When you walk up the short flight of stairs into Kate Barr’s campaign headquarters in Davidson, NC, you immediately notice the neon sign on the wall. When lit, the sign reads, “LOSER.”
It’s a nod to the previous campaign – a race he knew he wouldn’t win but entered anyway.
As we sat down for a long chat to discuss his latest bid for US office, he asked, “Should we open it?”
Barr, 43, isn’t afraid to lose, as long as he’s making a point. And that’s the motivation for his current campaign, which is considered – generously – a long shot.
Barr is trying to become a Republican member of Congress in North Carolina’s 14th district, which is a strong base. Barr is challenging the popular incumbent, Tim Moore, who has been endorsed by US President Donald Trump.
“I need to fight as hard as I can to get to a place where I can be proud of the country, and this democracy – and feel good where my children are growing up.”
What makes Barr’s challenge unusual is that he is openly campaigning as a self-described “fake Republican.” He identifies as a progressive, has voted Democrat all his life and has run for the party in the past.
But in his opinion, the Democrat will never win here in the national election. He alleges fraud, accusing Republican politicians of redrawing the district boundaries map to include enough communities to ensure a Republican win.
Barr thinks that is unfair and undemocratic. To make a point, he switched parties and is now trying to become a Republican. You call it “testing.”
“We’ve talked a lot about needing to do things differently, and this is one of the ways we can try something new,” she said.
“I think people like to fight.”
An uphill battle ahead
Barr hopes to connect with Republicans and independents frustrated with Trump — especially voters who want their member of Congress to act as a check on his power. (In North Carolina, party primaries are open to registered party voters, as well as unaffiliated voters.) And he promises to work to lower the income tax, hoping that might resonate with some traditional conservative voters.
But the odds are not in his favor. History has shown that it is very difficult to resign an incumbent, let alone a campaign made in the form of a protest.
“His chances of winning are slim,” said Eric Heberlig, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
“But it’s a way to increase the public’s attention to politics after the election.”
So far the campaign is drawing a mix of praise, backlash and some threats. Local Republicans are outraged, questioning whether Barr’s campaign amounts to election fraud. Some Democrats are upset, too, fearing that he will deprive other candidates of their party’s nomination.
And after her story was aired on right-leaning Fox News, she says she has been subjected to online harassment.
“Of course, the death threats came in,” he said. They encouraged him to get a new home security system. As a way of protection, she said that her two children who are not yet twelve years old are sleeping with her and her husband in their bedroom until the end of the campaign, after voting on March 3.
At a polling station in the town of Gastonia, a community of about 80,000 people, some voters CBC News spoke to knew about Barr’s unusual bid for office.
“He’s been all over my Instagram feed,” said Natalie Glaus, a 42-year-old pediatrician.
He gave a fist pump, saying “yes” as he explained his love for Barr’s message.
“I’m happy about it,” said Stephanie Angle, a 39-year-old health worker.
Although he wouldn’t say whether he voted for Barr, or planned to, he seemed very supportive.
“I understand why he’s doing what he’s doing, and I think it’s an interesting way to play the game,” he told CBC News outside a polling station at a local library.
Gerrymandering 101 for Canadians
The driving force behind Barr’s campaign is his frustration with gerrymandering.
Gerrymandering is when “the state legislature draws district lines to favor one of the political parties,” said Heberlig, the professor.
“So they’re going to draw lines in crazy ways that have nothing to do with county boundaries or city boundaries,” he says, to give an advantage to the party drawing the maps.
It’s not a new trend, and it’s not unique to North Carolina. And in the past, both parties in the US have participated in it.
Every 10 years, the US Constitution requires a national census. A better understanding of population dynamics should help determine whether existing regions need to be modified, or whether new ones need to be created. Decisions are made by state level legislators.
It has long been a challenge for voters to navigate North Carolina, he said.
Both parties are “willing to play dirty, to increase the chance of staying in power,” he said.
“I hate all of that,” Barr said, making it clear he believes it’s an unacceptable practice for any group to engage in.
“Politicians draw voting districts to ensure that they will keep their power,” he said.
“That’s like politicians electing their voters instead of voters electing their politicians.”
Allegation of electoral fraud
Meanwhile, the organizers of the Republican party in North Carolina said they were very frustrated with Barr’s campaign. They accused him of trying to “cause trouble” and “gain intelligence.”
Those allegations belong to Kyle Kirby, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party. (The map outlining the 14th congressional district includes part of the district.)
“I think it would be seen as election fraud,” he said, referring to Barr’s run, during an interview in his Charlotte office.
He also dismissed his accusations that Republicans made the state’s voting districts unfair.
While he is not worried that Congressman Moore will lose the challenge, he said his concern is about “copycats starting to do the same thing.”
He said he wants state lawmakers to look at ways to prevent more people from being called “fake Republicans.”
“I would hope that the General Assembly would work with legislators to try to build a firewall against something like this happening again.”
Barr has denied allegations of election fraud.
“I’m telling the truth about who I am and what I stand for,” he said.
“I followed all the rules and all the rules about what it takes to be on the ballot and the platform you have to meet to hold as a Republican.”
Mixed thoughts among progressives
Meanwhile, among progressive voters, there appears to be a split in sentiment about Barr’s campaign.
“I’m an absentee voter and for the first time in my life I’m going to vote in the Republican primary to try to help him get on the ticket,” said Rebecca Miyares, a 55-year-old activist and organizer.
What I love about Barr is her willingness to try something different.
“We have to be smarter,” he said.
Shawn Copeland, a 57-year-old attorney, had a slightly different opinion. He happens to be friends with Barr, and he likes him, but he worries that his campaign will draw support from other Democratic candidates.
“I know his intentions are good. I’m not sure it’s going to be my guide, though,” said Copeland, who is from Davidson, a small town outside of Charlotte.
“As a registered Democrat, I’m not sure I fully agree with it.”
Barr understands he faces an uphill battle. However, he sees great value in his “experiment”.
“I don’t want to encourage anyone to do this until we know whether it works or not.”
Once the votes are counted, he and his team will pull data, showing the impact of his campaign.
“We are looking at how much money was spent by my opponent to argue with me, how much time was spent in the district responding to the voters,” he said.
“We’re going to look at voter turnout to see if there are more successful voters — those are the kinds of things that will inform whether this is a sensible strategy going forward.”
While his strategy may not send him to Washington this time, it’s this kind of data that could help him break his losses in the future.
