RALEIGH, N.C. — A political rebellion is brewing inside an old funeral home near the state Capitol here. Frustrated liberals and labor organizers are taking aim at the Democratic Party, rushing to gather enough signatures to start a third party that they believe could help oust three Democratic congressmen.
Less than two years ago, this same funeral home was a command post for the grassroots army that propelled Barack Obama to victory in this conservative swing state. Now, some of Obama’s supporters are mounting a defiant strike against the president’s party.
The nascent third party, North Carolina First, could endanger the Democratic congressional majority by siphoning votes from incumbent Democrats in November’s midterm election, potentially enabling Republican challengers to pick up the seats.
Organizers say they are so fed up with Democrats who did not support health care reform that they simply do not care.
“Our whole agenda is to turn that apple cart around and say, ‘No more are we going to blindly support you because you’re a Democrat,’ ” said Dana Cope, executive director of the 55,000-member State Employees Association of North Carolina, which is leading the effort. “We’re going to support you because you’re right on the issues, and if you’re not right on the issues, we’re going to remove you from office.”
SEANC and its parent group, the Service Employees International Union, possibly the nation’s most politically powerful labor union, are funding the effort.
