Democrats and Gov. Cooper should blame themselves for Tricia Cotham’s party switch | Opinion

The origin story of Rep. Tricia Cotham’s defection from the Democratic Party begins, in my opinion, four years ago, when Democratic leaders began enforcing a brutal loyalty regime to keep their members in line.

When political organizations — a caucus or a party — demand member purity and offer no way to relieve pressure, it’s only a matter of time before something breaks.

In 2019, state Democratic Party-aligned groups launched “Disloyal Dems,” a political hit list of sorts designed to enforce ideological purity.

They directed much of their ire at the time toward then-Sen. Don Davis, a moderate Black Democrat from a rural district who had the temerity to vote to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto.

The Democratic Party-aligned groups didn’t much conceal their intent: We’re targeting Democrats “who fail to stand strong with Governor Cooper and their party,” they said. There was no gray area: you’re either with us or we’ll come after you.

Former McClatchy editor Colin Campbell wrote at the time that moderate Democrats “are finding targets on their backs” because “the partisan operatives in Raleigh have vindictive tendencies that sometimes cloud their better judgment.”

And so began an organized campaign to root out diverse perspectives from the N.C. Democratic Party. That’s when the pressure started building.

That same year, party leadership orchestrated the termination of State Board of Elections Executive Director Kim Strach, who was married to a Republican. Campbell called the move a “partisan purity test.”

Before the filing period closed for the 2020 election, Cooper allegedly threatened sitting legislators with primary challenges if they didn’t follow his agenda. Cooper’s office didn’t deny the tactic, saying, “The only threat we see is the Republican leadership’s threat to our democracy.”

And who can forget former Sen. Kirk DeViere, who faced a primary challenger recruited and funded by Cooper and those in his orbit. DeViere’s sin? Working behind the scenes, without the blessing of party leaders, to help broker a compromise to end the state’s three-year budget standoff.

To be sure, these tactics are firmly in-bounds. Both parties employ them elsewhere, though I submit N.C. Democrats have been especially aggressive.

And these tactics are effective. After all, party leadership won the primary campaigns it launched against “Disloyal Dems.” They removed Strach and installed their own foot soldier at the Board of Elections. Democratic legislators upheld all of Cooper’s vetoes from 2018-2022. Most of those on the fence fell in line; those who didn’t lost their jobs.

But brutal enforcement of party loyalty eventually carries a cost. All of the threats and demands build pressure within an organization, like constant huffs into a balloon.

When the only way to relieve that pressure is to explode the balloon, well, the balloon is going to explode.

In public statements, Cotham pointed to an unhealthy culture of intimidation within Democratic ranks that isolates members with policy principles deemed impure.

She really had just two choices: change her principles, or turn against her party.

Healthy political organizations, by contrast, allow for open dialogue, occasional public dissent, and pathways for reconciliation.

For four years, North Carolina’s Democratic leadership reaped the rewards of no-holds-barred loyalty enforcement. This week, the tab came due.

Contributing columnist Pat Ryan is a former spokesperson for Republican N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger.