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August 10th , 2024 Len’s Political Note #662 North Carolina legislature
2024 General Election
The goal here is to get enough Democrats in the North Carolina House and Senate to to prevent vetoes by a Democratic Governor from being overturned. In North Carolina all it takes is 60% of the vote to overturn a veto.
The 2024 gubernatorial election pits current attorney general Democrat Josh Stein against extremist Republican Lt. Governor Mark Robinson. Stopping a runaway extremist Republican legislature makes the election of a Democratic governor worthwhile. As you consider today’s note, ponder a donation to Josh Stein. And take a look at Len’s Political Note #574.
General Assembly
Right now, North Carolina has 48 Democrats and 72 Republican in its 120 member General Assembly. That is 60% on the dot. CNalysis projects that redistricting will make it worse. They see 73 Republicans without counting the Toss Ups. Here are a few Democrats to support who could drag the Republicans below 72.
The first three are Toss ups. They are necessary Democratic wins if there is a chance to prevent a Republican Supermajority.
NCHD48. Democrat Garland Pierce has represented this district on the South Carolina border since 2005. A graduate of Fayetteville State with an MDiv from Shaw Divinity School, he is a Baptist minister and an army veteran. He is relatively conservative among Democrats and supported the controversial North Carolina “bathroom bill” limiting public bathrooms to users’ sex at birth. Republican Ralph Carter says the political and cultural battles of our times are spiritual and he feels compelled to join the fight. Help Garland Pierce remain in the North Carolina Assembly. DONATE.
NCHD98 Democrat Beth Gardner Helfrich is the Democrat running to represent this district north of the South Carolina border. She was born in Mecklenberg, NC, attended Davidson College in North Carolina, taught at the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut, then returned home. A mother of five children, she has shared the management of her husband’s book store, has been a freelance writer and founded Honed: A Writing Company for which she acts as editor. Her opponent, Melinda Bales is the former mayor of Huntersville – a mayor whose principal interests were financial. Help elect Beth Gardner Helfrich in this toss up district. She promises to work for quality healthcare, childcare, reproductive care including abortion care, clean air and water, and common-sense gun safety. DONATE.
NCHD105 Nicole Sidman is the Democratic candidate for this Charlotte based district. Originally, a New Yorker with a BA and JD from Michigan, she returned with her husband to his home state. She has been a PTA President, Director of Congregational Life for her Synagogue as well as social justice coordinator and volunteer attorney for the Civil Liberties Union. Active in charities, she identifies her first political priorities as women’s reproductive rights and funding public schools. Her opponent is North Carolina’s most famous state legislator, Tricia Cotham. Cotham, elected as a Democrat, joined the Republican Party in 2017 to give them a supermajority in the legislature making it possible for them to restrict abortion rights. This could be an expensive contest. Help Nicole Sidman oust Cotham from the legislature. DONATE.
If Democrats can win the three races above AND two of the four races below, they will bring the Republicans below the supermajority number of 72 seats. (Let’s try to win all four of these seats.)
NCHD32 Democrat Bryan Cohn was raised by his grandparents in Henderson, married in a Methodist Church in Henderson, and raised his children in Oxford. He spent his professional life working with farmers, providing them assistance with their machinery, improving the growth of their crops, and improving safety on their farms. He was a local guy, serving on the City Commission, proud of replacing their water and sewerage infrastructure, revising zoning requirements to create more housing construction, and pay increases for city employees. January 6 turned his attention national. Concerned about the kind of country we were leaving our children, he began thinking about how he could work on behalf of North Carolina. Incumbent Frank Sossamon, a former pastor, says “God was challenging him to be the change” in North Carolina’s government. If you took his website as gospel his vision of unified church and state might scare you. Even with the very best interpretation of his website, unlike Bryan Cohn the incumbent would oppose women’s reproductive rights. Flip the seat and support Bryan Cohen. DONATE.
NCHD115 Incumbent Democrat Lindsey Prather grew up in Wake County, went to the University of North Carolina-Ashville, taught in Buncombe County schools, and ran for the state legislature as a voice from the mountains. Her highest priorities in the legislature have been improving education in the state by recruiting the best and the brightest to teaching, paying all school staff well, creating better government by eliminating gerrymandering and voter suppression, and expanding Medicaid so that all North Carolinians can have access to medical care. Her opponent is Ruth Smith. Born and raised in South Carolina, Smith got her BA and JD from UNC at Chapel Hill. She has a solo law practice in Asheville. Her highest priorities include reducing taxes, getting tough on crime (by reducing immigration and stopping the flow of fentanyl), improving education (by giving parents more of a voice in their children’s education), and standing up to the Far Left. Help Lindsey Prather stay in the Assembly. She is not the Far Left. DONATE
NCHD35 Democrat Evonne S. Hopkins is a sole practitioner attorney focusing on family law, mostly serving people from Raleigh, where she lives. She has a BA from Rollins College in Florida and a JD/MBA degree from the University of San Francisco. She and her husband Joe have two children. Her primary issues are reproductive rights, strengthening the public schools, and ending voter suppression. Her Republican opponent Mike Schietzeit was in the Marines’ drum and bugle corps. His BA is from UNC Greensborough; his JD from Duke. He is a litigator for a firm with 350 attorneys. His highest priorities are keeping taxes low to sustain the economy, funding high quality public schools by rewarding talented teachers, and investing in infrastructure needed for a growing population. Opposed to abortion, he insists that it is possible to both protect unborn children and support women. Help Evonne S. Hopkins. She will be at a disadvantage in resources, but not in her connection to the local community. DONATE
NCHD37 Democrat Safiyah Jackson would like to flip this Republican seat. Granddaughter of a domestic, child of middle class parents, formerly a corporate marketer for Ford, currently the Chief Strategy Officer for the North Carolina Partnership for Children, she is particularly committed to investments in early childhood education. Active in a variety of cultural and charitable organizations, she has degrees from Florida A&M and the National Louis University. Her legislative interest is early childhood education and the various services that are available to ensure life success for North Carolina’s youngest citizens. Her opponent is incumbent Erin Pare. Pare is proud of having helped pass the largest tax cut in North Carolina history and cutting regulations, improving education through parental school choice, and spending $100 million on school safety initiatives. Help Safiyah Jackson create a universal early childhood program for North Carolina. DONATE.
Ending the Republican supermajority in the North Carolina Senate will be tougher than in the Assembly
North Carolina’s State Senate has 50 members. Currently it is divided 30 to 20 – exactly the 60% needed to override a veto. CNalysis projects 31 Republicans in 2024. Here are a few Democrats who could get the State Senate under 30. Success requires winning three out of four of these seats. This section is revised version of Len’s Political Note #639
NCSD42. This district has a slight Democratic lean and had been represented by Rachel Hunt, daughter of four-time governor Jim Hunt. The former Senator is running for Lt. Governor. Woodson Bradley is the Democratic candidate. She has been an inspirational speaker about overcoming domestic abuse. She particularly speaks to children of junior high school age about how an emotionally abusive relationship is not normal. Running an insurance sales and real estate business with her first husband, the 2009 real estate crisis and her husband’s abuse nearly destroyed her life. She sustained a small real estate business, received public assistance, and, by 2019, was supplementing her real estate earnings with work as a personal trainer, her inspirational talks, and other work including managing the venue for the North Carolina Special Olympics. Now she is putting her energy and her knowledge of women’s issues into running for office.
Her Republican opponent is Stacie McGinn. Originally from New Mexico, a graduate of Baylor and Georgetown’s Law School, her political experience began in the Reagan administration. She became a partner in a large law firm, focused on mergers and acquisitions, and served as Deputy General Counsel to Bank of America. In her semi-retirement, she became a conservative activist focused on electing conservatives, funding Republican poll watchers, and getting the legislature to pass a parents’ bill of rights with regard to public schools. As a state senator, she promises to end the “false narrative” that policing is racist. Help Woodson Bradley keep this seat Democratic. DONATE. She is up against a candidate with considerable resources.
NCSD18 Terence Everitt is an attorney and Member of the House of Representatives in Northern Wake County. He has a BA from Rutgers and a JD from Catholic University, which is where he met his North Carolina wife who persuaded him that North Carolina was the place to settle and raise their children. He practices business law in Wake Forest, has been active in the Chamber of Commerce, and was going to retire from the legislature when Senate District 18 became open. Terence Everitt opted to remain in politics – leading with one particular issue. He would continue to work to protect women’s right to an abortion. He is also an education advocate and points to North Carolina’s 43rd rank in education spending and to teachers who move across state lines to get a $10,000 raise. He argues for the importance of neutralizing the power of a Republican legislature which has:
- reduced environmental protections in the name of business
- cut corporate taxes while increasing sales taxes on goods and services — disproportionally affecting local small business
- opposed gun safety measures
- gerrymandered Congressional and state legislative districts
Terence Everitt’s opponent is Ashley Bryan Adams. She is a graduate of Meredith College and owns an event planning business — POUR Services and the Southerland Estate and Gardens. She argues that reduced regulations and lower taxes foster a better business environment and school choice improves schools. Help Terence Everitt eliminate the Republican supermajority. DONATE
NCSD07 David Hill is running against incumbent Michael Lee for this Wilmington based district. Born and raised in Memphis, he got his BA from Rice and his medical degree from the University of Texas. He moved to North Carolina for his residency in the University of North Carolina medical system and settled in Wilmington to practice as a pediatrician. Now he is running for the North Carolina Senate. He explains that when he takes care of children, he looks at the entirely of their experience – from housing to schooling to personal safety. He particularly notes that children in rural North Carolina do not get the kind of care and housing and schooling and safety they deserve. He deplores the legislature involving itself in the practice of medicine. He would have the legislature accept the extension of Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. David Hill’s opponent, Michael Lee, has been in the state Senate for two terms. A commercial real estate attorney, he would cut personal and corporate income taxes while funding education and increased teacher pay and improving the environment. He would pay for these increased expenses by tripling the incentives for the film industry to operate in North Carolina. Help David Hill bring to the state Senate a better understanding of and more rational solution to North Carolina’s needs. DONATE to David Hill’s campaign.
NCSD11 James Mercer retired from the military as a Lt. Colonel. In civilian life, he has served as a police officer, firefighter and EMT. Now he is challenging Republican Sen. Lisa Barnes in SD-11 in this district at the Virginia border. He is Director of Military Services at North Carolina Wesleyan University and is the Chair of the Nash Community College Board of Trustees. He was appointed to the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission, which advises the state’s political leadership about the relationship between the state and its several military installations, about how they fit with both the national defense and the state’s economy. He has been a consultant on emergency management for the City of Raleigh, Edgecombe County, and Fayetteville State University. For most of his career, he served in the Army Reserves.
James Mercer is running against Incumbent Lisa Stone Barnes. Born in Nash County, she is a graduate of North Carolina State. She completed a legal studies assistant program at Meredith College and an Associate’s Degree at Peace College. Married to Johnny Barnes, President of Barnes Farming Corporation, she was elected a Nash Commissioner in 2012 based on her opposition to a poultry plant. Six years later she defeated a gerrymandered, incumbent Democrat for the State House of Representatives. Two years later, in 2020, she defeated an incumbent Democrat for the State Senate.
Barnes says “the government’s main function is to balance the budget, control spending, and keep taxes low, so that individuals and communities can continue to excel and reach their highest potential.” She praises education in North Carolina and points out that she and the legislature have voted, six years in a row, to give teachers raises. She also praises the variety of educational choices parents have. Regarding health care, she is proud of her vote for North Carolina to adopt the Medicaid portion of the Affordable Care Act. She leads off her statement about improving the economy by noting her vote to “cut state income taxes in half [and to make] the first $25,000 of every North Carolina family income completely tax-free”
Regarding the crucial issue of women’s reproductive healthcare, James Mercer is endorsed by Planned Parenthood. Help him win this race. DONATE.
NCSD04 Raymond Smith Jr.’s response to gerrymandering Assembly districts was to run for the State Senate. Formerly, the minority whip in the House, he had particular interest in education issues and was focused on equity. A graduate of North Carolina A&T, he has a Master’s degree from North Carolina Central and a doctorate from Fayetteville State University. His proposed approach to his most important issues – education, economic development, and crime reduction is to rely on research and community forums. Legislators, he argues, would understand what the state needs from forums and develop plans derived from research and community input. He is running against the incumbent, Eldon Sharpe Newton III who prefers the use of his nickname “Buck.” An Assemblyman and then a State Senator, he interrupted his term in office to run for Attorney General, losing to Josh Stein by 25,000 votes. He has returned to the State Senate having made himself well known for urging that North Carolina be kept “straight,” and telling people who waive rainbow flags to get used to things the way they have been in North Carolina. He has also promised to “end the barbaric practice of abortion.” He further declares himself the enemy of “liberal activist judges.” Help Raymond Smith Jr defeat this guy. DONATE.
The North Carolina Challenge
There is probably no other state with quite as stark a difference in the lineups of Democrats against Republicans. Donate to each of the Assembly and Senate candidates listed above to prevent Republicans from having a supermajority. Donate to the statewide candidates, too. Or make an oversized donation to the NC State Democratic Party. More than any other state party, North Carolina has, in the young Anderson Clayton, a kind of rock star Chair. DONATE to the NC Democratic Party
For Governor Attorney General Josh Stein v extremist Lt Governor Mark Robinson See Len’s Political Note #574 DONATE
For Lt. Governor State Senator Rachel Hunt v Insider Pol Hal Weatherman See Len’s Political Note #627 DONATE
For Secretary of State Incumbent Elaine Marshall v extreme conservative former mayor Chad Brown See Len’s Political Note #626 DONATE
For Superintendent of Public Instruction Foundation Head, Attorney, and former school superintendent Maurice (Mo) Green v activist opponent of public schools Michelle Morrow. See Len’s Political Note #628 DONATE
For Justice of the Supreme Court Incumbent Allison Riggs v Conservative Judge Jefferson Griffin. See Len’s Political Note #594 DONATE
For Congressional District NC 01 Incumbent Don Davis v retired army colonel and businesswoman Laurie Buckholt. See Len’s Political Note #577 DONATE
WE ALSO HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO WIN
Donate to Kamala Harris
As we look toward November, 2024, help sustain the enthusiasm for Kamala Harris campaign and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz. Together, they are a phenomenon. They have raised a lot of money and will raise more. They will need considerable resources to win. Every donation, large or small, makes a difference. Larger donations mean more money for the campaign. The media also counts the number of small donations as a measure of enthusiasm for the candidate. Make a small donation if you cannot afford a large one. DONATE TO KAMALA HARRIS AND TIM WALZ.
