Hello
Katie Dean holds a longstanding service record of mobilizing her network to the polls, has volunteered for various campaigns for GOTV efforts, and consistently champions our Democratic values. In 2021, Katie mounted a grassroots campaign for Congress in NC-11. She successfully mobilized a voting block of first time voters and first time primary or midterm voters to the polls. She spent less than $8 per vote and earned 26% of the vote. Katie became known throughout the district for her authenticity and work ethic. When called upon after the primary to represent Buncombe County at the NC Democratic Convention as a delegate, Katie enthusiastically volunteered her time. She continues to support candidates up and down the ballot and attend events in our district.
Katie's vision for our district is to continue to organize and build on the progress set in motion in a capacity that's strategic, sustainable, and highly effective. She'll work hard to cultivate meaningful relationships across our district, represent our party and our values, build a deep bench for candidate recruitment and organizational infrastructure, and support our candidates. As an environmental engineer, a small business owner, and outdoor enthusiast, she has seen the best of western North Carolina. Katie is eager to roll up her sleeves and work hard so our voice is heard up and down the ballot in every county.
Hello
Leslie Carey is a current resident of Henderson County along with her husband Jay and
their three children. As a life-long community activist and volunteer, ongoing investment
and action in community is one of the core values and directives that was instilled in
Leslie early on by her family. Leslie is currently an active member of the Henderson
Democratic Women and the Hendersonville chapter of the NAACP.
Leslie is a regular attendee and supporter of Democratic Party events and candidates
here in WNC and has participated heavily in 2022 Get Out the Vote efforts in WNC. She
is one of three Lead Volunteer Trainers in Henderson County’s door-knocking efforts,
and they are currently ranked 3rd in the state! Leslie also helped plan and develop
the canvassing script, marketing and communications materials, manages the Party’s
social media, and served on the planning committee for the recent Democratic Women’s
luncheon and silent auction. Leslie personally door-knocks almost every Saturday for
Democrats up and down the ballot during campaign season, and she was an active
volunteer on Lyndsey Simpson’s City Council campaign, Hendersonville’s current Mayor
Pro Tempore.
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Leslie currently volunteers twice a month at Dandelion Restaurant in Hendersonville,
which helps fund Safelight, a non-profit that assists survivors of domestic violence and
their children. Additionally, Leslie and her husband Jay volunteered almost daily in
Cruso/Haywood County after Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 for six weeks conducting
wellness checks, delivering food and supplies, serving meals, and assisting with
cleanup. Leslie has also previously served as the PTA President of her children’s
school. Some notable successes from her tenure as PTA President include balancing
the budget, funding numerous projects that supported students, teachers and staff, and
serving on the Diversity Committee which took steps to ensure appropriate teacher
representation for the African American and Latinx population.
Leslie’s husband, Jay Carey, ran for the NC-11 Congressional seat in the 2022 primary
cycle, and that enabled her to travel the entire district along with him, meet people from
all the counties, and develop a sense of our common struggles. Together, they knocked
on thousands of doors across the district, attended countless meetings and events, and
got a true sense of every corner of NC-11. Leslie developed a deep connection with the
folks of each of our 15 counties, listened to their needs and concerns, and observed
how many of our rural voters often feel forgotten. This experience instilled in Leslie a
knowledge of and a passion for our district, and she has the ideas and the experience to
organize the district even more effectively going forward. Leslie Carey is accustomed to
working on large campaigns, managing many moving parts, and has a proven ability to
solve complex problems effectively; and these are among the many skill sets and
abilities that she will bring to NC-11.