SUPPLY, N.C. — A day after confirming he wouldn’t be a candidate for Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday at a public event that he’s excited that Democrats “have a lot of great options for her to choose from.”
North Carolina
MEAC champ North Carolina Central hopes to reverse past Celebration Bowl heartbreak
NORFOLK, Va. – In 2016, the primary – and final – time North Carolina Central College went to the Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Trei Oliver had simply accomplished his first season as a defensive coordinator for Southern College, and most of the gamers on NCCU’s present roster have been nonetheless in highschool.
North Carolina Central quarterback Davius “Pee Wee” Richard didn’t watch the sport however mentioned he has heard about how the Eagles misplaced: After NCCU scored a landing within the ultimate minutes with Grambling State within the lead at 10-9, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty prolonged the additional level try to 35 yards. Grambling finally blocked the try, inflicting the Eagles to lose 10-9 and giving the Southwestern Athletic Convention (SWAC) its solely Celebration Bowl victory thus far.
“I used to be standing up the entire time. [When he missed the kick,] I simply sat down in my seat. I used to be in disbelief,” mentioned former North Carolina Central participant Joshua Sims-Crowell, a member of the Eagles workforce that made the soar from Division II to Division I to hitch the Mid-Japanese Athletic Convention (MEAC) as a full-time member in 2011. “As an alum at the moment having to see all these items from the varsity down the hallway [North Carolina A&T] to essentially poke enjoyable at us [and] discuss us being the one faculty within the MEAC that misplaced, how we misplaced, they usually coined it as a really North Carolina Central vogue. It nonetheless impacts me to at the present time.”
As a North Carolina Central alumnus himself, Oliver is conscious of the heartbreak the fan base suffered six years in the past. He hopes to guide the workforce to a happier ending this season, following the Eagles’ dominant 48-14 victory Saturday over Norfolk State. The win secured the MEAC’s automated bid to the Celebration Bowl and the Eagles’ second journey there.
“I’m so enthusiastic about it. I believed we performed effectively tonight, effectively [and] ok to win the sport,” Oliver mentioned Saturday. “However we labored actually onerous all offseason. Guys sacrificed their summer season breaks and holidays to offer themselves the chance to have the ability to go to a championship recreation and win a championship.
“It begins all yr lengthy and all through the summer season, so far as the tradition and being disciplined. So I don’t suppose that we’ll have any bonehead penalties like that, that value us the sport,” Oliver mentioned. “You have got to have the ability to climate the distractions. There’s gonna be a whole lot of distractions in Atlanta. We simply must proceed to remain targeted, and I believed the blokes have executed a very good job up till this level with that.”
All through the season, the Eagles have attributed their success to their focus, particularly after early losses to South Carolina State and Campbell. A season in the past, a loss to South Carolina State value North Carolina Central a visit to the Celebration Bowl. This season, South Carolina State’s three losses and North Carolina Central’s skill to win its remaining convention video games paved the way in which for the Eagles to win a share of the convention title and the bowl berth.
The Eagles will face Tennessee Tech on Saturday with nothing on the road apart from pleasure, however Richard doesn’t consider the workforce will lose focus after engaging in its purpose.
“That’s probably not gonna be the problem, for actual. We executed been via lots this season. Holding the main target, that’s not gonna be an issue. We may have misplaced focus again after we misplaced to South Carolina State. However we push via it. We may have misplaced focus after we misplaced to Campbell, however push via it,” Richard mentioned. “We’re gonna benefit from the win. Monday we’re again within the lab. It’s an entire totally different ballgame. We battle on the market.”
Sims-Crowell offers a whole lot of credit score to Oliver for turning across the program and to the following technology of Eagles gamers for upholding the North Carolina Central customary.
“We anticipate to be in these conditions. … We all know that that is the place we’re presupposed to be more often than not. However this is a chance for us to have the ability to actually present the world … [A win] would imply that we’ve now re-arrived at the usual and we’ve reestablished ourselves,” Sims-Crowell mentioned. “I’m enthusiastic about us getting the possibility to essentially present the world that is who we’re. That is what we do.”
Earlier this season, after North Carolina Central defeated rival North Carolina A&T within the Duke’s Mayo Traditional and upset New Hampshire, which was ranked No. 25, the Eagles briefly entered the FCS High 25 ballot.
No different MEAC groups dominated the convention in the course of the season. These circumstances and North Carolina Central’s powerful schedule have ready the Eagles to defend the MEAC’s crown.
“We play a really bodily model of soccer on this convention,” Oliver mentioned. “It often begins with the run [and] often fairly good quarterback play. But it surely’s a grind each week, and you need to deliver your A-game.”
Oliver will stroll into the Celebration Bowl for the primary time as a head coach, however he gained’t lack expertise. He was the defensive backs coach at North Carolina A&T in 2015 when the Aggies performed within the inaugural Celebration Bowl. Oliver’s secondary had a deflection and anchored the Aggies’ purpose line stand within the ultimate minutes to assist make them a victory, the primary of 4 Celebration Bowl titles the Aggies would win.
Oliver is conversant in SWAC soccer and its type of play from his Celebration Bowl expertise and three seasons as a defensive coordinator within the convention. Since changing into coach of the Eagles in 2019, Oliver is 1-1 towards SWAC opponents: In 2021, the Eagles defeated Alcorn State of their season opener on the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Problem however misplaced a recreation by one level to Mississippi Valley State later within the season.
The Eagles’ Celebration Bowl opponent gained’t be identified till the SWAC championship recreation Dec. 3.
“No matter who we play, the followers are going to journey deep,” Oliver mentioned. “They are going to try to create a hostile surroundings.”
The MEAC leads the Celebration Bowl sequence 5-1, and is at the moment using a four-game profitable streak, one MEAC commissioner Sonja Stills believes will proceed.
“North Carolina Central has had an excellent workforce and had an excellent run this season. The very best workforce goes to characterize us on the Celebration Bowl and I couldn’t be happier,” Stills mentioned. “MEAC has at all times had excellent soccer, and we’ve proven that with our streak within the Celebration Bowl, and I anticipate nothing much less going into 2022 in Atlanta. North Carolina Central Eagles are going to do their factor.”
Cooper, barred by term limits from seeking reelection this year, had been among roughly a dozen potential contenders that Harris’ team was initially looking at for a vice presidential pick. He’s been a surrogate for President Joe Biden’s reelection bid and now for Harris.
“I am going to work every day to see that she is elected,” Cooper told WECT-TV. “I believe that she will win, and I look forward to this campaign because she has the right message and she is the right person for this country.”
In making his decision, Cooper confirmed Tuesday that he was concerned in part about what Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson could do if he left the state to campaign as part of the Democratic ticket. The state constitution says that “during the absence of the Governor from the State … the Lieutenant Governor shall be Acting Governor.” Robinson is running for governor this fall.
“We had concerns that he would try to seize the limelight because there would be a lot, if I were the vice presidential candidate, on him, and that would be a real distraction to the presidential campaign,” Cooper said.
Cooper pointed to when he traveled to Japan last fall on an economic development trip. As acting governor at the time, Robinson held a news conference during his absence to announce he had issued a “NC Solidarity with Israel Week” proclamation after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack inside the country.
Cooper also said Tuesday that he informed Harris’ campaign “early in the process” that he would not be a candidate, but that he didn’t reveal publicly that decision at first so as not to dampen enthusiasm for Harris within the party.
“My name had already been prominently put into the media and so I did not want to cause any problems for her or to slow her great momentum,” he told WRAL-TV while in Supply, located about 160 miles (258 kilometers) south of Raleigh. Cooper said he announced his decision when “there had begun to be a lot of speculation about the fact that I was not going to be in the pool of candidates, and in order to avoid the distraction of the speculation.”
Tuesday’s event at Green Swamp Preserve celebrated a $421 million grant for projects in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland to reduce climate pollution. The money will be used to preserve, enhance or restore coastal habitats, forests and farmland, Cooper’s office said.
The state of North Carolina is uber-important to the Tennessee Volunteers on the recruiting trail and should only get more important in the coming years.
The Tennessee Volunteers are currently on a hot streak on the recruiting trail. They added commitments from Toombs County safety Lagonza Hayward and Derby High School tight end Da’Saahn Brame over the weekend, putting them at the No. 8 overall class in the 2025 cycle. They still have several important announcements in the near future, several from the state of North Carolina.
The Vols have been adamant about successfully recruiting the state of North Carolina for years, and as more blue-chip talent continues to come from the Tarheel state, the more Tennessee will spend its time within that footprint. They’re firmly in the race for Providence Day School offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who ranks as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 class. He announces his decision on August 17th, and the North Carolina native is quite high on the Vols.
Additionally, Grimsley High School quarterback Faizon Brandon decides between Alabama, LSU, North Carolina State, and Tennessee this weekend. The No. 9 prospect in the 2026 class also hails from North Carolina and is Tennessee’s top target at the quarterback position.
There are plenty of examples of future standouts coming from the state and past ones who’ve made an impact at the University of Tennessee – the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 was North Carolina native Jaylen Wright, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel met with the media ahead of fall camp and discussed why they continue investing so much in the state.
“It is a border state,” Heupel explained to media on Tuesday. “For us, we believe and look at it and view it as part of our footprint. We are intentional in how we recruit that state.”
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Enthusiasm is growing among Asian Americans in North Carolina.
With Kamala Harris stepping into the race and the potential for the country’s first president of Asian American heritage, it’s ignited excitement in the community.
“I’ve already participated in a half dozen Zoom calls about ways members of the Asian American community can help and turn out the vote,” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County.
Harris marked many “firsts” when she became vice president after the 2020 election: she was the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American in that position. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian.
Now she has the opportunity to become the first Asian American presidential candidate if she secures the Democratic Party’s nomination.
“What people are excited about is recognizing the historical significance of it, that her lived experiences as an Asian American and Black woman really bring a different, inclusive level of representation to the highest level of government,” North Carolina Asian Americans Together communications director Jimmy Patel-Nguyen said.
The organization is focused on channeling that energy into voter outreach efforts, as well as raising awareness and education about key down ballot races.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander population in North Carolina has steadily increased in recent years.
It’s grown 63.3 percent since 2012 for a population size of about 456,655 in 2024, according to AAPIVote — a nonpartisan group dedicated to strengthening civic engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
There are roughly 235,900 eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in North Carolina, marking a 55.4 percent growth in voter eligibility from 2012 to 2022.
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up 2.97 percent of the electorate in the swing state. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump narrowly won North Carolina by less than 75,000 votes.
“It’s really important for us to acknowledge that major campaigns cannot ignore us anymore,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We are too consequential to elections — every election, local, state, and federal, where we’re changing the political landscape in North Carolina.”
The population is concentrated around urban areas. Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, and Orange counties have the highest proportions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Nearly 60 percent of Asian American adults in North Carolina speak a language other than English at home, according to AAPIVote.
Along with low voter contact, language barriers have accounted for low voter turnout for Asian Americans.
“We do see the gaps when it comes to language access and communication,” Rep. Maria Cervania, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County, said. “We know that we need to continue that and more so now.”
That’s why groups like NCAAT work to make voting as accessible as possible. In the past, NCAAT has translated mailers into different languages and made an effort to reach out to voters in their native tongue.
Another issue is avoiding treating the Asian American community as a monolith. With so many different backgrounds and cultures, there’s a wide variety of views across the political spectrum.
“A majority of AAPI voters in North Carolina are registered unaffiliated,” Patel-Nguyen said. “We’re really independent thinkers who are voting on issues and not all party lines.”
Top issues vary for individual voters, but there are general themes.
Younger voters prioritize lowering the cost of living, protecting abortion access and reproductive rights, and making healthcare more affordable, according to a poll by NCAAT. Older voters are more concerned about crime and public safety, as well as the economy and job creation.
The Harris campaign has invested more money into more media than ever in order to reach Asian American voters, according to the campaign.
“In just the first week since Vice President Harris became the presumptive nominee of our party, we’ve seen a groundswell of support from AANHPI voters across North Carolina who are fired up to elect Kamala Harris as the first Asian American president in U.S. history,” according to Natalie Murdock, the campaign’s North Carolina political and coalitions director.
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