Well, they may as well have said as much.
In North Carolina, judge races are nonpartisan. In Jackson County, Unaffiliated Kris Earwood is raising awareness that the Democrat Party has barred her from attending meet-and-greet events they host. She is running for a district court judgeship. Democrat David Sutton who is vying against Earwood for the judgeship, has been allowed to participate in meet and greets hosted by the Republican Party, but he was banned from attending Republican conventions. The Smoky Mountain News reports:
[Chair of the Jackson County Democrat Party Kirk] Stephens said some of the other candidates running for judge have been active in the party, and that it would be unfair to give those with no affiliation or involvement in the party equal access to the Democratic voter base. . . . As a Democrat, Sutton has actively tapped the organized party structure to connect with voters.
Stephens claims he would be in violation of the national party’s bylaws if he in any way supported candidates of other parties. The Smoky Mountain Times expanded on the Jackson County Democrats’ views of the role of partisan politics in a nonpartisan race.
“Being a Democrat is not a check box on paper. It is a lifestyle. It is a philosophical way of approaching and viewing your surroundings and your community,” Stephens said. “It is important for us as a party that we have judges that represent our values.”
. . . Sutton agrees with Earwood that your party isn’t important as a District Court judge. But that doesn’t mean voters don’t care.
“People definitely want to know,” Sutton said.
