Anthony Wright, who's volunteering for President Kamala Harris's campaign, has been door-knocking in and around Leland for the past few weeks. He told WHQR that the area definitely has a Democratic presence, but nowadays, some supporters are too scared to show it.
"A guy opened the door and said, 'Hey, I'm for Kamala, but get out of here,'" Wright said. "'I'm not even going to take your literature or anything, because if I do, they're going to come after me, even.'"
Wright said it's because this year's election is one of the most cutthroat in recent memory. The rancor isn't just between neighbors — it's been hitting his fellow volunteers in Brunswick County as well.
"Every single week, we hear something about how they get chased off or in some way harassed," he said. "In one case, a guy came out, you know, he had this gun put away, you know, on his hip, and said that the next person that came there talking about Kamala would get shot."
So far, none of the canvassers have pressed charges, as most of the harassment has been limited to purely verbal interactions. But first-time campaign worker Kimmie Dee told WHQR things have still gotten "dicey." One time, she came back from door-knocking to a mysterious dent in her car.
"They're targeting women especially, it seems," she said.
Wright agreed.
"A lot of our female canvassers have come back and said that guys are harassing them or like, pinning them against cars and so on," he said. (Later conversations indicated these incidents involved women feeling they were backed up against vehicles, but not physically attacked).
Dee directs a canvassing group out of her garage in Leland. These incidents have changed the way she goes about her work. Now, for example, she won't let any volunteers — particularly female volunteers — go door-knocking solo.
"If somebody is by themselves, then I go with them," she said. "While they're trying to target women, you know, we're feisty as hell, and we're not taking it anymore."
Election Day is November 5th.
