Can the common person be a politician, or is it reserved for the richest and the families with deep histories of power?

      Any student taking AP United States Government and Politics has seen the same names spanning different units across American history. Bush. Clinton. Adams. Roosevelt. Kennedy. Romney. Harrison. Take the Kennedys for example. Eighteen members of the family and their spouses have served in the government in some capacity. Patrick Joseph Kennedy began the political legacy when he ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1884. Seventy-seven years later, his grandson, John F. Kennedy, was sworn in as president. By contrast, Beth Helfrich is the granddaughter of a professional magician. Her father was a set designer for a children’s theater. Even so, Helfrich is running for the North Carolina House of Representatives. She saw a problem and decided she was the solution. 

Early Life and Background

On Friday, November 1, The Hough Headliner interviewed Beth Helfrich, a nominee for District 98 in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Helfrich grew up in Mecklenburg County and graduated from North Mecklenburg High School and Davidson College. From a young age, Beth had a passion for leading. In second grade, she launched her first campaign for a student council leadership position. She jokingly mentioned that some of her peers described her child self as, “bossy.”  As she says, “She always wanted to be seen as a voice for her community.” While at Davidson, she held multiple leadership positions, including roles within student government. Although a theatre major, she served as Freshman Senator, Sophomore Chancellor, and Junior Vice President channeling her passion for governance.

Her first job out of college many would consider as far away from politics as could be. She and three other performers toured elementary schools as members of the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. She and her fellow actors lived out of a van whilst on their trips. The following year, Helfrich worked within Davidson’s theatre department. Now, as she reflects on her involvement in theatre in her early life, she believes there are “lots of parallels between politics and theater.” She attributes many skills learned in the performing world to success later in life, “you have to be resourceful and creative and responsive and listen and respond.”

She eventually followed her parents’ footsteps and dove into the field of education at Woodlawn School. Although the jump from performer to teacher may seem major to many, Helfrich took it in stride, “There’s just something that feels very natural and innate about the rhythm of the school year… It felt like just a very comfortable role to return to being inside the classroom.” She taught many subjects such as English, Language Arts, and Debate. Combining her change-making mindset and love for acting, she created Woodlawn’s theatre program. Her efforts did not go unnoticed. After just four years, she became the Head of the Upper School at Woodlawn. She served in education for nearly 2 decades. She believes there is “No energy like the energy inside of a school building.” 

Since teaching, she has served in directorial positions at two beloved small businesses in Davidson’s downtown, right on Main Street. She was Communications Manager for Main Street Books, and she currently partially runs Summit Coffee with her husband and family.  She also founded her own freelance writing company, Honed. 

The Campaign Process and its Challenges 

Throughout her campaign, Helfrich has worked hard to balance her work and personal life. She states, “Running for office in a highly contested district has been a full-time commitment. We also have five kids, and I am still holding on to my part-time job [as a freelance writer]. It is really logistically and financially difficult to run for office.” Helfrich wakes up every morning between 5 and 6 a.m., handles school drop-offs for her kids, and starts campaign team meetings by 9 or 10 a.m. Days vary by campaign phase, with many evening events, forums, and meet-and-greets. She works long hours both to support her family and to run an effective campaign.

Another issue presented to Helfrich and her family of seven is ongoing vilification and mudslinging, a challenge almost all politicians are forced to endure. In response to tests like these, she takes a, “you can only control your own life and your own campaign” mentality. She says, “[my] kids check the mail and laugh through the ugly parts of the campaign.” She finds negative ads to be, “so untrue that it feels impersonal.”. Helfrich’s approach when dealing with negative attacks demonstrates a strong internal resilience.

Hopes for the Future

As a mother of five, Helfrich values the importance of young people in society. She hopes to inspire the younger generation to make a difference. She states, “You are the future…you don’t have to wait for it.” 

If there is one question she wished the press would ask, it would be, “Why is voting so important to you?” Mrs. Helfrich believes that “it really matters who we are electing" at every level—whether it's the school board, town board, or planning committee—and that “[every] vote matters.”

 She hopes to motivate all citizens to participate in the voting process, stating, “[I want] people to feel that politics belongs to all of us. Yes, my name is on the ballot, but this whole effort is about trying to shift the power back to the people."

Furthermore, she hopes to inspire more people to run for office. She declares, “If you are running, you are challenging the status quo…even if you do not win, you are still demanding something from the system.” She believes that anyone can be qualified enough to run, redefining conventional standards that many people assume a candidate must meet.