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LUMBERTON, NC – Lottie Locklear was just starting to regain strength two years after Hurricane Matthew hit her home when Hurricane Florence arrived in the Carolinas in September, spilling over 30 centimeters of rain here .
Ms. Locklear's home was flooded again and she spent more than a week in a shelter before staying with her niece. One of the last pieces of mail that Mrs. Locklear, 66, had received before the hurricane was the confirmation that she was registered to vote, a piece of paper that is now lost.
"I guess it's in the water. Floating somewhere, "she said, adding that she was not planning to try to vote. Locklear lives in the ninth competitive district of the North Carolina Congress, where two political newcomers compete for an open seat at Republican House.
Hurricane survivors like Ms. Locklear could play an important role in the mid-term elections in North Carolina and Florida, depending on the number of their votes. Two successive hurricanes in the US states – Florence in September and Michael in October – further complicated the situation of the big players in the elections.
Gerald F. Seib, WSJ, talks about numbers that are important in determining control of the House and Senate. Photo: Getty
Michael tore up the Florida Panhandle, which houses a band of Republican counties, flattened buildings and knocked out power lines. The number of voters who go there on November 6 could be instrumental in the race in the Senate between Democratic Senator Bill Nelson and his GOP opponent, Gov. Rick Scott – a contest that will help determine which party takes control of the Senate.
State and municipal election officials are working to ensure that citizens can vote. As a result of Florence, which left more than 40 dead last month, North Carolina officials modified the damaged polling stations and prolonged the three-day voter registration deadline in the 28 counties the following day. harder hit. The state is also spending $ 400,000 on an advertising campaign aimed at "keeping the vote of themselves concerned about the victims of the hurricane," said Patrick Gannon, spokesman for the Council's Elections and Ethics Council. North Carolina.
In Florida, Scott issued a decree on Thursday authorizing local election officials to change polling locations and extend advance polls in hurricane Michael counties. Dozens of people have died in the storm and more than a thousand are still missing, but rescuers said many could be safe and without a phone.
Attending a rally of Republican Mark Harris this week in Lilesville, Nc
Photo:
Travis Dove for the Wall Street Journal
Even with these accommodations, voting remains an afterthought for many affected people. Wednesday, the first day of advance voting in North Carolina, Hoit Pierce, 68, did not go to the polls. Instead, Mr. Pierce, whose house was flooded last month and during Hurricane Matthew two years ago, went with his wife to the help center in case of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Lumberton.
A Republican who voted for President Trump in 2016, he only returned from his daughter's home in Arizona last week, and since then he has been consumed by the repairs. "I am more worried about the repair of my house than the vote," he said.
The ninth congressional district of North Carolina begins in Charlotte and stretches east into rural Robeson County. Cook's non-political political report called the race in the district to increase, making it a key target for Democrats seeking to win the House in November.
While the race will probably be won or lost in the most populated areas near Charlotte – where the cyclone was spared – the aftermath of the storm offers both political opportunities and challenges to the candidates.
"Our candidates had a lot of visibility during the hurricane. Obviously, this is not how you want visibility, "said Phillip Stevens, president of the Robeson County GOP.
Democrat Dan McCready is participating in a debate in Charlotte this week.
Photo:
Travis Dove for the Wall Street Journal
The race pits Republican Mark Harris against Democrat Dan McCready, a Navy veteran who presents himself as moderate in President Trump's district, who won by 11 percentage points. Everyone participated in the recovery.
Mr. Harris, a Baptist pastor who overthrew the Republican president at a primary, toured helicopter damaged areas in the days following Hurricane Florence. Mr. McCready visited recovery operations in the eastern district. They both participated in a bipartisan event to assist reconstruction efforts.
"It's an act of balance. On the one hand, you want to be like your worries, on the other you do not want to feel like you are exploiting a tragedy, "said Thomas Mills, Democratic Policy Consultant in North Carolina.
Although their recovery work was not controversial, there was a conflict between candidates due to the storm. Mr. McCready, who raised significant amounts in the race, announced that he was suspending his campaign, while Mr. Harris aired ads on Weather Channel in addition to other cable channels. The Democratic campaign insulted Mr. Harris, claiming he had taken advantage of a natural disaster, while Mr. Harris had stated that Mr. McCready's statement suspending his campaign was "more or less a piece of public relations". .
For Joyce Cribb, 59, none of this matters. In Florence, the strong winds tore the roof of her mobile home "like a sardine can," she explained, ruining most of her belongings. Ms. Cribb and her husband have since been living in the first Lumberton Baptist Church, sleeping in beds in the reception room. As she navigated the recovery process and sought funding from FEMA to replace her home, she did not have time to integrate into national politics.
"One of our friends from the church came the day before yesterday and brought this television, it's the first time I've watched a television since. It's been three weeks, four weeks I watch television, "she said. She said she was going to vote, but for the moment, "I do not know anything about it".
– Follow regular updates and insights from the campaign track at WSJ.com/CampaignWire.
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