Davis puts public health before politics

Archived Opinion

Davis puts public health before politics

To the Editor:

If you were hanging around outside one of the NC-11 Congressional debates at WCU’s main campus in Cullowhee or its satellite classrooms at Biltmore Park, on Sept 4 or 5, it would have been hard to miss a lively crowd of Madison Cawthorn supporters honking car horns and waving flags. You might even wonder, where were Moe Davis’s cheering supporters? Doesn’t he have any?

As with many things that involve Madison Cawthorn, there’s more to see here than meets the eye.

It boils down to a tale of two emails: Cawthorn’s campaign emailed his subscribers shortly before the debates asking them to show up with flags and hats. A crowd dutifully assembled, maskless and in a close-packed group typical of the super-spreader type events that Cawthorn continues to hold across the state. This particular “grassroots” rally took place despite 1) being explicitly forbidden by the debate hosts at WCU, and 2) an obvious and unnecessary public health risk.

For his part, Moe Davis sent an email to his voters asking them not to attend the debates in person and to live stream them or watch them on television. This is what the debate organizers had requested from the beginning for both candidates, out of respect for the wishes of the debate hosts, and for the lives and safety of our community.

If you care about the health and safety of your WNC community as I do, the choice is clear: I’ll be voting for Moe Davis because he puts the welfare of his constituents ahead of politics. I hope you’ll do the same.

Annika Peacock

Woodfin