‘All of You Could Be Democrats’ (with Anderson Clayton)

March 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Anderson Clayton, the Gen Z chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, joins host Rachel Jambaza to discuss why many young independents and moderates skip voting despite deep engagement with political issues. Drawing from focus group clips of non-voting Gen Z men and women, Clayton explains her own path into politics and shares grounded strategies for activation, emphasizing local stakes, peer trust, and persistent communication.

Clayton's Path and Local Activation

Clayton's political start came at Appalachian State University in 2016, when Republican Governor Pat McCrory cut early voting sites on college campuses. Living in rural Roxboro, North Carolina, where politics was taboo at dinner, she attended a local board of elections meeting to defend student voting access. The Watauga County Democratic Party's lawsuit preserved the site, flipping the county blue for the first time. This small-scale fight hooked her: "a group of really small committed people coming together... even though that fight is uphill."

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What you'll learn

1 (01:26) **Intro and Guest Background** - Host introduces episode on young voter turnout; Anderson Clayton shares her story
2 (03:00) **Anderson's Political Activation** - Details first steps in politics via local meetings and campus voting defense
3 (07:27) **Gen Z Independence Surge** - Gallup data on independents; sets up focus group clips on disillusionment
4 (08:09) **Focus Group: Why Young People Skip Voting** - Clips reveal jaded views on parties, candidates, corruption
5 (12:29) **Building Trust via Local Issues** - Anderson on tailoring pitches: college vs. non-college youth
6 (16:36) **Day-to-Day as State Chair** - Fundraising, campus visits, events across rural/urban NC
7 (20:03) **One Word for Democrats** - NC Dems: "energy"; national: unknown due to poor reach

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

A lot of the young people we’ve been talking to recently in our focus groups are relatively apolitical, and many of them don’t vote. But what DO these young people care about? And what could mobilize them in the future? Rachel Janfaza discusses with Anderson Clayton, the youngest state party chair in the U.S. and chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.