Henderson County Democratic Chair Resigns Amid Death Threats
Leslie Carey, the chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party, has resigned from her position as her family faces death threats connected to her husband’s political activism. “Since September, our family has been dealing with some threats being made to our lives,” Cary explained, announcing her resignation in an Oct. 23 Democratic Party newsletter. “(Former Vice Chair Linda Ford) is incredible and is going to make a wonderful county chair for the Henderson County Democratic Party,” Carey told the Times-News in an Oct. 28 email, but declined to comment further while on a family trip.
Flood Damage and Threats
The family’s home was flooded in Tropical Storm Helene, causing them “hardships” that contributed to Carey’s decision to step down, she said in the newsletter. Smoky Mountain News first reported Carey’s resignation. The Careys have two children, ages 6 and 17, Jay Carey told the Times-News Oct. 28. “They’ve been coming up to my house yelling threats at me,” he explained. “People told me they knew where I lived, where my family was, and that they were going to burn our house down with my family in there,” he added.
Jay Carey’s Political Activism
The threats came after Jay Carey, a disabled U.S. Army veteran who made multiple headlines earlier this year for confronting Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards during an April town hall and for burning an American flag near the White House in August while protesting National Guard deployments in U.S. cities, ran for Congress in North Carolina’s 11th District in 2022.
Political Violence Concerns
“(People told me) that they knew where I lived, where my family was, and that they were going to burn our house down with my family in there,” Jay Carey recalled. The Careys have taken security measures like installing cameras but remain on edge about the threats. “County chair is a really big volunteer job, it’s not unusual for somebody to have a personal challenge, whether it’s medical or family,” Henderson County Democratic Party Interim Chair Linda Ford told the Times-News Oct. 28. “The political violence continues to shock and appall me,” she added.
Carey’s Legacy and Future Plans
Ford expects to be officially instated as chair sometime next month. Carey will continue to work on party projects, Ford said. “ (Carey) helped us boost turnout and involvement and volunteerism. We had Henderson County vote for a Democratic governor for the first time since 1980 … I stand on the shoulders of that,” she added.
Jay Carey’s Upcoming Court Appearance
Jay Carey is set to appear in court at the beginning of December, where plans to file a motion to dismiss the two misdemeanor charges he faces. He expects the threats to pick up along with increased media attention from the high-profile trial, he said.
Analysis and Outlook
U.S. Park Police arrested Jay for starting a fire outside of a designated fire area after he lit a flag on the ground in Lafayette Park, near the White House, the Citizen Times reported. He blames people national political leadership for the rise in violent rhetoric that he feels leads to threats like this, saying that President Trump demonizes those on the left. Jay Carey paraphrased Trump’s rhetoric towards his opponents: “‘I don’t care if they get hurt,’ or ‘they need to be destroyed or ruined.’”“(The threats) just reflect how incredibly nationalized and toxic our politics have become … Jay Carey did become a bit of a national political figure when he burned the flag in Washington D.C.,” Chris Cooper, professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University, told the Times-News Oct. 28.Jay Carey plans to continue attending protests against what he described as authoritarian moves like National Guard deployments in cities across the country, he said.
