10/06/2026
There is a pervasive line of thought that Democrats don't have guts.
They are outflanked, flummoxed, tepid and cringing, the party of "walk softly and carry a little stick."
That thinking has been especially true in North Carolina, where, since 2010, Democrats have been gerrymandered into political oblivion and, when they do have a shot in big, statewide elections, they muck it up with unforced errors.
Anderson Clayton's election as the party leader in 2023, when she was just 25, was meant to be an answer to all of those things.
In politics, there are candidates and there are organizers. Clayton has the big personality of a candidate. Sometimes she seems bigger than the actual candidates she's stumping for, but she thinks and talks like an organizer.
When she was elected to her role, Clayton became the youngest state political party leader in the United States. More interestingly, though, she might be its most fiery. No elephant in the room goes un-talked about.
She is passionate and punchy, a diminutive, self-described "nerd" who speaks fluently about NC and Southern history, calls both parties "geriatric," is prolific on social media, cusses with abandon, and talks about change that springs not from the top but from the bottom.
"Maybe it's good that we have a lot of people out there right now that are, for the first time, trying to figure out how do I host a protest?" she says. "How do I do that myself? If no one else is coming to save me, I'm going to pick up the torch."
There are some signs of change under Clayton's leadership.
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I created The Living South in 2024. Every week, I write about the most interesting stories, people, and thoughts in the American South. Sign-up is free, but to support independent journalism about the South, consider a small $4 monthly subscription.
📸 Matt Ramey