Rev-elution Election Endorsements: State General Assembly & Judicial Seats

 endorsements for the north carolina state senate and house of representative seats are easy. Stick with the Democratic Party Incumbents.

The group representing Durham has done a good job in fighting a group of narrow-minded Republican’s intent on maintaining their control. It’s hard for Democrats over in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Rev-elution endorses Natalie Murdock (Senate District 20), Mike Woodard (Senate District 22), Ray Jeffers (House District 002), Vernetta Alston (House District 029), Marcia Morey (House District 030) and Zack Hawkins (House District 031).

The judicial seats are often the most difficult for voters to decide, with many approaching it with either a coin toss or a recommendation from a close friend. The law is the law, but recent court rulings verify the merit in taking these votes seriously.

Rev-elution endorses Lucy Inman for NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 03 and Sam J. Ervin IV for NC Supreme Court Associate Justice Seat 05.

The endorsement for NC Court of Appeals Seat 08 goes to North Carolina Central University Law School graduate Carolyn Thompson.  NC Court of Appeals Seat 09 goes to Sanford, NC Democrat Brad Salmon. Rev-elution endorses Gale Murray Adams, a North Carolina Central University Law School graduate, for NC Court of Appeals Seat 10 and Darren Jackson, appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2020, to continue his service as judge on NC Court of Appeals Seat 11.

Local Judicial Seats

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it, is the verdict regarding Durham judge seats. Rev-elution endorses Brian C. Wilks as Superior Court Judge in Judicial District 14B. Governor Roy Cooper appointed Wilks to fill the vacant seat formerly held by James E. Hardin on Aug 5, 2021.

Feedback from people working at the courthouse is extremely favorable in support of Dave Hall to continue as NC District Court Judge District 14 Seat 01. Rev-elution endorses Doretta Walker, who assumed office on January 3, 2011, for re-election for District Court Judge District 14 Seat 02, Dorothy Harrison Mitchell, appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Dec 6, 2021, for District Court Judge District Court 14 Seat 04 and Clayton Jones to serve a second term as District Court Judge Court Seat 05. Rev-elution endorses Amanda L. Maris for re-election as District Court Judge Court 06 Seat.

Rev-elution endorses Pat Evans, who assumed office on January 3, 2011, for a final term as Judge District 14 Seat 03. Evans, who ages out as a judge at the end of her term if re-elected, has been instrumental in leading conversations aimed at fostering alliances to curtail gang-related violence in Durham.

Satana Deberry was elected District Attorney by voters in 2018 during a national wave of interest to reform the criminal justice system. Rev-elution endorses Deberry because of her ongoing commitment in reducing unnecessary court involvement and incarceration when safety is not at risk. Rev-elution believes Durham County is leading a national conversation involving the reform of the criminal legal system, making Deberry’s re-election critical in maintaining that focus.

Jonathon Wilson, 38, challenger in the District Attorney race, is the type of candidate Rev-elution hopes to see in future elections for public office.

It’s time to make a change in the office of Durham County Clerk of Superior Court. Archie Smith III assumed office in 2002. Things may not be broken, but it feels like things have been stuck.

Rev-elution endorses Aminah Thompson for Durham County Clerk of Superior Court due to her forward-thinking approach to the office. She wants to utilize metrics that measure court performance, create a community-based law library, establish night courts and remote settings to alleviate barriers to attending court.

Rev-elution endorses Clarence Birkhead for a second term as Durham County Sheriff. His bold and uncompromising commitment to not cooperate with ICE, to not honor ICE detainers, to not participate in ICE roundups and checkpoints for immigration purposes are critical to citizens in Durham.

up next: durham county board of education

 

Rev-elution Election Endorsements: U.S. Senate and House of Representatives

primary and election early voting begins in Durham on April 28. It’s a quick turnaround after state lawmakers altered a redistricting plan. 

Over the next three days, Rev-elution offers endorsements for every office on the Durham County ballot. This time-consuming process takes into consideration variables reflective of the interest to Durham’s Black and Brown citizens.

Today, United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.

United States Senate

Eleven Democrats filed to replace Richard Burr who steps down after 18 years in the Senate. In addition, 14 Republicans and one Libertarian join the race.

The Republican Party

This is a three-person race between former N.C Governor Pat McCrory, U.S. Congressman Ted Budd and former U.S. Congressman Mark Walker.

Budd, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, represents North Carolina’s 13^th District which includes Rowan County in the Charlotte metro area. His campaign focuses on immigration, religious liberty and the economy.

Walker represented North Carolina’s 6^th U.S. House District from 2015-2021. The district includes the Triad cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. A former pastor, Walker considered challenging Senator Thom Tillis in the 2020 primary, but backed out after Trump endorsed Tillis.

Recent opinion polls have Tillis leading with 29 percent of supporters compared to 20 percent for Budd and 11 percent for Walker.

Rev-elution offers no endorsement in the Republican Party Primary

The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party Primary is a less competitive race between Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the NC Supreme Court, Tobias LaGrone, a small business owner, pastor and counselor and Beaufort, NC Mayor Rett Newton.

Beasley narrowly lost her race to remain on the supreme court to Republican Paul Newby in 2020. She was appointed to serve on the bench by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2019.

LaGrone, who identifies as a conservative, is a pro-life Democrat. His platform focuses on access to tech data, transparency in hiring, increasing tax credits for childcare and the establishment of a national law enforcement malpractice registry.

Newton, a retired Air Force officer, told the News & Observer he was inspired to run for Senate after witnessing the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Rev-elution endorses Cheri Beasley based on her background and platform aimed at reforming America’s criminal justice system, emphasis on fixing America’s immigration system and improving housing affordability.

united states house of representative's district #4

The race to fill the seat held by Congressman David Price beginning in 1987-1995 and again in 1997 until his pending retirement at the end of 2022, is packed with a diverse group of contenders.

Nida Allam, a member of the Durham Board of County Commissioners, entered the race shortly after Price announced his retirement. Allam, the first Muslim woman ever elected to public office in North Carolina, is the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants. Born in Ottawa, Canada, she was raised in Wake County and graduated from North Carolina State University.

She supports the Green New Deal and promotes becoming a member of “The Squad” - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ihan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) – four women of color elected during the 2018 midterm elections.

She enters the race with a considerable war chest built from support outside of Durham. Allam, 28, has served as a member of the board of commissioners for less than two years. Her tenure is marked with heavy disapproval from Black leaders due to her lack of support for former Durham County Manager Wendell Davis. Allam cast a vote not to renew Davis’ contract after members of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People (DCABP) assumed a promise that she would support renewing the contract.

Valerie Foushee represents Chatham and Orange Counties as a member of the state senate. She began her public service as a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board in 1997. She is the first Black woman elected to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, leaving to serve in the NC House of Representatives and later joining the NC Senate.

Foushee is a primary Senate Sponsor, with Mike Woodard (D-Durham), of SB 646, the Marijuana Justice and Reinvestment Act. The bill sets a series of definitions related to cannabis, establishes the Office of Social Equity and several funds within the Department of Public Safety, authorizes the personal use and possession of cannabis for persons 21 years of age or older and provides protection for patients and caregivers related to the possession or purchase of cannabis for medical use.

Foushee supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, ending privatized prisons and supports increased regulation and funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and increased investments into green transit. Passage of the Green New Deal is one of her top priorities.

Richard Watkins entered the race after shifting interest in running for U.S. Senate. He earned his Ph. D from the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill in Microbiology and Immunology with a specialty in Virology.

Watkins received 6.5 percent of votes (4,391) in the 2018 congressional primary election. Price received 77.1 percent of votes followed by Michelle Cotton Laws with 16.4 percent of Democratic Party votes.

American Idol singer Clay Aikens is giving it another shot after losing to Republican Party incumbent Renee Ellmers in the 2014 general election for US. House of Representative in North Carolina’s 2^nd congressional district.

Stephen Valentine, director of North Carolina University’s Veteran Law Clinic, is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, receiving the Bronze Star Medal for service in Iraq.

Rev-elution has no endorsement in the Republican Party Primary

Rev-elution endorses Valerie Foushee due to her experience as a member of the board of education, board of county commissioners, state House of Representatives and service as a state senator. Rev-elution is concerned regarding Foushee’s lack of attention to the voters in Durham County.

next up: state and local judicial seats

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