Connect with us

North Carolina

The race to the middle in North Carolina’s ‘soccer mom district’

Published

on

The race to the middle in North Carolina’s ‘soccer mom district’


Picture illustration: Axios Visuals. Photographs: North Carolina Basic Meeting and courtesy of Mark Cavaliero

Come Election Day, North Carolina’s “soccer mother district” will function an indicator of which occasion broke via to a number of the state’s swingiest voters: suburban white girls.

The district, higher often known as Senate District 17, nicknamed for its rich, family-friendly inhabitants, is at the moment represented by a soccer mother herself — Democratic state Sen. Sydney Batch — and it is residence to a number of the state’s most educated and engaged voters.

Why it issues: It is one in all a handful of races that will decide whether or not Republicans seize a supermajority within the legislature, which might give them the power to usher payments into legislation with out the assist of a single Democrat.

  • A Republican win right here will sign that the pink wave, bolstered by rising inflation and frustration with President Biden, was an excessive amount of for Democrats to beat.
  • “If I lose, everybody loses,” Batch advised Axios as she zipped between her children’ soccer video games and marketing campaign occasions final Saturday. “We’ll have [Republican] supermajorities within the Home and within the Senate.”

State of play: For a race with such excessive stakes, Batch, a three-time UNC grad, and her Republican opponent, retired U.S. Marines Corps Col. Mark Cavaliero, are working a number of the most average state legislative campaigns.

  • Each are strolling the road of driving their respective bases to the polls in a non-presidential 12 months, whereas additionally interesting to the district’s extra average voters.

Batch, who misplaced an equally aggressive state Home race in 2020, has shifted her method this 12 months, campaigning on prime Democratic points like abortion whereas additionally emphasizing that she’s a gun proprietor who has labored throughout the aisle and fought to decrease taxes.

  • Talking to a bunch of her supporters, Batch stated that when confronted with the selection over whether or not to go to her son’s soccer recreation or a marketing campaign occasion, she advised her son, “Kiddo, I can go to your soccer recreation or save our democracy, however I can not do each.”

Cavaliero has additionally sought to attraction to each his occasion’s base and average voters.

  • On a latest weekend, whereas juggling his son’s weekend Boy Scout fundraiser, Cavaliero knocked on doorways in Fuquay-Varina, introducing himself to voters and inspiring them to vote early.
  • “I am a brand new technology of Republicans arising,” Cavaliero advised one voter that day. “We’re working actual laborious to get us heading in the right direction.”

On one other doorstep, a voter advised Cavaliero, “Trump gained by a landslide” in 2020.

  • He listened, then responded gently: “There’s plenty of controversy over that election. Hopefully we will straighten it out this 12 months.”

Between the traces: That average method is pushed partly as a result of the district shifted extra to the center final 12 months, when the Republican-led legislature redrew the district traces and liberal-leaning precincts in Cary have been changed with extra average ones in different components of Wake County.

  • The district is usually white, and greater than half of the district has a school diploma. The median earnings is greater than $100,000 — multiple and a half instances the statewide median earnings.

What we’re watching: The occasion that wins this seat may even reveal what points have been prime of thoughts for swing voters, particularly suburban girls, on Election Day: inflation and the economic system, abortion or crime.

Advertisement

Listed below are the opposite key state Senate races to observe:

Senate District 3: Democrat Valerie Jordan, who defeated the Democratic incumbent in Might’s major, squares off towards Republican state Sen. Bobby Hanig on this vital Northeastern North Carolina district that stretches from Warren County.

Senate District 7: Republican incumbent Michael Lee has stiff competitors from Marcia Morgan, a retired Military colonel working as a Democrat.

  • The district consists of nearly all of New Hanover County, which made a uncommon flip by voting for a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020.
  • Abortion has change into a central problem on this race.

Senate District 18: Democrat Mary Wills Bode is taking over Republican E.C. Sykes on this suburban district that covers Northern Wake and Granville counties.

  • The race noticed a late shock final week when state Democrats alleged Sykes doesn’t stay within the district the place he is working.

Senate District 19: Democrat Val Applewhite is working towards Republican Wesley Meredith in a district that features Fayetteville and a big chunk of Cumberland County.

  • N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper has been closely concerned on this race, placing his weight behind Applewhite within the Democratic major to assist her beat incumbent state Sen. Kirk deViere.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

North Carolina

Josh Heupel Explains Important of North Carolina To Tennessee Vols

Published

on

Josh Heupel Explains Important of North Carolina To Tennessee Vols


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.

Advertisement

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.”

Other Tennessee News:

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

North Carolina

Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline

Published

on

Kamala Harris sparks excitement for Asian Americans in North Carolina • NC Newsline


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.

Sen. Jay J. Chaudhuri (Photo: ncleg.gov)

“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.

Advertisement

Now she has the opportunity to become the first Asian American presidential candidate if she secures the Democratic Party’s nomination.

Jimmy Patel-Nguyen
Jimmy Patel-Nguyen (Photo: NC Asian Americans Together)

“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.

Advertisement

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.

Rep. Maria Cervania
State Rep. Maria Cervania )Photo: ncleg.gov)

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.”

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

North Carolina

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Drops Out of Harris’ Veepstakes

Published

on

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper Drops Out of Harris’ Veepstakes


North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday withdrew his name from contention to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. In a social media statement, Cooper thanked Harris for her campaign’s consideration and reaffirmed his confidence in her victory. “This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket,” he said. “She has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we’ll all work to make sure she wins.” A source told The New York Times, which reported Cooper’s veepstakes exit before his announcement, that his team had reached out to Harris’ campaign a week ago to say he did not want to be considered. Sources told Politico and NBC News that Cooper had dropped out for a few reasons, including a possible U.S. Senate run in 2026 and fears that North Carolina’s conservative lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, might try to seize power if he left the state to campaign. Harris is aiming to announce her pick for No. 2 by Aug. 7, when the Democratic Party kicks off its virtual nomination process. The party convention is slated to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Read it at The New York Times



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending