West Caudle for North Carolina

09/19/2026

The concept of Representative Democracy only works when sitting or would be representatives engage with and earn the votes of their constituency.

A sitting Representative refusing to face their constituency in a public setting is unacceptable.

A candidate refusing to earn hard votes by personally knocking the hard doors and avoiding tough conversations changes absolutely nothing.

Money doesn’t move the electoral needle inside 50 days. Pounding the pavement, tirelessly knocking doors, and having anything other than grievance is how things change for the better.

09/11/2026

At 8:14 am, exactly 25 years ago, it was impossible to know how drastically life would be changed forever in 32 minutes that would pass been Flight 11 being taken over by terrorists and the moment it would impact the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Watching the events of September 11th, 2001 unfold, it was hard to fully understand the gravity of what we were witnessing.

What became clear in the hours and days following the greatest disaster our Nation has faced was the overwhelming sense of national unity, the dismissal of petty political differences, and a feeling of empathy and collective strength to pull one another up in the wake of tragedy.

Now into the second generation of Americans removed from that fateful day, it falls on those of us that were present to remember and pass on the lessons of unity and resilience in light of tragedy.

Remembering those souls lost and their loved ones left to carry their memory; the heroism of the first responders and those heroes still battling the lingering health effects of answering the call; and longing for the unity that sadly only seems to emerge in the wake of tragedy.

May the days ahead find the light we yearn for and the work to get there never cease.

(Photo Credit: Kaitlin Hemric)

09/11/2026

Of things worth memorializing on September 10th, may we honor our Northern neighbors, and long-standing allies, who on this date in 1939 declared war on N**i Germany. Until V-E (Victory in Europe) Day on May 8th, 1945 the Battle of the Atlantic would rage on.

It would be another 27 months before the United States would join the effort to drive fascism from Europe in December 1941.

09/10/2026

Justice Anita Earls is coming to Hickory!

Join us at Morning Star Baptist Church on October 3 from 6:00–7:30pm for a community conversation about how the NC Supreme Court and NC State House shape your daily life. Hear from Justice Earls and me about our campaigns and our plans to tackle affordability, protect voting rights, strengthen public education, and more.

09/09/2026

**Voter Awareness Alert**

VoteSafe is a data collection vehicle of Elon Musk’s America PAC presenting itself as a voter information website.

America PAC is the vehicle that Musk has poured hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions behind some of the worst MAGA has to offer. With a special focus on Senate races in Texas, Maine, Michigan, and Kentucky.

For accurate voting information on dates, deadlines, registration, polling places, etc. please contact your local county Board of Elections or visiting your State Board of Elections website.

(North Carolina State Board of Elections website is linked in the comments.)

09/08/2026

09/01/2026

American politics is desperate for any level of accountability and honesty. Good people exist, both in office and as candidates. We have to start acknowledging almost everything is more important than party affiliation.

Personally, I am sick and tired of empty apologies disqualified by claiming what was apologized for not being something that should require an apology.

08/31/2026

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day.

Removing the stigma around substance abuse and overdose is how we save lives. Few of us have avoided someone near to us battling addiction. Far too many have lost someone to this epidemic.

Short-sighted policies from the current administration will cost more lives as healthcare and treatment access is more and more difficult.

We must be better. We will do better.

08/25/2026

(Most) Politicians in a nutshell.

Promising one thing while intending the exact opposite is not an uncommon thing in many political circles.

That someone would so nonchalantly admit to blatant lies is an odd move and the mild comedic flair, considering Chuck Edwards is being ridden out of town on a sexual harassment rail, is beyond the pale.

I’m sure Chuck will try for a comeback sooner than later. Hopefully, Western NC’s memory will not be too short.

08/23/2026

Ditto…along with grievance, donation asks, and can’t win not being a campaign strategy.

This is my law firm email account today.

While I like some of these candidates, I have never given a single one of them my email address, much less my law firm email address. This is the stuff that makes real communication with constituents harder, and erodes trust with donors and grassroots. It’s general to both of our major political parties. And it’s toxic to our politics.

Irrespective of whether this is the The DGA actively brokering list exchanges, any one of our alphabet soup of national organizations could have a hand in making consent-less national email list exchanges at thing of the past.

Democrats Senate Democrats Democrats