Note: I posted the message, below, on Facebook and Twitter a few days ago, primarily for members of the NCDP State Executive Committee and active Dems statewide, and am now providing it here as a personal courtesy to fellow BlueNC members, some of whom were very kind to encourage me to seek the post of NCDP chairman two years ago.

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My fellow NC Democrats:

Two weeks ago today, after tremendous work by our team, we Democrats witnessed – enjoyed! – the culmination of two years of organizing, recruiting, strategizing, fundraising, messaging, unifying, inspiring, and turning out our vote.

We broke the Republican legislative supermajority … in both chambers.

We elected not only a Democratic Supreme Court Justice, and three Democrats to the NC Court of Appeals, but we fended off the highly-calculated Republican mischief along the way.

We benefited from incredible Congressional candidates, including first-time candidates, who ran strong races notwithstanding hyper-gerrymandered districts.

We recruited the most diverse array of Democratic candidates ever in North Carolina. The numbers of women, persons of color, LGBTQ, and young persons who ran were amazing. Our slate, unlike the slate of other political parties here, was an awesome, more accurate reflection of our State.

We established and cemented a strong partnership with Governor Roy Cooper, working together on our #1 goal of breaking the super-majority.

Further, our NC Democratic Party worked with county chairs and community activists to organize more precincts now than we had in 2016.

We also relied on the most robust field-organizing effort we have ever had for a mid-term election, and, utilized and shared with local parties the expertise and skills of our communications, research, and digital/social media staff.

And, because of the dedicated efforts of our team and my recognition that local parties needed more resources in the final weeks of the 2018 campaign, I authorized a rebate of sustaining funds to every county Democratic party that met its sustaining fund goals, and I approved additional funds to our Congressional District parties.

As Chair, we launched my successful Rural NC Listening Tour, visiting no fewer than 50 counties as part of that 2018 effort alone – and I reached out to Democrats and voters in general in communities and counties in every corner of our State, personally visiting all but a handful of our 100 counties within the last several years.

We also worked on the less-exciting components of amending our Plan of Organization and encouraged ways to improve our Party’s operations.

Wielding the gavel as presiding officer at SEC meetings and our State Convention, and to the delight of scores of Democrats in attendance, I have ensured that we finished much earlier than planned at each meeting.

In addition to winning elections, I was very pleased to build on the work of my predecessor, Patsy Keever, and put our state Democratic Party back in order, so that our Party re-gained the trust and support of volunteers, candidates, voters, and donors that for several years were wary and weary of our State Party.

Incidentally, we have had the benefit of the most diverse, young staff that we probably have ever had, which complements the more seasoned staff that Executive Director Kimberly Nash Reynolds has also very capably led.

We’ve established the Eva Clayton Fellows Program and intensified our efforts to attract young people and future leaders from our HBCUs to fill paid internships and other positions.

And much, much more.

When I announced my candidacy for State Chairman almost two years ago, I offered my experience and my promise to work as hard as possible for you on all of the above– and to make you proud of our Party again.

Though we met every promise I made to you (and even surpassed our goals in various respects) – and there is much to celebrate, our work is not done.

Now is not the time to end our fight or take our foot off the gas pedal or start from scratch.

Now is the time to intensify our focus.

Now is the time to push back on Republican excesses and fight for the values that we Democrats believe in – values of inclusion, equality, opportunity, justice, hope. For all.

Now is the time to build on our successes.

We need a steady, experienced, trusted hand at the wheel – someone who has earned the backing of both Governor Cooper and the grassroots leaders in communities big and small – someone who knows our Party’s imperfections and who will work every day to address them, and who will serve as a transition to the next generation of Democratic Party leaders of our state.

We need someone who is excited to lead our Party every day and someone whom you already know.

Accordingly, I hereby announce my intention to seek re-election as your State Party Chair when our State Executive Committee meets in January 2019. I respectfully and humbly ask for your vote, your continued faith and support, your counsel, and your continued prayers as we prepare for 2020.

Continuing our work together, we North Carolina Democrats have great things ahead of us.

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To contact me directly about this message or any political issue, please email Wayne@ncdp.org or via Twitter @WayneGoodwinNC