Polls don’t predict. And media chatter don’t matter.

Democrats across the country – and North Carolina – showed yesterday what matters: abortion rights, good candidates like Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and the hard work of organizing, raising money and communicating with voters about issues that matter.

And democracy matters.

As a wise old Democrat emailed me this morning, abortion “was the epitome of Choice, free choice, Americans’ right to self-govern, to choose their legislators, to choose their president, to choose the jobs they like and to make their lifestyle choices. The Rs have crossed the line of free-spirited citizens who last night rebelled against the Rs’ efforts to exercise undue control over our lives.”

The Democratic victories in Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania were telling. Republicans won racist, deep-red Mississippi only because they stopped giving Black voters ballots.

A much-underreported story is North Carolina Democrats’ success yesterday in municipal races, from the mountains to the coast.

It was a validation of the state party’s focus on recruiting candidates and organizing in those races.

That’s the doing of Chair Anderson Clayton, the state leadership team and the army of young Democrats across the state who ran, organized and won.

Some Democrats didn’t like the strategy. The feared it would take focus away from 2024.

No, it built muscle for 2024. And confidence.

It produced rising Democratic stars like Leo Williams, the new mayor of Durham (photo).

My good friend Ross Harris introduced me to Williams months ago, and he impressed me, like he obviously impressed Durham voters.

Now, I can take him up on his invitation to Zweli’s, the restaurant he and his wife own. I’m told it’s one of the best restaurants in one of America’s best restaurant cities.

Let’s eat, Leo.

Let’s celebrate, Democrats.

Then let’s get to work on 2024.