CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It’s hard to get the nation's 20 Democratic governors in one place. But that didn't stop party organizers from trying with a swanky, '70s-themed event here Monday night, complete with women in go-go outfits dancing on tables and an ABBA cover band at a two-story downtown club.
One wide-eyed attendee, the president of a state teacher’s union attending his first Democratic National Convention, said he didn’t expect the party to be this good.
About seven of the nation’s governors showed, according an an employee of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), which was hosting the event. Sunlight spotted five, including Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a rising political star and the DGA's chair. When he walked in, he was soon surrounded by Democrats as he stood next to a larger-than-life portrait of himself. Down the way was an enormous portrait of North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue, who attended earlier that night. Between those portraits: One of the actor Paul Newman.
The DGA, an organization that can accept unlimited funds—and has pulled in over $35 million so far this election--to help elect governors across the country, is holding shindigs morning, noon and night in Charlotte.
