When North Carolina’s Kate Barr ran for state senate last year, she lost. That was the plan all along.
She knew that her district had been gerrymandered to the point where she wouldn’t even have a chance at being elected. Her goal was to spotlight the injustice and the threat it poses to free and fair elections.
“In a gerrymandered state like North Carolina, it means representatives are choosing their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives,” she said during her campaign.
“If I’m going to lose, we might as well have a little fun, raise a little hell, and shine a light on the impacts of gerrymandering along the way.”
Gerrymandering, defined by Merriam-Webster, is the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, gerrymandering has been used to undermine democracy for centuries. Both major parties in the United States do it. That said, in recent years, the Republican Party has been known for its redistricting tactics, and in 2022, North Carolina’s State Supreme Court even ruled that the state constitution allows partisan gerrymandering.
And the pressure is only rising. Gerrymandering determines control of the U.S. House of Representatives and 13 state legislatures.
And with redistricting dramas in states like Texas, Ohio, and California under the Trump administration, Barr’s fight isn’t just one faced by North Carolinians anymore.
So, she’s back — donning another graphic T-shirt that says “loser.”
“I’m putting together a team to run for elections in hopelessly gerrymandered districts in North Carolina,” Barr said in a recent social media announcement video.
“We’re all going to lose. Every single one of us.”
The coalition she’s building has a name: the Can’t Win Victory Fund. And the people she’s recruiting? Well, they’re called “can’t-idates.”
“Our candidates run to raise awareness about our stupid f—ing rigged maps,” she said, uncensored, in the video.
The goal is also to improve voter turnout by engaging with communities and pointing out power imbalances, all while organizing for a path to fairer maps.
“Cant-idates have instant credibility with voters,” the Can’t Win Victory Fund’s website explained. “Because Cant-idates aren't trying to win, folks assume they aren't lying to gain votes (because they aren’t). That means Cant-idates can carry messages about democracy in a way that no one else can.”
Their belief is that can’t-idates may lose every battle, but they are a path to “winning the war.”
“Losing isn’t just an outcome — it’s a strategy,” the fund’s website states. “And it’s one that can change the game.”
The team behind the project is all women.
Alongside Barr is marketing strategist Tara Larson Arbitter; former chief of staff to North Carolina’s First Lady, Ilina Ewen; another election loser and now chair of the Iredell County Democratic Party, Beth Kendall; and accomplished fundraising strategist Cailtin Barnes.
Their work right now? Recruiting people to run and “lose spectacularly.”
“We want fighters from Wilmington to Asheville, from Gen-Z to boomers,” Barr said. “We want real people who live the real consequences of the choices these elected leaders make.”
“You don’t have to want to work in government,” Arbitter added in the video. “In fact, it’s better if you don’t.”
“‘Cause you’re not gonna,” Kendall chimed in.
The people the Can’t Win Victory Fund is recruiting can be anyone from any political background, but ideally, they all have one thing in common.
“You just need to love democracy so much that you’re willing to get your ass kicked for it,” Barr said.
“An electoral ass-kicking, to be clear,” Barnes added.
“You’ve got nothing to lose,” Kendall said, “because you’ve already lost.”
People interested in joining the Can’t Win Victory Fund can express their interest in running (and losing) on the group’s website.
And in the meantime, the crew of organizers is just getting started in their fight to protect local and federal elections across the country.
“I’m a Karen for democracy who believes we deserve competitive elections that hold our leaders accountable,” Barr said in another social media video. “And I’m not alone.”
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Header image courtesy of the Can't Win Victory Fund
