Sophia Chitlik is campaigning for state senate — but you wouldn’t know it. At events, she speaks about voter registration and down-ballot races. On social media, she posts about presidential politics and hot-button issues like education and abortion.
The Democrat, running in an overwhelmingly blue district, is all but guaranteed to win this November against her Libertarian opponent, Ray Ubinger.
“I’m not particularly worried about my race,” she said in an interview. “But I’m in this interesting in-between, where I have a platform to make a difference without the pressure that many people running this cycle face.”
Chitlik is the Democratic nominee in State Senate District 22, which encompasses part of Durham County. The area has voted blue since incumbent Mike Woodard — whom Chitlik beat in the March primary by more than 15 points — took office in 2013. Ubinger, Chtilik’s sole general election opponent, garnered just 2% of the vote when he ran for state senate in 2022.
Without the pressures of a competitive race, Chitlik is turning her attention to contests up and down the Democratic ticket. She’s focused on boosting voter turnout, breaking the Republican supermajority in the state legislature and supporting key Council of State elections. That means fundraising, elevating peers in competitive races and bringing surrogates to town.
“I see myself in this cycle as a switchboard operator,” she said, “trying to connect resources and ideas and people.”
At an East Durham canvassing event in early September, Chitlik joined Mayor Leonardo Williams and State Representative Zack Hawkins to knock on the doors of potential new voters.
More than 60 volunteers crowded a picnic shelter in Burton Park for the event, organized by Durham Democrats. From toddlers to high school students to older adults, the crowd buzzed. Their hats and shirts showed support for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz; for President Joe Biden; for Chitlik.
Their goal? To convince as many people as possible to vote this November. Chitlik told attendees that she hopes to see 80% turnout in Durham County.
“The difference between 75% and 80% turnout here in Durham is 10,000 votes,” Chitlik said, drawing cheers. She noted that Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein, two Democrats, won their most recent elections by around 10,000 votes.
“We need people to know that there’s a lot to lose on this ballot,” she said in an interview after the event. “And that there are actually real human beings on that piece of paper that are fighting for them every day.”
Her messaging echoed that of Williams and Hawkins, who urged down-ballot voting.
“Every box that you check has a direct impact on life in Durham County,” said Hawkins, who represents state House District 31. “Durham is the only thing standing between Mark Robinson and Josh Stein, between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.”
Hawkins’ remarks came before last month’s CNN report linking Robinson, the current lieutenant governor and the GOP’s nominee for governor, to disturbing comments on a pornographic website. Robinson denied the story and remains in the race, though he trails Stein in the polls.
Statewide polling shows North Carolina teetering between red and blue. The state has not voted for a Democratic president since 2008, and Republican legislators hold supermajorities in both the House and Senate.
Even so, local leaders are optimistic about flipping the state. Mayor Williams said Durham voters have a responsibility to be a voice for the disenfranchised around the state, mentioning his home county, Halifax.
“We’re going to contest every race in this state,” Williams said at the canvassing event. “We’re gonna chip, chip, chip, chip away, and break that freaking supermajority.”
Chitlik remains hopeful, too.
“We in Durham aren’t fighting for our own seats,” she said in an interview. “So we have the potential to be the example team for our community, our party and our state.”
Above: Sophia Chitlik snaps pictures at a recent rally featuring vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton. Photo by Abigail Bromberger — The 9th Street Journal
