In 2008, writer David Mitchell watched with the rest of the country as Barack Obama became the first African-American elected president. While Mitchell’s friends were optimistic, he was skeptical. He saw the election as a historic movement but was wary of how it would change American politics.
Mitchell soon became personally involved in politics when his friend Ken Lewis ran for U.S. Senate in North Carolina in 2010. Lewis asked Mitchell to be the campaign manager. They ultimately lost the Democratic primary, but Mitchell used the experience on the campaign trail as the basis for a new novel, “We Hold These Truths” (Project Z Books/2017).
Host Frank Stasio talks with Mitchell and Lewis and their Senate race and the state of the Democratic party. Mitchell and Lewis speak at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30 at the Beyu Caffein Durham and at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan 31 at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill.