sam spencer

Three years ago Sam Spencer founded the Grassroots Farm Team to recruit and help elect the next generation of Democratic candidates. A lot of folks were skeptical of a twenty-something running a Political Action Committee, let alone having any success. I think it’s fair to say that in the last three years Sam and the Farm Team have been a resounding success, being a resource, both financially and otherwise to young candidates. As many of you know, Sam is currently the President of YDNC, where he continues the work of engaging young people in the political process. In order to focus on YDNC and give GFTPAC a chance to grow, Sam has decided to step back from the Farm Team.

Last week, the Young Democrats of North Carolina had a chance to volunteer with the Hurricane Irene recovery efforts. Though the loss of life was mitigated by a successful evacuation effort led by Governor Bev Perdue, the physical destruction couldn't be stopped. Hundreds of millions of dollars in crops were lost, and some homes were completely destroyed - either by flood damage or tornadoes spawned by the hurricane.

The Young Democrats of North Carolina spent September 3rd assisting Hurricane Irene relief efforts in Beaufort and Tyrrell Counties. In the morning, they demolished a church barn in Chocowinity that was totaled by the storm. In the afternoon, they went to Columbia, where the hurricane had spawned tornadoes & caused significant amounts of damage. YDNC assisted a family by picking up the remains of a house that was no longer there.

From our e-mail:

We are saddened by the implications of this budget. You know the statistics: 30,000 jobs lost, 12-13,000 in education alone. North Carolina’s recovery will be hindered by this budget, and our generation will have to live with the consequences.

However, in a strange way, tonight was the night that our faith in the Democratic Party was vindicated. This moment proved that our efforts in 2008 and 2010 were well worth it. We will remember this night as we work across our state to reelect our Governor and take back the General Assembly in 2012.

This week, the Republicans in Raleigh are trying to push through myriad bad bills that drastically change voting in North Carolina. H452 (Repeal Public Financing), H351 (Voter ID), and S411 (Elect Pat McCrory) are all in committee or in session today. There is pressure on legislators to have bills pass at least one of the two houses before the crossover deadline - so a whirlwind of bills will come before legislators this week. Many of these bills adversely affect young, disabled, minority, and elderly voters.

Last week, in anticipation of the crossover deadline (this Thursday, June 7), YDNC President Sam Spencer and Legislative Director Doug Jackson addressed extreme changes to North Carolina voting laws during our press conference at the General Assembly (Sam's comments on voting start at 8:20).

The Young Democrats of North Carolina (YDNC) will gather in at the General Assembly today to ask legislators to maintain North Carolina’s investment in public education. The YDNC Legislative Action Day will begin at 8:15 a.m. in Room 422 of the Legislative Office Building, and involve meetings with legislators and a 11:30 press conference.

If you can't make it in person, please join us on your social networking platforms to get the word out. Supporters of YDNC can ReTweet the Young Democrats on Twitter (@YDNC) and submit questions by using the hashtag #AskNCGA (obviously, you're welcome to throw a #BlueNC in there as well). You can also follow our President (@choosesam) and our Publicity and Newsletter Chair (@jpresident) for additional updates.

For more information, see our earlier post.

The Young Democrats of North Carolina (YDNC) will gather in Raleigh on Thursday, June 2 to ask the General Assembly to maintain North Carolina’s investment in public education. The YDNC Legislative Action Day will begin at 8:15 a.m. in Room 422 of the Legislative Office Building. Click Here to Join Us!

YDNC President Sam Spencer sees the event as an opportunity for regular North Carolinians of all ages to speak out and defend the institutions that make North Carolina great:

“False austerity is no excuse for infringing upon the rights guaranteed by the North Carolina Constitution: the 'privilege of education,' 'free elections,' equality, and 'the pursuit of happiness,’” said Spencer. “The Republicans in the North Carolina House and Senate should recognize that North Carolina’s priorities – education and job creation – didn’t change when they took control of the General Assembly.”

At Noon on Sunday, May 1, Wake County Superior Court Judge Michael Morgan administered the oath of office to myself and the other members of the 2011-2012 Executive Board of the Young Democrats of North Carolina. I am humbled to serve as the 68th President of our organization, and I am honored to serve with my fellow board members.

Front Row: National Committeewoman Montica Talmadge, NCDP Chair David Parker, National Committeeman Andy Ball.
Second Row: Secretary Rick Ingram, President Sam Spencer
Third Row: Treasurer John R. R. Owens, Vice President Sharron Bryant

With the electoral outlook in the NC Senate sketchier than ever, it's clear that whatever small faith progressives have in Democratic Party leadership has been wildly misplaced. Incumbents are bailing in droves, with as many as ten seats in play - in a year where redistricting will be the next new thing. That's why we've invited Sam Spencer, founder of NC Farm Team, to join us tonight on BlueNC Radio. The Farm Team is all about the long war, identifying and cultivating young progressives who can lead a new generation of progress here in North Carolina. For background information, here's a listing of all the coverage of the Farm Team at BlueNC.

Update: Here's the show!

Yeah, I noticed it too. All of a sudden BlueNC had all these posts from some unknown organization asking for your money. It's bad enough that candidates want our hard earned cash, but now we have some upstart PAC wanting us to donate so they can support young candidates. What's that all about?

I had a chance to sit down with founder, Sam Spencer yesterday. It wasn't an interview, so I didn't ask too many hard nosed questions. We were enjoying some barbecue and doing some crowd watching at the 80th Mallard Creek Barbecue in Mecklenburg County and the subject naturally came up.

Most of us who have been here a while know Sam from his posts and from the various campaigns he's worked on. Remember when he packed up his car and headed to Iowa to work for Joe Biden?

The time has finally come today, ladies and gentlemen.

Today at noon, at the historic Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina's 15 Democratic electors will meet to formally cast our state's votes for president and vice president. I encourage everyone to come, either in person or virtually. If you can't make it to the Capitol, there will be televised proceedings at the Museum of Natural Science. For those who aren't near the area at noon, you can view the proceedings on the Secretary of State's website. I believe there is also a reception at 2pm at the Party HQ.