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March 7th, 2024 Political Note #627 Rachel Hunt North Carolina Lt. Governor
2024 General Election
Consider family values in politics. Rachel Hunt’s probable opponent (He faces a runoff for the Republican nomination) Hal Weatherman was Dan Forest’s Chief of Staff from 2013 to 2021 when Forest was North Carolina’s Lt. Governor. Before that he worked for Sue Myrick, Dan Forest’s mother. Myrick represented North Carolina in Congress. He promised “I would give her two years and instead did 18 years with her, worked my way up to chief of staff, ran all of her campaigns. Sue was like my second mom”
After serving as mayor of Charlotte, Sue Myrick was elected to Congress in time for the Newt Gingrich revolution. An early Gingrich ally, she was among the most conservative members of his Congress. She chaired the Republican Study Committee (Think Tea Party). Think of Hal Weatherman as Dan Forest’s step brother and Sue Myrick’s step son.
Dan Forest lost the 2020 race for Governor to Roy Cooper, who is now retiring after completing the maximum of two terms. Hal Weatherman became chief of staff and not exactly the “step father” of the “delinquent” juvenile Madison Cawthorn – the failed, one term, extreme rightist member of the North Carolina Congressional delegation.
Rachel Hunt’s family connections are not complicated. Her dad, Jim Hunt, was Lt. Governor of North Carolina for a term that began in 1972 and then governor for 16 years — two terms after being elected in 1976; two more terms after being elected in 1992. In between, he lost a race for the US Senate to Jesse Helms.
Hunt was not a 21st century progressive governor, He supported the death penalty and oversaw 13 executions. He supported his state’s tobacco industry and called for impeaching Reagan’s Surgeon General Everett Koop when Koop accused the tobacco industry of intentionally advertising to children without regard to the danger to their lives. A tepid supporter of the wrongly convicted Wilmington Ten, when the state courts refused to dismiss charges against them, her reduced their sentences instead of pardoning them. The son of a teacher, as Governor he effected improvements in the state’s education system including introducing public pre-schools, setting higher standards for teachers and introducing statewide testing as a way of making schools more accountable. He improved the business climate by promoting technology and technology-based improvements.
Rachel Hunt came to electoral politics late. A graduate of UNC and UNC Law School, she was moved to consider electoral politics by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss to Donald Trump. Before that decision, she practiced law, served on boards focused on education, founded a business helping students and families search for colleges, and was at home as much as she could with her children. Rachel Hunt was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2018 by 68 votes and in 2020 by 4,800 votes. She was elected to the state senate in 2022 by 8,000 votes. In 2024, Rachel Hunt won the Democratic primary for Lt. Governor with 70% of the vote.
The position Rachel Hunt is running for now is not necessarily a great prize. Aside from filling in for the Governor temporarily or succeeding the Governor in case of death, the Lt. Governor presides over the state Senate, sits on several boards (among them three associated with education and two associated with public safety). The Lt. Governor also has the authority to make appointments to several other state boards.
The Lt. Governor can disrupt the course of decision-making especially when he or she is of a different party than the governor, Rachel Hunt has commented on the current Lt. Governor Mark Robinson. “I’ve had a front row seat to the damage that Lt. Gov. Robinson has done to our state and the office. North Carolinians deserve leaders that are focused on the right priorities like expanding access to affordable health care, increasing the minimum wage, increasing the minimum wage, investing in our schools, and cleaning up the water we drink and air we breathe.”
Robinson has been criticized for his extreme views and statements on cultural issues including opposition to sex education in schools, criticisms of members of the LGBTQ community, his advocacy for a complete ban on abortion, and his holocaust denial. Hal Weatherman may not be as extreme. At least he is unlikely to be as loose-lipped as Robertson. But Weatherman is a follower of both Jim Hunt and Mark Robinson in one important way – he sees himself as eventually governor of North Carolina. Stop him now.
DONATE TO RACHEL HUNT. Support her campaign. And while you do support that campaign, remember how important North Carolina is nationally. If Joe Biden carries North Carolina in the presidential election, he is likely to win reelection.
This does not quite conclude a series on candidates for office in North Carolina. I will encourage support for some candidates running for the North Carolina legislature. At another time.
North Carolina races to support now
Governor
Attorney General Josh Stein is the overwhelming favorite to be the Democratic nominee for Governor. Can Democrats keep this as a Democratic office? Josh Stein built law and order credentials by focusing on on-line sexual predators and leading the law suit against the purveyors of opioids. His opponent will be Lt. Governor Mark Robinson – so much an extreme right figure, he is both dangerous and hard to take seriously enough for being how dangerous he would be in office. Earlier in February Axios reported that Josh Stein had $11.5 million for his campaign; Mark Robinson had $4.3 million. Keep that lead. DONATE TO JOSH STEIN. See Len’s Political Note #574
Lt. Governor
Rachel Hunt, daughter of a dominant North Carolina governor, came to electoral politics only after the 2016 Clinton loss. She started in the state legislature where she served three terms and promises to focus on children and families, health care and women’s right to health care. She won the Democratic primary with 70%. Her probable opponent led the Republican primary with 20% of the vote and will need to win a runoff. DONATE TO RACHEL HUNT.
Attorney General
Congressman Jeff Jackson is the overwhelming favorite to be the Democratic nominee for Attorney General. Republican gerrymandering of Congressional seats made Jeff Jackson’s seat impossible for a Democrat to win. In Congress, he sought to eliminate poverty by increasing the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid, increasing support for affordable housing, and increasing support for K-12 and college and university education. His Republican opponent is Congressman Dan Bishop. As a State Senator, he led the effort to pass a bill to ensure that public bathrooms were used according to the gender appropriate to the birth gender of the users. Jeff Jackson had $1.8 million according to Axios’s report; Dan Bishop had $1.3 million. Help Jeff Jackson stay ahead in the money race and win the election. DONATE TO JEFF JACKSON. See Len’s Political Note #597
Secretary of State
Incumbent Secretary of State Elaine Marshall will be opposed by a county commissioner, a political consultant, or a health care executive. Chad Brown is running on his experience as a professional athlete; the other two appear to rely heavily on their religiosity. DONATE TO ELAINE MARSHALL. See Len’s Political Note #626
Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, a former head of an activist civil rights legal organization, was appointed to the Court. In her obligatory run for election, she is opposed by Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin. Supporters describe him as having the experience to be the next conservative justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court – a court which currently has 5 Republicans to 2 Democrats. NC Newsline reports that Allison Riggs started 2024 with about $300,000 in campaign funds while Jefferson Griffin had $700,000. DONATE TO ALLISON RIGGS. She needs every dollar you can contribute See Len’s Political Note #594
DO NOT FORGET. WE HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO WIN
Support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
As we look toward November, 2024, Help sustain the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaign. March polls include two with Biden leads of a point, one which is even, and two with Trump leads of between 2 and 4 points. Every donation, large or small, makes a difference. Larger donations mean more money for the campaign. But large numbers of small donations are a measure of enthusiasm for the candidate. Make a small donation if you cannot afford a large one. DONATE TO JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/web-bfp-december-2023
#9 in the Stephenson County, IL list of Biden accomplishments: Passed the COVID-19 relief deal that provided payments of up to $1,400 to many struggling US citizens while supporting renters and increasing unemployment benefits.
