Kate Barr, who is running for state senate in North Carolina’s 37th District, says she was “gerrymandered out of a chance.”
So she’s running her campaign on the promise that she won’t win.
North Carolina is indeed one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. Gerrymandering, defined by Merriam-Webster, is the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, gerrymandering has been used to undermine democracy for centuries. That said, in recent years, the Republican Party has been known for its redistricting tactics, and in 2022, North Carolina’s State Supreme Court even ruled that the state constitution allows partisan gerrymandering.
In 2022, the state had “fair maps,” and sent seven Democrats and seven Republicans to Congress, Barr wrote in a column. This year, with redistricted lines, she said, the state is projected to send three Democrats and 11 Republicans.
While Barr is a staunch Democrat, and gerrymandering itself is inherently partisan, her campaign isn’t intended to sway people any one way, but rather to shed a light on the democratic process and the need to protect free and fair elections.
Barr makes a point to show that North Carolina is not the only gerrymandered state in the nation, with at least 16 states scoring with a grade of “C” or lower on Princeton’s nonpartisan redistricting report card.
But North Carolina does get a failing grade; what Barr calls “a devastating distinction.”
“If one party gets control of the process or one faction gets control of the process, then they can have free reign,” said Professor Sam Wang, who heads the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.
In other words, Barr said at a recent rally, “In a gerrymandered state like North Carolina, it means representatives are choosing their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives.”
Wang added, to CBS News: “The danger of politicians picking their voters is that there is an overwhelming temptation to self-deal and have a situation where they never have to face competition.”
That is the exact case in Barr’s district. She is projected to lose by 34 points. Even if everyone in her party came out to vote in her favor — what she calls a “blue tsunami” — she would still lose by 20 points.
The mom of two is a PTO president, planning board member in her community, volunteers for the Davidson Housing Coalition, and works remotely as a behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan’s Center for Academic Innovation.
Running a campaign — even one designed to fail — is no small feat, on top of everything else.
But that campaign — accented by sparkly t-shirts that read “Loser,” or “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t win” — puts fun front and center.
“If I’m going to lose, we might as well have a little fun, raise a little hell, and shine a light on the impacts of gerrymandering along the way,” Barr shares on her website.
Sure, it’s a playful bit that educates people about civic engagement, but how do voters actually fight their way out of a gerrymandered state?
Barr said the answer is in judicial races.
While some states have used ballot initiatives to put map-making control in the hands of independent commissions, North Carolina’s citizens can’t put measures on the ballot, meaning folks against gerrymandering will need to retake control of the State Supreme Court.
Barr offers some suggestions for which justices to elect to North Carolina’s Supreme Court, but even if all goes according to her plan, it likely cannot come to fruition until the 2030 Census. She’s playing the long game.
“I know that seems like a long time from now,” she writes.
“That’s why, for all of us in highly gerrymandered states, we have to keep our wits about us and find some ways to have fun on this journey to fair elections.”
In the meantime, she employs the usual political tactics: Yard signs, merch, media appearances, and fundraising (which pays for her educational materials and event appearances featuring an 80’s cover band, for instance).
Instead of presenting major policy plans, her website offers resources and voting guides for “busy people” in Iredell and Mecklenburg counties. Instead of telling supporters how she would make a difference as an elected official, she educates them on the fact that she won’t even get a chance to try.
Barr is unburdened by traditional campaigning and is therefore vocal about her liberal beliefs (the right to abortion, common sense gun laws, and funding public education are listed on her website).
But her main goal right now is simply to show North Carolina’s voters that elections don’t have to be this way.
“Crack some jokes. Pack your election night watch parties. And, of course, run for office even if you know you can’t win,” Barr imparts in her column.
“You will still raise awareness and make a difference in the future. Find the joy, and we will fight our way forward.”
Header image courtesy of Kate Barr Can't Win
