Palmetto Progressives Interview Series Part 2 of 5: JA Moore

JA Moore is running to represent parts of Hanahan, North Charleston, and Goose Creek in the State House this year against incumbent Representative Samuel Rivers Jr., an NRA endorsed Republican. This district has come under a lot of focus because it has the greatest chance to turn blue in November, more so than any other competitive race statewide. The reason that it is so likely to flip is due to two things: changing demographics and the campaign that JA Moore is running.

            Moore has been working hard over the past few months, holding fundraisers back-to-back, canvassing in his district, and speaking at a lot of events. I always see something of his whenever I scroll through Facebook or Twitter. His campaign is defined by its energy. Because of this, I wanted him to be a part of this series. Without further ado, here is the interview:

You are running in a district that a lot of people have told me is going to flip in November. What factors have made this district so vulnerable for the Republican and so winnable for a Democrat like yourself?

            �The people of the district deserve more. If you look at the breakdown of the district, the people voting are 55% women, 42% African-American and other minorities. If you look at just the demographics of the district, it�s women and minorities and young people who make up the district. There�s opportunities there for a person who is thinking about the entire community, a person that is focused on working class folks, people right out of college and have student debt, women health issues, and a person that is focused on economic development and mobility for the people of the district. I think that�s why it is vulnerable. The current representation, in my opinion, doesn�t represent the district well based on how he legislates. It�s an opportunity for a pragmatic progressive to come in to the district and not just come in and change things right away but come in and listen to the people of the district and let their voice drive the agenda. People are excited about this race and we�ve been overwhelmed with support. We�re going to win in November.�

You say that this district is made up of mostly women and minorities. Why has it taken so long for a progressive like yourself to come up and possibly turn the district blue?

            �The district itself is rapidly growing. You have a lot of people moving to the district. Throughout the years, from a campaign perspective, change happens gradually. As a young person, we all would like change to happen rapidly and we live in a generation where we look for instant gratification. But real, substantive change happens over time. You�ve had phenomenal candidates who have ran and have built us up to this point. They�ve prepared us for this point. Their progressive ideas, their belief in working with the community have moved us up to this point. I think we as a community have progressed over the years. I don�t see it as a negative thing, that it has taken so long, I just see it as a progression of the district. The district is ready for progressive leadership.�

You run a very strong campaign. Your campaign for the state house has been the most visible and the most active compared to others that I have been observing. What�s the most effective tool for campaigning for you personally?

            �What�s been effective for us thus far is that we have made it a point to not make this campaign about me, but about the community. We�ve also actively engaged young people in the campaign. I think that�s been the most important thing for me. I got involved in politics when I was very young. I was six years old when I first got involved in a political campaign. And it has shaped the way I look at the world and the way I live. The way I look at it is you�ve got to work 80 hours a week. 40 hours to work and pay the bills and 40 to give back to the community. How we run the campaign is similar. We want to engage young people in the campaign so they can get that same kind of philosophy of putting others before yourself. From a social media standpoint, that might be why you see the campaign more because we have young people actively getting involved with it.

            We want this campaign to be about all of us. We are working right now on August 18^th, a workshop and listening forum for teachers. We�re going to do it the Saturday before school starts back. We�re hoping to give out supplies to teachers. Teachers are given $275 for the entire school year for supplies for their classroom. We want to try and mitigate that cost. We also want to bring in some professional development for teachers so they can get recertifications.

            But, we also want to listen to teachers. We�re hoping that the professional development that we offer will be what teachers want. This will be a chance to listen to teachers and ask, �What do you want a professional development workshop to look like?�

            The reason why I mention that is that we really want to listen to people and have their voices drive the agenda.�

You�ve also been canvassing a lot. What�s the most common issue that is brought up when you knock on a door and what is the general opinion about that issue?

            �A lot of people just like the idea of a person running for office being a part of the community. People like that I am meeting them in person to ask about what effects them. But there�s a lot of different issues that we face in District 15. A lot of people are talking about the need to increase the public transportation system, to improve the public infrastructure, and to pay teachers more. And people have a lot of personal concerns. People just want to be heard.�

If you could change anything about the Democratic party at any level, what would you change?

            �The thing that I respect about the Democratic party is that there are many different types of people that relate to the Democratic party. Whether they are young or more experienced, more liberal or central, all races, all hues, all sexual orientations, all religious backgrounds, all socioeconomic levels.

            One of the things that can be done by the party is to talk directly to the people. At times we have a problem with that. We want to articulate it in a way that sounds intelligent or academic but I think people just want you to talk to them as people. Maybe that�s dealing with our messaging. We�re mostly right on the ideas, but how we articulate it is where the gap is between the people we want to represent and our ideals and sometimes how we message that to them is a struggle. I think we have to talk plainly to people. I�ve been taught in business and marketing that you should be able to explain something to a client or a partner where their five-year-old son or daughter could understand it. I don�t think we always do that.

            We also have to focus on not being an adversary to the other side. We have to listen to people and come up with solutions.�

What is your message to young people (18 to 24) who are not registered to vote and don�t really care about what is happening in our country right now?

            �Your vote matters. It really does. Your voice matters. I was 18 to 24 not that long ago and I know how sometimes it seems like no one is listening to you. But your voice does matter.

            And I would encourage you to not just get involved by voting but run for office. Find out what the age requirements are and run for office. You have to be the change that you want to see. It�s up to all of us to be active citizens. My call to young people to vote this November is even though the filing deadlines may have passed, in the next two years find those things that you are passionate about and you directly get involved. You can�t wait because we�re in a very critical time. I�m always reminded of Martin Luther King Jr. who gave the �I Have a Dream� speech when he was 27. He was younger then than I am now. He was able to be the voice of an entire movement at a very young age. What that says is that you need to get involved right now. The change that you want to see is up to us to make it happen.

            My call to everybody, whether they are young or old, is to get involved right now. That might mean voting. That might mean going to a rally. That might mean posting something on social media. That might mean a litany of different things but you have to be active. The community can�t wait.�

You can find JA Moore's campaign at jamooreforsc.com and on Facebook by searching "JA Moore for SC District 15."