The role of county political party chair is usually of concern only to die-hard party enthusiasts. However, when it comes to Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, the scenario becomes spectacle. In 2023, the stakes were high when a 26-year-old political enthusiast, Kromer, assumed leadership. This young blood quickly claimed attention after the success of the party’s endorsed candidates in the local mayoral and town commissioner elections, spotlighting him as a potential solution to the Democratic Party’s persisting issue with low voter turnout.
Mecklenburg County, despite being the Democratic stronghold in the state, has always grappled with soberingly low voter involvement. This problem was especially pronounced in comparison to the state’s average and other Democratic hotspots. The county’s heavy reliance on a boost from Kromer was telling of its aspirations for Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency. Kromer’s self-assured optimism reflected in his statement, ‘In a year and a half, we’ve built a juggernaut in Mecklenburg County,’ which built up hope for the 2024 elections.
Unfortunately, the overconfidence embodied by Kromer was shattered when Mecklenburg again fell behind in overall voter turnout. Notably, Kamala Harris won fewer votes in the county than Joe Biden did four years prior, suggesting that Kromer’s grand assurances did not hold up to scrutiny. With this defeat, Kromer has a crucial task at hand: to persuade the Mecklenburg Democrats to re-elect him as chair at the party’s upcoming convention, a venture muddled with significant opposition.
Among those competing for the position includes Wesley Harris, who unsuccessfully ran for state treasurer as a Democrat last year. These are surely turbulent times for the county party, especially with the unexpected resignation of executive director Monifa Drayton, adding fuel to the fire of Kromer’s troubles.
Monifa Drayton’s resignation, however, was not without controversy. In a letter addressed to Kromer, she accused the organization of mirror-like reflections of the Jim Crow era, casting doubts over its professionalism. She went as far as alleging the existence of racism, discrimination, incompetence, and manipulation lurking behind the scenes, claims that, if true, have severe implications for Kromer’s leadership.
In response, Kromer maintained a tight lip regarding personnel affairs while expressing disappointment over the failed collaboration with Drayton. However, further turmoil unfolded when the county party’s African American Caucus made public calls for Kromer to step down.
Members of the caucus, among other grievances, accused the party of a gaping lack of engagement with ethnic minority communities, a significant failure for a supposedly progressive organization. Adding weight to the charges, three precinct chairs who were also members of the African American Caucus, voiced out that the county party sidelined majority-Black areas.
This negligence became evident in the form of questionable spending indulgences. S.Y. Mason-Watson, a precinct chair, criticized the party for its extravagant expenditure of $100,000 on its election night celebration, a particularly questionable move considering the underlying issues at the party.
Criticisms extended to the party’s selective candidate endorsement as well. Ordinarily, the Democrats’ choice of Nicole Sidman as their candidate for state representative against Republican incumbent Tricia Cotham might have raised fewer eyebrows. But considering that they passed over Yolonda Holmes, a Black Democrat and Cotham’s ex-primary opponent, the decision seemed tone-deaf at best.
Despite the setback, Cotham narrowly secured victory. Yet, the upcoming election for the county leader spot goes well beyond just replacing Kromer. Critics have set their sights higher, on reshaping the party’s structure, and questioning their campaign and community outreach strategies.
Strong voices within the party contend that boosting voter turnout in Mecklenburg is contingent on transformative reforms within the party itself. Critics insist on the development of robust links with existing minority associations, particularly within Black communities, arguing this connection and adaptability are the keys to success.
For a party that prided itself on championing diversity, these allegations come as a scathing indictment. They reflect poorly on both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, whose leadership didn’t inspire enough voters in Mecklenburg to come out to vote.
Further, the county party chairs, like Kromer, who sparkled in the beginning with youthful audacity and a profile in Politico and The New York Times, also fell short. Despite his initial rousing statements, the reduced voter turnout and the decreased votes for Harris compared to Biden suggest a significant deficit in his competence.
Considered barely capable of mustering the trust of the voter base or handling internal disagreements, the Democratic leadership figures in question here seemingly lack the fortitude required for steering the ship. The accusations from within the party of racism, discrimination, and incompetence reflect a bleak picture of their governing style.
As Kromer prepares to convince the party of his suitability for a second term, the question that begs to be asked is, can the Mecklenburg Democrats really afford to give him a second chance? Only time will tell. The upcoming convention promises to be an intriguing event, one that could potentially reshape the political landscape in Mecklenburg for the foreseeable future.