Post Reports – Episode Summary Title: She couldn’t win as a Democrat. Will running as a Republican work?
Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Colby Yakowitz (The Washington Post)
Guest: Kate Barr (Candidate for Congress, North Carolina’s 14th district)

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the unconventional campaign strategy of Kate Barr, a progressive Democrat who, after losing a state Senate race in a gerrymandered North Carolina district, is now running for Congress as a Republican. Host Colby Yakowitz explores Barr’s motivations, critiques of gerrymandering by both parties, and the challenging questions her campaign raises about democracy, party loyalty, and voter power.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background on Kate Barr’s Candidacy

• "Kate Barr can't win." That was the slogan for her prior state Senate campaign run as a Democrat in a district favoring Republicans due to heavily gerrymandered maps. (01:09–01:31)
• Barr’s fundamental concern: voters in her area can’t truly choose their representatives because district lines are manipulated to secure one party’s victory.

2. Gerrymandering 101 & Its Impact

• Barr explains gerrymandering basics: every 10 years, states redraw districts using census data. Ideally, independent commissions should do this, but in North Carolina, the legislature controls the process, enabling those in power to protect their seats. (03:31–05:13)
• Quote: “If you are following along, that means they are drawing the maps that will then determine if they themselves get reelected.” – Kate Barr (04:44)
• The result is a patchwork of odd-shaped districts where representatives don’t need to court all areas—making it especially hard for Democrats in suburban and rural mixes.

3. The New Strategy: Running as a Republican

• Barr is now running in the Republican primary against Tim Moore—North Carolina political heavyweight, current congressman, and architect of the district she lives in. (06:43–07:30)
• Quote: “Running as basically a Democrat with an R next to my name in the primary, I can win. That is how messed up this system is.” – Kate Barr (10:00)
• Barr’s approach targets unaffiliated voters (38% in her district), who can participate in either party’s primary, to build a coalition around fair elections. (08:11–08:57)

4. Policy Consistency and Party Identity

• Despite running as a Republican, Barr vows to maintain her progressive values: “I’m not gonna pretend to be anyone other than who I am. My message is really about fairness, and it’s consistent with when I ran for State Senate in ’24.” (09:12)
• The hope: even if the general is pre-determined by the map, the primary offers real contestation if enough nontraditional primary voters participate.

5. On Voter Engagement and Democracy

• Low Primary Turnout: Most eligible voters skip primaries, further distorting representation. Barr’s campaign hopes to educate and mobilize voters to realize the power primaries hold in gerrymandered districts. (10:27)
  • Quote: “A big picture part of this campaign is making sure that voters know these primaries are the places that you have power.” – Kate Barr (10:27)
• Barr embraces her history of “losing” campaigns as awareness-building exercises: “You can't fight what you won't face. And our voting maps, the lack of competition in our government, it’s a real problem for democracy.” (13:57)

6. Gerrymandering Arms Race: Democrats Join In

• Discussion of recent moves by states: California voters approved letting Governor Newsom reshape congressional maps to help Democrats, echoing Trump’s calls for Republican-led states to do the same. (15:25–16:14)
  • Quote: “You don’t gerrymander when you have good ideas. You don’t gerrymander when people like you. You don’t gerrymander when people think you’re doing a good job.” – Kate Barr (16:46)
• Barr expresses reluctance but understanding: she finds the national “arms race” of redistricting “horrifying,” seeing it as a race to the bottom. (17:07–18:23)
  • Quote: “We don’t want to bring a whoopee cushion to a knife fight. Like a knife fight. I get that. And it just makes me really sad.” – Kate Barr (19:10)

7. Do Voters Really Care About Democracy?

• Barr is clear-eyed about the challenge, referencing 2024 elections where democracy was at the forefront of the Democratic message, yet many voters “shrugged and voted for Trump anyway.” (19:31)
  • “The joy of running the way that I do is we're gonna find out. For me, the outcome is the least important part of this.” – Kate Barr (19:59)
• Barr remains steadfast: she wants to show people how complex political processes impact their daily lives, and whether or not voters respond, she is determined to keep trying.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On gerrymandering’s logic:
  “If you are following along, that means they are drawing the maps that will then determine if they themselves get reelected.” – Kate Barr (04:44)

• On the Republican primary strategy:
  “Running as basically a Democrat with an R next to my name in the primary, I can win. That is how messed up this system is.” – Kate Barr (10:00)

• On voter agency in primaries:
  “A big picture part of this campaign is making sure that voters know these primaries are the places that you have power.” – Kate Barr (10:27)

• On gerrymandering by both parties:
  “You don’t gerrymander when you have good ideas. You don’t gerrymander when people like you. You don’t gerrymander when people think you’re doing a good job.” – Kate Barr (16:46)

• On political arms races:
  “We don’t want to bring a whoopee cushion to a knife fight. Like a knife fight. I get that. And it just makes me really sad.” – Kate Barr (19:10)

• On personal motivation:
  “The joy of running the way that I do is we’re gonna find out. For me, the outcome is the least important part of this.” – Kate Barr (19:59)

Important Segments with Timestamps

• 01:09 — Kate Barr’s history/campaign slogan: “Kate Barr can’t win.”
• 03:31 — Gerrymandering explained: why district maps matter
• 05:26 — How Barr’s local district neutralizes Democratic voters
• 06:43 — Tim Moore’s role and conflict of interest
• 08:11 — How primaries work in North Carolina; strategy for unaffiliated voters
• 10:00 — The logic and opportunity in the GOP primary
• 13:57 — Barr’s “losing” campaign: bringing attention to gerrymandering
• 15:25 — Wave of gerrymandering/redistricting in other states
• 16:46 — Moral and democratic implications of both sides embracing gerrymandering
• 19:59 — Will voters respond to pro-democracy arguments?

Tone & Takeaways

Colby and Kate maintain a mix of candor, wry humor, and frustration. Barr is earnest, at times self-deprecating (embracing her status as a “perennial loser” for a cause), and unsparing in her criticisms—not only of North Carolina Republicans, but of Democratic gerrymandering as well. The conversation is complex but approachable, shedding light on the mechanics and human consequences of gerrymandering and the innovative, if quixotic, ways people are fighting back.

Closing Note

The episode concludes with Barr’s optimism and realism juxtaposed: she’s not sure her campaign will work, but she’s committed to trying. Meanwhile, Tim Moore’s campaign responds dismissively, underlining the skepticism Barr faces:

“All I know about this person is what I found in 15 seconds on her website: that she’s a far left liberal. Good luck selling that to GOP voters.” – Jordan Shaw, Tim Moore advisor (20:56)

Overall, an illuminating look at the stakes—and the strange new tactics—of American democracy in the gerrymandering era.