Wiley Nickel’s election to Congress is proof of what North Carolina could be

Downtown Raleigh was silent by 11 p.m. on Election Night. If you didn’t know any better, you’d assume it was just a Tuesday. The Lebanese restaurant where Wiley Nickel held his watch party was quiet until you headed to the back.

There, dozens of Nickel’s supporters, staffers and friends were exuberant as the news solidified on the TV news: the seasoned former NC Senator had defeated Republican extremist Bo Hines in the most competitive race in North Carolina. When the screen flashed to the 13th district race, the supporters began chanting: “Wiley! Wiley!”

The outcome of the 13th district is one of the only bright spots in North Carolina’s midterms. The new NC Supreme Court is almost certain to reverse the wins of the previous cohort. Democrat Cheri Beasley lost to Republican Ted Budd after an early lead. Republicans have a supermajority in the NC Senate and fell just one seat short of a supermajority in the state house. But Nickel’s win shows us the North Carolina that we could have.

There is a fairly even split between Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina. Republicans have little control over the urban areas. Democrats have almost no presence in the rural parts of the state. The elections, on the other hand, consistently show Republicans winning relatively close races.

Part of this is the state’s well-established issue with gerrymandering. When presented with a promising, even playing field, Nickel and his campaign team could put all their efforts behind knocking doors and ensuring voters knew what was at stake. Jeff Jackson, another winner from Tuesday night, documented his door-knocking efforts on Twitter, TikTok and Reddit over months. Although the 14th congressional district was already leaning Dem, the consistent effort and enthusiasm from Jackson’s team was hard to ignore and produced a comfortable win.

There are people who will say it’s because the two men are moderate Democrats; this is true, but it is incorrect to imply that candidates like Cheri Beasley aren’t moderate. Both men won voters in their consistency and dedication to principles. Even though the other guy was the biggest concern, they weren’t afraid to embrace Democratic policies and ideals that other candidates waffle on.

Nickel’s campaign excelled in laying the facts out: Hines was too extreme for North Carolina. On top of that, he had a record in the General Assembly to show he had strong stances on climate change and labor rights, two things that appeal to younger voters in particular.

In a moment between Nickel’s first and second televised speech, he told me that sending a message to other 50/50 races was more important than the personal win.

“If you run like Bo Hines — you’re 100% pro-Trump, ban on abortion [with] no exceptions — voters know the difference,” he says.

NC-13 was one of the few tossup seats in the country, and that was clear the entire night as votes poured in. Hines won three of four counties with around 60% of the vote in each, but Nickel won Wake by the same ratio. Nickel ultimately won by 7,000 votes.

It shouldn’t have been close, but it was. Nickel is a former state senator for the district, and he has been in the political realm for years in both the Al Gore and Barack Obama presidential campaigns. Hines is a trust fund kid who rose to prominence on the back of disgraced NC Republican Madison Cawthorn. Nickel had represented part of Wake County as an elected official before, and he knew the issues; Hines only knew how to talk about inflation, until he decided to walk back his abortion stance and accidentally came up with something worse.

Tuesday was a setback for North Carolina Democrats. There’s obviously an issue of messaging, of voter engagement and of traditional issues like voter disenfranchisement. But the 13th District showed what North Carolina could be.

In a state with informed voters, with a strong on-the-ground presence, confidence in Democratic policies and with a no-nonsense approach to extreme opponents, North Carolina Democrats can win and give North Carolinians the kind of representation that matches our population. There is a hope for our state; we just have to hold onto it.