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[upbeat music] There are a lot of folks in rural America that can say, "No candidate's ever come and knocked on my door." So today I'm going to introduce you to the one who knocks, my new best friend, Brittney Newton.
You folks around the world, country, have said very clearly that you would like more examples of fight and progress you can actually see, touch, and feel, and talk to and feel like someone is listening to you.
And so in these conversations, in partnership with our best friends at Run for Something, we're giving you the people you asked for because that's exactly who Brittney is. She's a vet. She's a mom.
A future representative who will actually, and this might shock you, represent her constituents, her neighbors in North Carolina.
All the guests in this series are sourced from the Run for Something pipeline and graduating classes. They are the next generation of leaders.
If these conversations inspire you in any way, connect with you in any way, please do these three things. One, find out what office you or some other under 40 person you love can run for at runforwhat.net.
Two, find and support incredible candidates like Brittney, who are endorsed by Run for Something and other amazing organizations we love at whatcanido.earth. And share it. Share this conversation.
Please just hit the little share sheet, forward button or whatever with someone who needs it, 'cause if you and I need it, you can bet your ass somebody else does too.
So as always, please shoot me any questions or feedback at questions@importantnotimportant.com. Thank you for listening, and let's go talk to Brittney. Brittney Newton, welcome to the show, which is not live.
It's not live. We're... Who, who knows how much we're gonna edit out of this. Can't wait to find out. How you doing? [laughs] I'm doing good. And you? Not too bad. Not too bad. We were just talking about we're both on...
What do they call us now? The, the south/mid-Atlantic, whatever. Either way- Yeah... we're about to get cooked.
I can see my little window air conditioner over there struggling to keep it at even, like, 75 degrees in here, so should be an adventure. Brittney, introduce yourself for a moment. Tell us who you are.
So I am Brittney Newton. I am running for North Carolina House District 46. I am a veteran, served in the United States Army for eight years. Mom of two, in healthcare, business-minded. Mm-hmm.
But I got into politics three years ago far as advocating for minimum wage being increased for North Carolina, as well as taxing more of the rich, wealthy folks. Mm-hmm.
Back three years ago, I was asked to run for office, and I was like, "No, I'm just gonna be boots on the ground-" Mm... "just talking to people, trying to motivate them and encourage them-" Mm-hmm...
giving them information that they didn't know. And so last year I started getting more and more phone calls about running for office. [laughs] And I initially gave them a list of a whole bunch of other people to call.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Anyone else. And... [laughs] Yes. [laughs] So they called me back and was like, "Thank you so much for that, but we really want you." Oh. And so I basically...
I know some people are not of faith, but I am, so I went and prayed about it, and what I heard was, "It's not about you." Mm-hmm. "You're just the vessel that's being used." And so I said, "Okay.
If this is what you really want me to do, then provide, show me open doors." Mm-hmm. And when I say doors have been opened tremendously throughout this whole process, doors have been open.
I knock doors, and I get inspired. Even though I'm inspiring other people, I get inspired by just knocking doors and talking to people. Mm-hmm. So it's been very encouraging. This... It's been fun.
It's, it's been encouraging, fun, hard work. Mm-hmm. But I, I know we can do this. We can come out on top. Why do you think people kept calling you?
Why do you think they called everybody on your list, and they were like, "It's still Brittney"? [laughs] I have no idea. Well- Come on... everybody says they love m- who I am, how I talk to people. I relate to people.
Like, I'm a, I'm a mo- a single mom that work. I didn't have a silver spoon handed to me. Like, I... Everything that I got, I got from the mud, I say mud, ground up. Mm-hmm. And I think it shows.
And people just want- Yeah... a real person. They don't want the typical politician. They want a real person. Sure. Yeah. That's fair. It would be nice to have a real person involved somewhere representing us.
How old are your babies, if you don't mind sharing? So I have a soon-to-be 10-year-old, and I have a- Oh, all right... seven-year-old. But they both think they're my mom- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm... and my dad, so.
Yep, that tracks. Mine are 11, 12, and 13, and they are done with me. They've been done with me for a while, but at the same time, completely unable to fend for themselves.
What do they think about mom running for office? So I talked to them first. Mm-hmm. And they were like, "Okay. That's fine." But if we...
They're in sports as well, so they were like, "If we do this, when we ask for you to come, will you come to our event?" Mm-hmm. So they've been settling with grandma showing up to Event.
And then when they ask me to go, I, I, I make sure I show up. 'Cause most of the time I'm doing political things. They honestly have been supportive.
My daughter calls me Madam President, even though I'm not the president. [laughs] Ah. That's just her little nickname for me. Is that who it is?
And that it's, uh- It's hard to get to any kids' activities when you have a job. You're incredible for making what you can. I'm sure they genuinely appreciate that, and they'll appreciate it when you're president.
Tell me how you got hooked up with our friends at Run for Something. I've been looking at other candidates. So Run for Something came up on my social media. Mm-hmm. And so I was like, "Let me look into this." Mm-hmm.
So I started looking into it, and I was like, oh, wow, they actually train you how to become a candidate before you even start- Mm-hmm... the process.
So obviously I had already filed my paperwork, but then I was like, well, they also help people that are running. Mm. And I am young, so I met- Mm-hmm... one of the biggest requirements. There you go.
So I said, "I'll apply." And so I did, and that's how we got connected. I love the way they stick to... This will date me, but it's like old school MTV. They're like, "We're for young people. That's the deal.
Once you're out, you're out. Like, we're, this is not for you anymore." I'm like, "Okay. Well, I'm 1,000, so I guess the answer's no." So why do you feel like you need to be the one to represent this district?
We need change. A lot of times in my area, specifically Columbus County, we've been on the news, national news, really about the bad things. Mm-hmm. Not so much the positive things.
And I might be a little biased, but Columbus County has some pretty good people here. Mm. And a lot of times we are overshadowed by the negative energy, and I think we need unity again.
It was a time where we were pretty close. We didn't always agree, but it was kinda like a family, and I think we can get it back.
Like I said, I get encouraged by knocking doors, and I've heard it from other people, I'm giving them a sense of hope. Hmm. People to, for a reason to vote. Like, the last few terms, the voting turnout has been low.
But now, like, everybody's like, "Oh, I'm voting." Hmm. "I am voting." They have a reason to vote. It's not the same thing over and over again, or they feel like their vote really doesn't matter.
They have a choice this time. Mm-hmm. And they haven't had a choice for the last two terms for the position I'm running for. So they feel empowered, and I like empowering people. I like- Mm-hmm... getting them excited.
Like, let's do this. We got work to do. Like [laughs] And North Carolina, like Virginia, has had some real ups and downs the past 10, 15 years politically and culturally- Mm-hmm... and societally.
So to have someone who's like, "No, I'm, I'm, I'm going to actually try to represent you here," has to just be so meaningful. Everybody asks, like, "Well, what side are you on? What side of the table are you on?"
I'm like, "I'm for everybody" because I am. Like, I'm genuinely for everybody. And so when I can have different people from both sides of the aisle and in the middle to say, "Oh, yeah, you're the right choice" Mm-hmm...
it means a lot. Mm-hmm. It, it means a lot because it's like they see that I'm for everybody as well. And so- Sure... that's that unity again, like bringing folks together. We're here...
Everybody has struggles, no matter what side of the aisle you're on. Oh, yeah. If we work together and give back to the people for the people by the people- By the people. Mm-hmm... we can make some things change.
[laughs] 'Cause you're a veteran. Thank you very much for your service. When did you get out? Why did you go in? Tell me about your experience and how that might have affected you.
So I joined when I was 17 years old, and I initially went in because my dad had bet me. Well, he betted that I wasn't gonna go completely. Like, I would sign the paperwork, but I would chicken out basically. Mm-hmm.
So I was just like, I'm a daddy's girl, and I'm like, "Mm, no, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go all the way." Mm-hmm. So I go and I start crying. Like, I, I don't cry before I leave.
Like, I get on the bus, and as the bus is leaving, I'm crying. Mm-hmm. But I'm not turning around. [laughs] Like, it's already done. Yeah, yeah. That's the initial reason why I went.
I got out in 2019 after doing eight years, and that's because I had two babies at the time, and I really didn't wanna leave them, like, me being a mom.
I just, I had already missed out so much on my daughter's birth that I was like, "I'm doing things a little different this time with my son." Sure. And so that's what made me get out.
For me, it taught me family because we're of all races, all origins, male, female, and they're still my sisters and brothers to this day. Mm-hmm. And I haven't talked to them, we can go months, years without talking.
Yeah. And so that gave me unity there, integrity, honesty, and those are accountability, and those are things that are needed in a pol- N- not necessarily a politician.
I wouldn't say politician 'cause I still don't consider myself a politician. I consider myself somebody that's gonna get the job done. [laughs] Mm-hmm. I love that. And so but those are characteristics that is needed,
and we don't have that. I don't think you should be able to lie your way into office and, you know, represent the people by off of a lie. Just do what you need to do. And if you can't do it, be honest.
Transparency is very important, and that's something that we talked about in the military, you know? I wanna go back, though, for a minute. You were talking about
you don't have to talk to these folks every day who you experienced so much with for eight years, right? That chosen family of whatever the mix is, right?
People are so divided but also so isolated now more than ever in so many ways. Mm-hmm. Young boys and girls, like, do not hang out anymore. It's cr- it's so different from at least when I was growing up.
I don't know if that was different from when you were growing up, but... And people want neighbors, but they struggle to be neighbors, right?
And you want people you can rely on in an emergency or day to day, but you gotta- Be that as well, and you gotta put that out there. But that's like what that sort of,
what's the word, chosen family is re- is really about. Mm-hmm. And sometimes you get what you get, like the Army, and you get, you get some folks, you know, and it's not all perfect.
But that's how neighbors and your community is too. But learning to work through that, 'cause whether we're talking about reproductive rights or a, a minimum wage that's a nightmare or, or how hot it is, right?
Obviously some people cannot escape from extreme heat. But if you're outside, it's affecting everybody, you know? And- Right... and being able to get through that.
You know, we were in Los Angeles for a long time, and I remember I was born and raised here and lived all over the place, but we spent about 15 years out there.
And I remember them, the firemen coming and they talked to the neighborhood about when the earthquake does come, they're like, "It doesn't matter what your... how, how big your house is or what it's made of or anything."
He's like, "You will need each other," 'cause this is the one disaster where you actually don't wanna run away ahead of time or during it or whatever.
Like, you have to stay put, and the people around you, look around like, "This is what you got." And that is really meaningful, right? 'Cause it's, it's those constraints. That's what you got. That's what you got.
That's what you got. Yeah. And you... I imagine that perspective of sort of chosen family is you're knocking on doors and seeing and talking to people and understanding who these people are you might actually represent.
I imagine you have a pretty good perspective of that from your time in the Army. Some people listen just to say they're listening. Mm-hmm.
But if you're listening to understand and to feel, have compassion for them, and to see how you can benefit their quality, right? That's a difference. Mm.
And when people see that and they feel that, it's not what somebody told you, it's actually what you're actually doing for them. It's what you do. And for me,
I feel like if you don't have compassion for people, then being in a political office or even representing people might not be the career you need to do.
You're quite literally supposed to be represent- You said, "I'm not a politician." You're like, "I'm someone who gets a job done." You're, you are a representative, right, of these people who put it out.
People who did show up said, "I trust you." It's very easy to break that, and we see it all the time. That's why you say transparency is always important as well. You can't just go in there just giving false hope, right?
Mm-hmm. Be transparent because I think people will like transparency more often than feeling that they're lied to or- Mm-hmm... they was just used.
Far as election-wise, people say things all the time, but if you're not gonna be able to fully commit to it or say, "Hey, this was the game plan. This is what the idea was. However, this is what's going on.
This is what got stopped. This is why it's not happening," when you have that level of communication, it's better. Mm-hmm. It makes more sense, and, and people can continue to trust you. When you lose that trust level,
it's nothing else there. What, what else is there where- That's it. Yep... nobody has anything to hold on to. Yeah. No, 100%.
And, and that's, you know, where we find our place, selves in a place like this where nobody trusts anything, right? You don't... you've...
Everyone feels so untethered from these things and these people that are, are imperfect. They've been imperfect for a long time, often by design.
But either way, like, they don't exist in a way that any of us can go, "Well, at least we still have the CDC," you know, whatever it might be. What is local organizing like in this rural area?
Or it's like, who are the groups you're working with you feel like are your real allies that have been doing the work before you decided to finally say yes? Like I said, three years ago, I started with a, a group.
We named ourselves, 'cause I am a founder and captain of the group. Mm-hmm. We decided to name ourselves The Deciders. Love it. And that is because we get to decide, right?
I didn't know I was coming out of The Deciders as running for office, but, you know- Uh-huh... hey, we here. So- [laughs] You're not getting out of it now. [laughs] But within that group...
So it's a group that is funded by the Patriotic Millionaires, and they are a slim number of millionaires that feel like, "Hey, I don't believe in the tax code, what it is. I wanna pay more in taxes- Mm...
but I'm only gonna pay what they require me to pay." Mm. Which is a slim 1%- Mm-hmm... of those group of pe- people that is in this organization. Mm-hmm. So they did a training series, right?
They're gonna give us free food, and they're gonna just explain to us the process, which is something else that I wasn't really taught. Like, you, you're taught the basics of how the general assembly works. Mm-hmm.
But they don't tell you how the sandwich is officially made, right? So this organization taught us how the sandwich is made. Mm. And I was able to go to rallies, speak, advocate, talk on the gerrymandering of the maps.
The ones that needed to be there wasn't there. You know, it was just a lot of back and forth, doors not opening, no town hall, halls being available to us, not answering phone calls.
Not even a generic email that says, "Thank you for your email." We didn't even get that, right? Petitions being sent. And it was like, "Okay, we've been doing this for three years. We've been doing this work."
And we have a documentary out too. It's called "The Deciders." It used to be called "Red, White, Blue and Blue." If you get a chance to watch it, I would definitely encourage you to watch it.
It'll tell you a little bit more- Okay... about me as well and my many jobs. Awesome. Mm-hmm.
[laughs] But so doing the advocacy work and being boots on the ground, going to fairs, speaking to everybody, because the group is nonpartisan. Mm-hmm. Everybody is in the group.
Just believe in those main core values which is what brought back to unity. Mm. Like, we all are on different levels. We all are from different ways of living.
We've all done different things, but we all agree on these two important factors, right? So if we can do that, if we cut all the other stuff to the side, we can do that for anything. Mm-hmm.
Everybody can come together for anything. If we can do that with a small organization that has over 200 plus members now- That's awesome... the Deciders do- Mm-hmm...
we can do that for anywhere, not just those two issues. We have other groups getting people out to get registered to, to vote. Voting registration, they have, like, several groups around here that has that.
Southeastern Community College here that gives back. Got HEARTS program which they do back to school drives and different things to give back. So it's a lot of different resources here. Mm-hmm.
The problem is people don't know about the resources. Like, you have your select group here that might know about it, the select group there. So my whole campaign is about letting people know about everything- Yeah...
that's going on- Yeah, yeah... because we can do more when we know. Awareness, right? That educational awareness of what is available to you, whether it's a, a food pantry or some sort of credit of some kind.
You made a whole video I found about going to get your election ID because not everybody can get a driver's license, right? And some places make it incredibly tough for you to vote, and they're trying to make it harder.
Like, that shit half- most people, most people have no idea those exist. I had no idea it existed, and my mom went, and I was like, "You did what now?" And, yeah, they make voter IDs. And that's how you find out about...
And people goes, "Yeah." And you're like, "Well, how new is that?" And they're like, "It's 30 five years old." And you go, "How, how..." I try to see every...
When you work on, like, climate change and public health and politics and whatever all day- [laughs]... it's hard not to just see the problems. We try to frame them as opportunities where we can.
I'm not neglectful of the fact that often people go, "Well, we don't, we don't want people to know about this, then more people would vote." And you go, "Well, right." I mean, bad guys are real. Like, we
work on those, and hopefully more people understand. First of all, we just make it easier for them to vote so they don't need those things, but that they are available, you know?
So the, the folks I had on a couple months ago were talking about how most people do not get handed their tenant rights until they've been served an eviction notice, right?
At which point y- you don't have time to call on a, an attorney or someone who can help you with your credit or pay your bills or any of that stuff.
And they are working on very specific municipal laws so that when you move in, you are given your tenant rights, right? They have to hand it to you. Is that gonna solve affordable housing? Of course not. Does it help?
Absolutely, right? Just to know upfront, "Oh, wait a minute. They can't do this," that goes such a long way. So anyways, I love you saying your platform is like, "I'm telling everybody about everything."
That's fantastic. It is, and, and we've, again, intentionally built these layers of, of red tape and bureaucracy so that people fail, so that they can't get Medicaid or they get kicked off of Medicaid.
So, you know, whatever it might be. So it's easy to have this argument about like, "Oh, we gotta make election day a Saturday or a national holiday or both," and how it's easier this.
It's like, well, people can't even get the, the ID they need. They gotta make an appointment for that before they can go there. Where's the holiday to g- [laughs] to go to the DMV?
So anyways, I, I appreciate it 'cause we need every one of these levers that we can get, right? It really does, it really does matter. What's the minimum wage in North Carolina right now? $7.25. Um. [laughs] Yep. Oof.
Mm-hmm. So is that the first, is that the first thing you're working on? Like, w- again, it's hard when you're like, "Well, there's 70 things," but what are you going after your first day?
That's within my economic development. Another issue that we have here personally is that our young people are leaving. So like- Yeah... we don't have a lot of young people that stay in, but the one...
A few reasons why we don't have young people that stay in after they go to college is because they don't have jobs to allow them to build a family here.
Not only that, but the quality of the different types of jobs that we have here. So we need not only better jobs, better pay, you know, better living arrangements.
You know, it's a lot of different things, so all of that is within my economic development plan, but minimum wage is at the top of the list of that- Yeah... for sure. Sure.
And not necessarily minimum wage, but we don't need a, just a minimum wage increase, and then we're stuck here again- Mm-hmm... for 20, 30 years. So we need to be able to make it, even if it's not,
which I doubt it would be $20 an hour off the gate. But at least start moving the number up- Mm-hmm...
and then continue to move that number up so that we don't be left behind as far as we have been behind in these past years s- as inflation continues to grow.
You can't just celebrate a win of getting to nine bucks and being like, "Well, congratulations, it's 2035, and it's still nine bucks." It's untenable, obviously. But it's the kitchen sink.
Like you said, we need all of those things, right? We need just not to make people have [laughs] slightly more income to be able to have a family.
So having someone who really understands that perspective and is willing to listen to folks. What's the plan for the next few months? So we're gonna continue knocking doors. We have some fundraisers coming up.
We just finished a fundraiser on yesterday. Yeah. It was successful. We did a plate sale. Amazing. It was a little food. [laughs] What did we make? What's in the plate sale?
So we had green beans, fried chicken, chicken and rice- Mm-hmm... potato salad, rolls, a homemade dessert cake, which the desserts was red velvet cake, Italian ch- cheesecake, chocolate cake, honey bun cake.
So all of them was homemade, and they got a drink with it. So it was really good. I have important questions. Who made the potato salad? So my auntie. Okay. What is her... W-what, what, what was in it?
My grandma's potato salad, my mom's mom's potato salad, one of my favorite things on the planet, and it's all I think about is, like, a hot day, her cold potato salad. So what, what was in your auntie's potato salad?
This is the most important thing we're gonna talk about. It was potatoes, obviously. Mm. Eggs. Mm-hmm. Sweet relish in it. Mm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Mayonnaise, and
I don't know the other seasonings and stuff that got mixed in there. Okay. But those was the main- Mm-hmm... that was the main stuff that was in it. Mm-hmm. And then sweet relish p- pickles, yeah, those. Mm-hmm.
Boy, people- Pickles were in it... get particular, potato salad, about their potatoes, right? And then, and then the mayo. The eggs, and the mayonnaise. And the mayo. You gotta have... Oh, you have to have Duke's.
That's what I figured. Duke's. That's what I figured. Can I tell you- Duke's. Gotta have Duke's. My dad's been a Hellmann's guy for his whole life, and [sighs] I don't get it. I don't get it. [laughs] You know?
I don't know. Maybe I'll adopt it. Um, amazing. Well- God, I love potato... Now I'm hungry. How can folks help out with your campaign, whether they're in North Carolina, or they're far away, or just by learning about it?
What's, what's the plan? I have a website. It's BrittneyForNCHouse. Mm-hmm. You can go to the website.com. You can become a volunteer. And even if you're outside of North Carolina, you can help me phone bank. Mm-hmm.
So we, we do those virtual. Knock doors if you're in North Carolina and willing to come down to Columbus County or Robeson County and help me knock doors. You could donate to my campaign, or just tell a friend. Yeah.
Tell more people about me. Let's get my name out there.
In all of your free time, with all your jobs and your children and them calling you Madam President and, and driving an hour back and forth bet- between your counties, God, is there any way you're taking care of yourself here?
I don't get often, like, much time often, but I have a soon-to-be 10-year-old, so for her birthday, it's really not my time, but I'm taking her out of town.
She turns 10, and I think she's gonna have a, a, a great time, so those three days that we're out of town, I am unavailable. So- Oh, I love that. Good for you...
I'm super excited about that, and I think she's gonna be super excited about that 'cause she shares her time with me all the time. [laughs] Oh, man, that is so awesome. It's... That's all they want, right?
Like, you know- Yeah... we have this whole other podcast, and, uh, uh, we'll have you on after you get elected. It's just, like, about parenting right now, right?
And obviously it's so different for so many people, but, uh, you know, you can make fun of your kids and do this and that, and talk about how hard it is, but in the end, like, they just want your time, man.
That's what all those crazy questions are. At some point they're definitely not gonna ask me anymore, and she's definitely not gonna...
Sorry to break it to you, but, like, you know, she'll, she'll have other ways to spend three days, but, like, that's so meaningful to them. It is, and she's really super excited about it, so I'm excited for her. Oh.
And we're, we're gonna have a good time. Her Madam President out on the road. I love it. Well, Brittney, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. No, I appreciate you for your time, and let's win this in November.
[laughs] Let's win it. Awesome. That's it. You can check us out at our new site and new URL at themostimportantquestion.show. That's themostimportantquestion.show.
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