Editorial: Delegation in Washington gains diversity but loses clout and experience

It is a stark and dramatically different delegation representing North Carolina in Congress now than any time since the dawn of the current millennium.

The current delegation starting service Tuesday – two Republicans in the U.S. Senate and a House delegation of seven Republicans and seven Democrats – is likely as diverse and as close to actual demographic representation of the state as has ever served in Washington. There are five women in the delegation (four Democrats and a Republican) and three Black (all Democrats).

With the departures of Republican Sen. Richard Burr along with Democratic Reps. G.K. Butterfield and David Price, the depth of experience, knowledge and leadership is significantly diminished.

With Burr and Price’s retirement there is no longer anyone in the state’s delegation with experience in the halls of Capitol going back before 2000.

Burr had been a presence since he took office representing the state’s 5th Congressional District in 1995 after Democrat Stephen Neal had held the seat for 20 years.

In 28 years – including three terms in the Senate – Burr served under three Democratic and two Republican presidents. He was part of a GOP majority all 10 years in the U.S. House and a part of a GOP Senate majority for 8 years while Democrats controlled it for 10.

Any true and honest examination of Burr’s record reveals one of devoted loyalty – but not blind fealty – to the GOP. He’s among those who helped build the party to its current stature and deserves better. It is more a reflection of a political operation that has become a cult of personality than of Burr’s partisan legacy.

His knowledge and clout worked to bring crucial federal attention and support to his largely rural district in the northeast part of the state – particularly in areas of environmental protection and rural economic development.

David Price represented North Carolina’s 4th District – generally an area that compromised much of the Research Triangle area – for 34 years. His 34 years of service was broken by only a single term, from 1995-1997 after he narrowly lost re-election in 1994 to Raleigh’s Republican Police Chief Fred Heineman. Price defeated him in the next election for 26 years of unbroken service.

Price, 82, brought a unique combination of political and intellectual savvy to the job. He transformed his early work as a congressional aide into the academic arena, becoming a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University.

He practiced what he taught – working in the state Democratic Party infrastructure.

Price believes – and it is no outdated notion -- that politics and decency are compatible. That people who serve in elected office – whether the local town council in a city hall or the Congress in the halls of the U.S. Capitol – are obligated to people they represent and to the institutions they serve.

The three -- now former members -- of North Carolina’s congressional delegation weren’t united in approach, partisanship or record. But they did represent the times they served and legacy worthy of further examination.

What kinds of transitions will those now representing North Carolina leave when they end their service? What impact will they have on the institution and their state?