CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A tradition 81 years in the making brought together local political candidates and local voters on Thursday.
The Mallard Creek Barbeque combines pork and politics at Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church in north Charlotte.
High school senior Lucas Huet-Hudson is a first-time voter and brought a list of questions to the event.
“[I’m a] first-time voter and want to get to know the people I might vote for, I don’t know much about any of them,” Huet-Hudson explains.
Teacher John Colbert brought Huet-Hudson and other history and political science students to the barbeque as a field trip.
People at the barbeque had the chance to meet candidates they may not have even heard of before.
Anthony Graves, a write-in candidate for the District 8 House of Representatives, doesn’t have the signs, stickers or face and name recognition that other candidates have. He says even his friends have asked him why he’s running and if he’s out of his mind.
“They want people like me to run for office and then when you do, they think you’re crazy,” Graves says.
