Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, is the only state lawmaker who’s been in office since the early 1980s, but the former House speaker is no longer serving as Senate minority leader after his fellow Democrats backed Sen. Sydney Batch for that role instead.
Blue says he’ll still have a key role in Senate action, and he's "freed up to play diplomat" on issues like healthcare, education and affordable housing.
He spoke with Colin Campbell on the WUNC Politics Podcast about his work this session, why he voted for the GOP budget, and his thoughts on how state politics has changed since he was first elected 45 years ago.
This conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
What do you see as your role in the Senate at this stage of your time in the legislature?
“While I'm no longer the caucus leader, I still remain one of the longest-serving members in the Senate. Institutional knowledge is very important to operating in this body, and I do have that institutional knowledge that will serve my district.
“My voice as a senior senator will be similar to that of a caucus leader, from the standpoint of being a mentor to young members … and in many ways, a dealmaker. I'm freed up to play diplomat in several forms – having the relationships, trying to figure out where the common ground is with some of my colleagues in the majority, so that we can use that common ground to move us to bigger goals and to achieve many of the things that my colleagues and the Democratic caucus would like to achieve.”
Do you think you'll be running for another term as senator next year?
“As long as my constituency thinks that I can do something that advances the the people in my district, and as I have energy to do it and the interest in doing it, I don't see why not to run. I'll make the decision on that when the time arrives.”
You're one of four Senate Democrats who voted in favor of the Senate's budget bill. What made you decide to vote yes?
“The first budget that comes out is just an invitation for a discussion. You're not going to be in the discussion if you don't join the invitation to have the discussion.
“So the Senate budget was not an ideal budget, still is not an ideal budget. It had flaws in it, but it had some things worth preserving in it. … The four Democrats in the Senate who voted for the budget will have a chance to continue in the ongoing conversation.”
You've been serving here since the 1980s. Have you seen big changes in how this place operates, in terms of the level of partisanship and other things?
“We're all here to solve problems, but politics has changed so that it's more playing and acting than it is governing. I say that not in a critical way, but I mean people are before cameras 24/7. All of the proceedings around here are being streamed in real time, and so people are having to perform, to play to whoever the audiences are that they're playing to.
“We copied the worst attributes of the federal Congress following the Newt Gingrich speakership … and that might be effective for the drama aspect of it, but we're ultimately here to govern and to get things done, to solve problems that real people are experiencing.”
