In their politics and their presentation, North Carolina Rep. Erin Paré and first-time candidate Winn Decker are worlds apart.
She’s a Republican, he’s a Democrat. She’s a small business owner and a military wife; he’s a policy wonk. She has a picture-perfect nuclear family; he’s still saving up to buy his first home. She’ll sling mud and bicker with constituents on social media; he’s pretty quiet online. In short, they represent different archetypes of southern Wake County, where they’re squaring off in one of the most competitive legislative elections this year.
And yet, some of the messaging from the two candidates for state House District 37 has been strikingly similar. They both say they care about affordability and public education. Neither is foregrounding their party affiliation, because it’s not clear who that would benefit. The district is about 45% unaffiliated, 30% Republican, and 24% Democratic…