North Carolina’s HB2 (the ‘bathroom bill,’ the
‘anti-anti-discrimination bill’) continues to draw scorn, disgust, organized
protest, and business/corporate threats.
For those of us without a company or sports tournament to relocate, our
best remedy is voting – but another remedy is contributing to Democratic
candidates who have a chance of beating a Republican opponent.
Certainly this includes our excellent candidates for state-wide office. At the end of this post, I’ll include a list of their campaign websites, so you can find more information about them, including how to donate. The focus here, however, is on lesser-known competitive down-ballot races, races in which small contributions might actually make a difference.
Certainly this includes our excellent candidates for state-wide office. At the end of this post, I’ll include a list of their campaign websites, so you can find more information about them, including how to donate. The focus here, however, is on lesser-known competitive down-ballot races, races in which small contributions might actually make a difference.
If we live in North
Carolina, in a competitive district, doing this is a no-brainer – we’re
probably already aware of our local races. I suggest that we also consider donating to other
Democratic candidates in districts in which they have a fighting chance to
prevail . . . and that out-of-staters who care about North Carolina and/or are revolted by our General Assembly’s latest idiocy, consider doing the same
thing. As this current communiqué from
Representative Jackson makes clear, gerrymandering has made competitive races
disgracefully rare – so it can be helpful to identify them if we want to spread
around our donations in order to help as many sensible candidates as our
finances allow.
Last week, due to
discussions on another Jeff Jackson thread (thanks Jeff!!!!), I compiled a list
of competitive races for the NC State Senate (http://debblog2015.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-modest-proposal-for-changing-north.html).
Using the Civitas list (https://www.nccivitas.org/2016/the-21-n-c-legislative-races-to-watch-in-2016/) as a base, I updated it to account
for Primary results and added website/Facebook information for Democratic
candidates, plus a very brief note about their positions/issues. I promised to do the same for competitive
races for the NC State House.
So here it is. Most races involve Democratic challengers to
Republican incumbents, but some involve vulnerable Democratic incumbents in Republican-leaning
districts. Please share this if you’re so inclined, in whatever social media you’re
comfortable with. Also considering
sharing my previous post about the vulnerable NC State Senate races.
Competitive Races for the NC General Assembly House of Representatives
District 2 ( D+0) Incumbent Larry
Yarborough (R-Person),
won by 56.7 percent in 2014 after then Rep. Winkie Wilkins (Dem) decided not to
run in 2014. Wilkins won the district in 2012 by with 56.7 percent of the vote.
Yarborough will face Democrat Joe Parrish in the General Election. Calling himself a ‘progressive
centrist,’ Parrish – who has lived in Person county since the age of five –
promises to fight for the working class and working classrooms. For more
information about Joe Parrish, and to donate, visit his website: http://www.joseph4house.com/
District 6 (R+4) Paul
Tine (U-Dare)
--who was first elected as a Democrat to the State House in 2012 (50.6%) and
re-elected in 2014 (53.6%), switched his voter registration to unaffiliated
early in 2015 and caucused with the Republicans -- decided not to run in 2016.
Republican Beverly Boswell and Democrat Warren Judge will compete in the November Election. A resident of Kitty Hawk, Judge is a Dare
County commissioner who advocates improved access to jobs, to transportation,
to voting, to education, and to medical and mental health care. For more
information about Warren Judge, and to donate, visit his website: http://www.warrenjudgefornchouse.com/
District 8 (R+1) Susan
Martin (R-Wilson),
the incumbent, was first elected to the House in 2012 when she garnered 57.2
percent of the vote. She gained strength in 2014 when she won re-election with
60.8 percent of the vote. Martin will face Democrat candidate Charlie
Pat Farris in the November
General Election. A life-long resident
of Wilson, Farris advocates improved access to high-speed internet and updating
I-95 as well as strengthening education, investing in renewable energy, and
stimulating economic development. For
more information about Charlie Pat Farris, and to donate, visit his website: http://www.charliepatfarris.com/
District 9 (R+4) While Greg Murphy (R-Pitt) is officially
the incumbent, he was appointed to the seat in October 2015 after Rep. Brian
Brown left office to work for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis. Murphy will face Democrat
Brian Farkas
in November. Besides being a champion of public education and healthy job
growth, Farkas advocates ending gerrymandering, rolling back voter suppression
measures, and reforming the campaign finance system. For more information about Brian Farkas, and
to donate, visit his website: http://brianfarkas.com/
District 35 (R+4) Incumbent Chris Malone (R-Wake) has served
two terms in the state House. In 2012 he won by 50.8 percent of the vote; in
2014 he widened the winning margin with 56.3 percent. Malone will face Democrat
Terence Everitt
in the General Election. A Wake Forest attorney, Everitt focuses on the needs
of the small business community as well as on improving North Carolina schools
and the lives of middle-class families. For more information about Terence
Everitt, and to donate, visit his website: http://www.terenceeveritt.com/
District 36 (R+4) Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) has served
six terms in the State House. In 2012 he won with 55 percent of the vote and in
2014 he won with 54.4 percent of the total vote. He will face Democrat Jennifer Ferrell and Libertarian
Brian Irving. A resident of Apex, Ferrell is committed to meeting the needs of
public schools, to child safety issues, and to improved healthcare access. For more information about Jennifer Ferrell,
and to donate, visit her website: http://www.jenferrellnc36.com/
District 40 (R+3) Five-term incumbent Marilyn Avila (R-Wake) won the
2012 and 2014 elections by carrying 53.9 percent and 54.4 percent of the vote –
respectively. She will face Democrat Joe John in the General Election. Having
served as a North Carolina prosecutor, litigation attorney and trial and
appellate court judge, John believes that the needs of the NC judicial system,
particularly in the area of technology, have long been ignored. He is also an advocate of non-partisan
redistricting and of strengthening public education. For more information about Joe John, and to
donate, visit his website: http://www.joejohnnchouse.com/
District 41 (R+0) Democrat incumbent Gale
Adcock (D-Wake)
beat two-term Republican incumbent Tom Murry in 2014 by winning 51.3 percent of
the vote. One of the Democrats in an “R+” district, Adcock will face
Republican Chris M. Shoffner in the General Election. A Nurse Practitioner, Adcock has served as
president of the North Carolina Nurses Association and is adjunct faculty at
Duke, UNC, and ECU. She is also Cary’s
mayor pro tem. She is dedicated to
preserving public education, creating jobs, ensuring access to quality health
care, and protecting the environment. For more information about Gale Adcock,
and to donate, visit her website: http://www.galeadcock.com/
District 45 (R+3) Two-term incumbent John Szoka (R-Cumberland) was
unopposed in the 2014 election. He won his first election in 2012 with 56.4
percent of the vote. Szoka will face Democrat Roberta Waddle in the General Election. As of now, Waddle does not seem to have a
campaign website, nor can I find information about her political platform. She does have a personal Facebook page, which
indicates her political interests: https://www.facebook.com/roberta.waddle
District 49 (R+1) Republican incumbent Gary Pendleton (R-Wake) was
appointed in August 2014 to replace Jim Fulghum who died while in office.
Pendleton won with 51.6 percent of the vote in 2014. Fulghum won 54 percent of
the vote in District 49 in 2012. Pendleton will face
Democrat Cynthia Ball
and Libertarian David Ulmer in the November, General Election. With years of
experience in mediation and institutional development, in both the public and private sectors, Raleigh resident Ball
advocates for strong public schools and a vibrant middle class. For more information about Cynthia Ball, and
to donate, visit her website: http://www.cynthiafornc.com/
District 51 (R+5) First-term incumbent Democrat Brad
Salmon (D-Harnett)
beat two-term incumbent Mike Stone in 2014 by 1,573 votes (53.9 percent of the
vote). Stone first won the district in 2010 with 53.5 percent of the vote and
again in 2012 with 52 percent. In 2016 Salmon will face Republican candidate John Sauls in the November General Election. Salmon backs economic development and
improving public education, with an emphasis on community college initiatives; he
did, however, vote for HB2. To
learn more about Brad Salmon, and to make a donation, visit his website: http://www.electbradsalmon.com
District 92 (D+1) A Republican in a “D+” district,
incumbent Charles Jeter, (R-Mecklenburg) has
served two terms in the State House. He won with 51.4 percent of the vote
in 2012 and with 52.5 percent of the vote in 2014. In this year’s primary, he
beat his Republican challenger – Tom Davis – by
only 28 votes; it’s unclear whether there will be a recount. The winner of the
Republican Primary will face Democrat Chaz Beasley in the General Election. Beasley, an attorney and native North
Carolinian, supports investing in NC public education, promoting equality, and
strengthening the economy. For more
information about Chaz Beasley, and to donate, visit his website: http://www.chazbeasley.com/
District 115 (R+1) First-term incumbent John
Ager (D-Buncombe)
is one of the Democrats in an “R+” district. Ager upset a Republican incumbent
in 2014 (Nathan Ramsey) by winning 50.8 percent of the vote. Ramsey had won an
open seat (vacated by a Democrat) in 2012 with 54.3 percent of the vote. Ager
will face Republican Frank
Moretz in the November
Election. Among Ager’s issues are
raising teacher pay, expanding Medicaid, and preventing environmental
pollution. For more information about
John Ager, and to donate, visit his website: http://www.electjohnager.org/
District 116 (R+5)* Incumbent Brian
Turner is a Democrat in an R+5 District. In 2014,
Turner defeated two-term Representative Tim Moffitt with 50.8 percent of the
vote; Turner will face Republican Kay Olsen in the
General Election. Turner emphasizes the
importance of a strong public educational system and help for locally owned
small business. For more information
about Brian Turner, and to donate, visit his website: http://www.turnerfornchouse.com/#about
District 119 (D+1) Incumbent, Joe
Sam Queen (D-Haywood) has served two terms in the House (he also served
two terms in the state Senate). Queen won the 2012 race with 51.7 percent of
the vote and the 2014 race with 52.5 percent of the vote. In November he will
face Republican Mike
Clampitt, whom he defeated in
2014 and 2012. Queen’s issues include healthcare, education, and the
environment. His website is currently
down, or is being rebuilt, but he does have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/joesamqueennc/
