Under the Dome podcast: Asheville Rep. Caleb Rudow on bipartisan singing and his future

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan
·2 min read
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Start your week in North Carolina politics with our latest Under the Dome podcast, for the week of May 27, 2024. Dawn Vaughan here, your podcast host and The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief. On this episode, I’m joined by Democratic Rep. Caleb Rudow of Asheville.

Rudow led a bipartisan sing-along with his fellow lawmakers this past week under a tent on Halifax Mall between the Legislative Building and Legislative Office Building. We sat down in his office the next day to talk about why he wanted to host the sing-along. Here’s a snippet of what he said:

“I think you build relationships when you share memories with people,” Rudow said. “And I believe in the power of people singing together.”

Rudow was joined by both Republicans and Democrats to sing. He talked about a moment when they were singing “The Weight” and the “real power” in singing together and building camaraderie. You’ll also hear a clip of Rudow leading a rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

He told me he’s “not naive to believe that we can solve our partisanship problems with sing-alongs and everything else,” and goes on to say what he thinks he can solve as a House member in the minority party. He also talks about his friendships in the General Assembly and even how those play out when there are contentious votes on the floor. Particularly when Rudow’s mom was one of the protesters in the House gallery as Republicans passed Senate Bill 20, which bans abortions after 12 weeks’ gestation, with exceptions.

N.C. Rep. Caleb Rudow, center, an Asheville Democrat, leads a bipartisan sing-a-long on Halifax Mall outside the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh, on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. On the left are 2023 Miss North Carolina Taylor Loyd and on the right is Rudow’s father, Marc Rudow, on fiddle.
N.C. Rep. Caleb Rudow, center, an Asheville Democrat, leads a bipartisan sing-a-long on Halifax Mall outside the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh, on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. On the left are 2023 Miss North Carolina Taylor Loyd and on the right is Rudow’s father, Marc Rudow, on fiddle.

Running for Congress in a R+8 district

Rudow was appointed to his seat and is in his subsequent first full term. He’s leaving at the end of the year because he is running for a different office: Congress. Rudow is challenging the Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, in the 11th Congressional District. That district heavily leans Republican, but Rudow says it is the “second most flippable” contest in 2024.

Listen to why he’s running now, what he says about toxic politics and how he wants to leave his mark on Raleigh. Plus, I ask my usual question of lawmakers, about what they eat at the legislature. Spoiler: it’s not anything from the cafeteria, but it is something you might expect from a Buncombe County legislator.

Stay tuned until the end for our picks for Headliner of the Week. Rudow talks about Attorney General Josh Stein’s lawsuit against Pactiv Evergreen, which abruptly shut down its Canton paper mill in Western North Carolina. And I talk about the latest in this session’s state budget battle.

Listen to our latest episode below and catch up on previous episodes. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon Music and Stitcher.