Student runs father’s election campaign

Editor’s Note: Molly Donovan is currently the design editor for the Agromeck, which is part of NCSU Student Media.

Given her role as a student, design editor for Agromeck, member of the Impact Leadership Village and public relations chair for Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, Molly Donovan has been performing a delicate balancing act this semester. But unlike most of her fellow students, Molly spent the past four months as campaign public relations head for her father, J. Brad Donovan. 

“It’s been something,” said Molly, a sophomore studying communication. “If he hadn’t asked me to help him run for the seat, I would have been insulted. I told him right off the bat, ‘I’m your PR person, Dad. We’re business partners now.’”

Molly’s father, J. Brad Donovan, a licensed member of the N.C. State Bar for 25 years, ran alongside 18 other competitors for the 2014 N.C. Court of Appeals seat.

With so many competitors, J. Brad Donovan said it made it even tougher to get his, or any other message, out there.

The Donovan campaign team consisted of three people: candidate J. Brad Donovan, Melissa Donovan, his wife, and campaign manager and public relations head Molly Donovan.

According to Michael Cobb, a political science professor, it’s not uncommon to see families pitch in during lower-level races.

“These aren’t expensive races because funds are harder to raise, so you need volunteers,” Cobb said. “Families have been the bulk of campaign teams before, even in higher races. However, you don’t want family help if they don’t know what they are doing.”

The trio filed for the race in August, but the Donovans said as a family, it wasn’t an easy decision. This particularly came to light after she arrived home from a friend’s birthday, watching her dad stare at the TV screen.

“He started to tell me that he didn’t think we could handle the campaign, that the people who ran in the race had professional campaign teams,” Molly said. “He said it was meant for the candidates that have the money to hire people to do everything for them. He kept saying that we only had the three of us and our friends.”

But Molly gave him a pep talk.

“I told him that his conceding before we even started was going to ruin his whole point. Everything he said he was going to fight for. I told him that his uncertainty just got me more fired up. His whole point was that it should be people like him running and winning the race—people who don’t have big money backing them.”

According to J. Brad Donovan, his daughter “made” him run.

Molly said her parents first met in the Court of Appeals building in downtown Raleigh. She remembers growing up there, wandering in and out of judges’ offices and playing in the book stacks. 

“I feel like it’s all I’ve heard about since I was little,” Molly said. “My dad doesn’t like talking about himself or all of this political nonsense, which means it’s my job to do it for him.”

Molly said her dad also received huge support from family and friends.

“When people originally found out he was running, you could see the effect of it on their faces,” Molly said. “At first they were surprised. Then they would say things like, ‘Wow, Brad! That’s great! You’d be really good for that.’”

As votes came in the evening of Nov. 4, though, J. Brad Donovan learned he did not win the N.C. Court of Appeals seat. Instead, John Tyson won his second full term on the court with 24.13 percent of the vote, while John Arrowood placed second with 14.53 percent. No other candidate took more than 10 percent of the vote.

The next morning J. Brad Donovan posted a message on his campaign Facebook page thanking his family and the 30,000 people who voted for him because they agreed with his message.

Molly said although it’s hard to see it end this way, she’s glad they took the chance.

Her father seemed to show the same feelings, stating on his Facebook page, “One more thing, please pick up any signs you see out and about. You can return them or toss them, but it will be great to see a state free of political signage again.”