Hi Friend, So the midterm elections are coming up fast and the media is just “blah blah blah Blue versus Red." I think the question we should all be asking: “Are we electing more leaders who believe in less polarization and more two-party solutions?” Here’s a positive omen: We see candidates in both parties now “bragging” in debates and TV ads about how committed they are to working across the aisle. But it would be better if they actually walked the walk, rather than just talked the talk in October of a year that ends in an even number. Unfortunately, the ability to talk a bipartisan game is not universal, even in races where you think that would be both the right and smart thing to do. Take the House contest in North Carolina’s newly created 13th Congressional District, which includes parts of Raleigh along with two big suburban areas and heads out into two rural counties. It is one of about three dozen districts across the country which has not been gerrymandered into meaninglessness, it’s a place where either party can win, in part because of the balance of the constituency and the presence of a lot of independent voters-- a massive and fast-growing group in the district and the state. Check out the recent National Public Radio piece about this contest and you will see that both the Democrat and the Republican are talking like they host hyperpartisan cable news programs, flinging rhetoric that does not make it seem like either of them is trying to win over the kind of commonsense voters – voters like you – who make up the majority of this nation. As the political analyst Meghan Trainor might say, even in this district, it seems to be all about the base. Finding common ground to deal with issues such as inflation, crime, education, and national security should be what this election is about and what the candidates should be talking about. But until we mobilize the majority and force many more Democrats and Republicans to feel that making the case for bipartisanship is the way to win, we are going to continue to see polarization dominant, pulsating through campaigns and Washington. What can you do? -
Make sure you vote for candidates in this election who have both a record and rhetoric in genuine support for solutions. -
Donate to No Labels, to help us build this as the home for the politically homeless. -
Send this link to those in your community and network who you think would like to join us in this effort - nolabels.org/Join_Me No matter which side wins that North Carolina race and all the other contests in less than a fortnight, we all know the battle to take this country back from the extremes is just getting started. Liz Morrison
Co-executive Director | 
