Winning in 2022: Candidate spotlight on Jasmine Beach-Ferrara

If you’ve been enjoying The Signorile Report, consider becoming a paid subscriber and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!This is the second in a series focusing on Democratic candidates Im interviewing on my SiriusXM show as Democrats fight to keep the House and Senate, and even gain seats, in the 2022 midterms. (See the first installment here.)Buncombe County commissioner and North Carolina Democratic Congressional candidate Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who I interviewed on my SiriusXM program recently, views her mission to unseat North Carolina GOP Congressman Madison Cawthorn as exceedingly urgent. Cawthorn, Beach-Ferrara said, has become “radicalized,” and is a danger to democracy as a Trump loyalist who has promoted violence and defended the January 6th insurrectionists being held without bail.As executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality, Beach-Ferrara has the passion of an activist who helped in the successful fight for marriage equality. As a pastor for the United Church of Christ she’s driven by her faith in seeking justice. All of that, as well as being openly lesbian, draws a sharp contrast with the extremist right-winger Cawthorn."He trafficked in false conspiracy theories for months after the [2020] election and helped incite the violent insurrection at our Capitol on January 6th," Beach-Ferrara said in announcing her run. "He has continued to lie about his resume and multiple women have had the courage to come forward with serious accusations of sexual misconduct."When she announced her candidacy back in March, Beach-Ferrara astoundingly raised $100,000 in 24 hours, and while other Democrats have jumped into the primary race, Beach-Ferrara has outraised them all — and brought in over $320,000 in the third quarter, considered a strong quarterly number for the district. All of which shows enormous enthusiasm for her candidacy, as well as the drive to get Cawthorn out of office.Beach-Ferrara and I spoke a lot about Cawthorn and the danger he represents — to the district and to the nation at large. But we also talked about her unique background and what she brings to race. And we discussed the big issues facing the country, like the Covid-19 pandemic. I found her to be dynamic, passionate and very smart, and I know you’ll agree. It’s a tough Republican-leaning district, but creating enthusiasm is the key to winning. Listen in and let me know your thoughts. And you can check out Beach-Ferrara’s site and help her out at JasmineForCongress.com. Thanks for reading and following The Signorile Report. Most of it is free to read, but if you’d like to support independent, ad-free opinion journalism (and connect in great discussion threads), please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe