I attended the "Young Professionals for Anthony Foxx Meet and Greet" that was held at Loft 1523 on last evening. A crowd of about 150 young professionals turned out to mingle, network, and hear Foxx discuss his platform.
Based on what I heard and saw last evening, here are 10 reasons why I believe City Councilman Anthony Foxx will be elected Charlotte's next mayor this November.
If you want to learn about his opponent, Republican John Lassiter, visit www.votelassiter.com.
Foxx speaking at a campaign event earlier this year.
Based on what I heard and saw last evening, here are 10 reasons why I believe City Councilman Anthony Foxx will be elected Charlotte's next mayor this November.
- Foxx and his campaign are taking several pages from President Barack Obama's campaign playbook. And the most important chapter is on the importance of mobilizing people on the ground.
- Not to draw too many Obama comparisons, but Foxx is talking a lot about change, which is something that struck a chord with voters last November.
- Foxx is a Democrat, and that party is ascending in Charlotte.
- This election, unfortunately, will end up being about race. Race won't be the only factor, but it will play a pivotal role. Foxx is seeking to become just Charlotte's second African-American mayor, a feat not accomplished since Harvey Gantt was elected in 1983. Charlotte's voting demographic has changed a lot since then, which will work in Foxx's favor. He will easily garner the African-American vote and from what I could see from the enthusiastic crowd last evening, he'll probably get a large percentage of the white vote as well. The Hispanic vote may prove to be the deciding factor in this election.
- No more McCrory. Pat McCrory, a Republican and Charlotte's longest serving mayor in history, announced last year that he would not be seeking an eighth term. This not only propelled Foxx to decide to run, but with the unbeatable McCrory (in mayoral elections anyway) out of the picture it has opened the door for a Democrat to take the seat, which they haven't held since Gantt.
- Foxx is young (38) and will be able to connect easier with the all-important 18 to 35 vote. Charlotte, by the way, is the third fastest-growing city for people ages 25 to 39.
- His platform, as he talked briefly about at the event, focuses heavily on creating opportunities for all Charlotteans, creating jobs, improving education for children, and preaching social responsibility. While Foxx's opponents will also talk a lot about job creation, which will resonate with residents during this recession, his other issues show that he wants to unite people and I think that's what Charlotteans want right now.
- His campaign video is inspiring.
- He has a beautiful family (a wife and two kids).
- And the number one reason Anthony Foxx will be elected Charlotte's next mayor: He's a Charlotte native with a terrific story. Not only do we not encounter many Charlotte natives these days (I always say that only 2 out of every 10 people I meet in Charlotte are actually from here), but we have even fewer in leadership positions. Foxx has a great story that shows what a person can accomplish with hard work, talent, and ambition. As he remarked last evening, he grew up in a neighborhood off Beatties Ford Road, where he wasn't expected to succeed. After graduating from West Charlotte High School, he then went on to graduate from Davidson College (where he served as student body president), and got his law degree from NYU. He's been a successful attorney for the last 13 years, and a city councilman since 2005.
If you want to learn about his opponent, Republican John Lassiter, visit www.votelassiter.com.
This article did not reflect any actual platform ideas for the potential candidate. I was very disappointed to see that him having "a beautiful family" is indicative of him being a good mayor. I am more interested voted for someone, as all should be, based on issues.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this article, I didn't get the impression at all that "having a beautiful family" was meant to be indicative of Foxx being a good mayor. What I actually got from it is that these are reasons why Foxx "will" be voted Charlotte's next mayor, not why he "should" be and I agree with a lot of them. While, some people may vote for a candidate based on issues (which is wonderful), sadly, a wide majority of people choose the candidate they have the most positive feelings toward, and i would say having a beautiful family could certainly play into that. Also, I have to point out that platform issues such as job creation and improving education were, indeed, mentioned in the article. While, sure, more of Foxx's stance could have been included, I think it's important to keep in mind that this is a BLOG simply stating the thoughts and opinions of the author, not an article in the Observer.
ReplyDeleteThere are exactly three reasons Foxx will probably be the next mayor of Charlotte:
ReplyDelete#1 - The influx of blacks into the city, combined with their near-monolithic voting habits.
#2 - The Democratic Party, at both the state and national level, is going to dump millions of dollars into this race (for entirely cynical and self-interested reasons, but that's another post).
#3 - John Lassiter. There's very little going for the guy - he makes Pat McCrory look like a staunch conservative by comparison, and that will affect the Republican turnout. I can already see it coming. Conservatives will only vote for Lassiter begrudgingly, if at all, as they'll turn out to the polls more interested in the City Council At-Large races; many will be happy to see Lassiter lose, with the hopes that it will spur the party on to find someone better the next go-around.
Many Republicans, however, will turn out because they liked McCrory and they expect Lassiter to be the same, but I don't expect it will be enough.
So it really has very little to do with Anthony Foxx. So long as he isn't found out to be involved in anything scandalous, I expect him to win.