that appeal to more voters, despite geographic and cultural differences.
"The kitchen table issues that really matter for North Carolina families, you know, about jobs, about the economy, about public safety, you know, about roads, about schools, and education. You know, those are issues that resonate in urban areas, suburban areas, rural areas across the board," Whatley said.
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