Violent threats lead Henderson County Democratic chair to resign
The Henderson County Democratic Party is in the midst of a leadership change.
Henderson Democrats photo
As chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party, Leslie Carey has spent years helping to build the county’s progressive infrastructure and lead one of the most successful local party operations in the state. After her family received death threats, she says she can no longer continue in the role.
The threats came after her husband, disabled Army veteran and activist Jay Carey, drew national attention for his veterans advocacy and political protests, including confronting Rep. Chuck Edwards during a town hall earlier this year and burning an American flag in Lafayette Park near the White House. Both incidents, Jay says, were acts of conscience, but to some, they were seen as provocation — and they led to a wave of hostility that would upend the family’s life.
Jay said he began receiving threatening text messages, voicemails and social media posts after the Washington, D.C. protest. Some of the messages went further, warning that the sender knew where his family lived. He didn’t report the threats to police because he didn’t think it would help.
“They were more specifically, ‘We know where you live. We know who your family is. We know how to get to them,’” he said. “It was, ‘We’re going to burn your house down with your family in it, find you and kill you,’ kind of stuff.”
He said even his publicist was targeted because her phone number appeared on the website of his nonprofit, resistpersist.org. The family responded by implementing security measures at their home. Leslie, however, didn’t want to hear the messages.
“I told Jay I did not want to know what the death threats were,” she said. “For my own well-being, I needed to protect myself that way.”
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The threats, she said, were not entirely new. During Jay’s 2022 run for Congress against then-Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Henderson), he had also received threatening messages online. But this time, Leslie said, the situation escalated beyond what she could manage while serving as chair.
Leslie announced her resignation in an Oct. 23 newsletter, naming First Vice Chair Linda Ford as her successor.
She praised Ford’s experience and credibility, saying, “No one has asked, ‘Why Linda?’ Everyone knows why Linda — because she’s really good.”
The Careys’ political activism and community involvement have long been intertwined. Both have spent years organizing volunteers, supporting local candidates and speaking out on issues ranging from veterans’ rights to environmental justice. But their advocacy has come at a personal cost, made worse by tragedy.
Last year, the Careys lost nearly everything when Hurricane Helene swept through their Henderson County neighborhood. Their home filled with eight feet of water. Their family business — a bounce house rental company — was destroyed.
“We lost everything in the house, everything in storage, personal storage and business storage,” Jay said. “We lost the trailer and the truck, everything for the business.”
The couple received just $4,500 from FEMA.
“They stepped up really quick, and then they just fell off and left us to fend for ourselves,” Jay said.
Despite the financial and emotional strain, Leslie continued leading the county party through the critical 2024 General Election. In the aftermath of the hurricane, she organized food and supply distributions from the Democratic headquarters and even hosted a community cookout to feed residents who’d lost power or housing.
“Leslie has given up a lot of herself to the party and to this county,” Jay said. “Even with all the losses, we were still successful statewide. Henderson County performed very well for the Democrats.”
Under Leslie’s leadership, Democrats saw historic gains. In the 2024 election, Henderson County moved further left than nearly any other in North Carolina — one of only a handful of counties nationwide to do so. Josh Stein, then running for governor, became the first Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win the county since Jim Hunt in 1980.
But the price of that progress, she said, has been high.
“Part of being a leader is acknowledging that I don’t have the stability we need in Henderson County to be as effective as I should be,” she said.
Between the threats, the storm and the stress of raising children while rebuilding their lives, she felt compelled to step back.
“I didn’t want anyone to feel like if I was going to be there, there might be an elevated risk,” she said. “Not that anyone ever said that, but I didn’t want anyone thinking it could be more dangerous if I was around.”
Even so, the family has found moments of grace. After the flood, friends and neighbors — many from the local Democratic community — helped replace holiday decorations and gifts so the Careys’ children could celebrate.
“We had a great Christmas,” Leslie said. “People donated gifts, ornaments, Hanukkah decorations. It just left us feeling grateful again for where we live.”
She insists she’s not leaving politics altogether.
“I’m not jumping ship,” she said. “I’m just going to grab an oar.”
Her husband, meanwhile, has no plans to quiet down. Jay is still facing two federal charges — igniting a fire in an undesignated area and lighting a fire causing damage to property or park resources, according to The Hill — both misdemeanors. Carey was protesting as part of a group of veterans opposed to President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in American cities. His next court date is scheduled for early December.
“I pleaded not guilty,” he said. “Our lawyers are filing for dismissal, but if that doesn’t happen, we go to court [likely in February].”
Asked whether the threats might make him less visible, Jay didn’t hesitate.
“I’m going to continue to resist and persist,” he said. “We’ve lost this country to the far right, to a tyrant, and we’ve got to continue the fight. It’s far from over, and we need good people to stand up and speak out.”
