WS Chronicle

Democratic Primary Races

The following races have challengers in the Democratic Primary:

Due to a recent court-ordered redrawing of congressional districts, races for the U.S. House of Representatives are currently scheduled to have a separate primary on June 7. Those races still remain on the ballot and, to avoid confusion, the State Board of Elections is urging voters to vote the entire ballot. Senate races and all other contests are being conducted like normal.

President

Incumbent: Democrat Barack Obama Candidates: Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Roque Rocky De Le Fuente

Bernie Sanders is a senator representing Vermont.  He served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, from 1981-1989. He then served in the House of Representatives from 1991-2007 and was elected as senator in 2007. A democratic socialist, his platform emphasizes things like wealth inequality, free college tuition and universal healthcare. As a Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) officer in 1962, he led a sit-in opposing segregated student housing owned by the University of Chicago. Among his endorsements are former NAACP President Ben Jealous, activist Angela Davis and Dr. Cornel West. www.berniesanders.com

Hillary Clinton is the former secretary of state under President Barack Obama, a position she served in from 2009-2013. She served from 2001-2008 as a senator representing New York. She is married to Bill Clinton and was a politically active First Lady during his time as president (1993-2001) and during his time as governor of Arkansas (1979-1981, 1983-1992). She ran for president in 2008, coming in a close second in the primary to Obama. Her campaign emphasizes protecting the accomplishments of the Obama presidency, like healthcare reform, with new initiatives, like raising the minimum wage. Her endorsements include the Congressional Black Caucus and former N.C. Governors Jim Hunt and Beverly Perdue. www.hillaryclinton.com

Roque Rocky De Le Fuente is a first generation Hispanic American and businessman from California who got enough signatures in North Carolina and several other states to appear on the ballot. He’s running as an alternative to politicians and in reaction to Donald Trump’s rhetoric involving undocumented immigrants. His campaign issues include a flat tax and increased education spending. www.rocky2016.com

Martin J. O’Malley is also on the ballot but has suspended his campaign.

U.S. Senate

Incumbent: Republican Richard Burr 

Candidates: Ernest Reeves, Chris Rey, Deborah K. Ross and Kevin D. Griffin

Ernest Reeves of Greenville is an Army veteran who’s served in Iraq and is a former United Airlines manager. He ran for the Democratic senate nomination in 2014 but was defeated by incumbent Kay Hagan. www.ernestreeves.com

Chris Rey was elected the youngest mayor in the history of Spring Lake, defeating a 30-year incumbent in 2011 and has since won reelection. He’s served in the National Guard and Army, being deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He is executive director of Cumberland HealthNET, a non-profit organization that helps coordinate care for the uninsured in Cumberland County. www.chrisrey.com

Deborah K. Ross of Raleigh was N.C. representative for District 38 from 2003-2012 and for District 34 in 2013. She’s the for-mer leader of the North Carolina ACLU and former general council for GoTriangle, the regional transportation authority for Wake, Durham and Orange counties. She’s been endorsed by the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and EMILY’s List, a PAC that supports pro-choice Democratic female

candidates. www.debo-rahross.com

Kevin D. Griffin, a first-time candidate, is president and CEO of staffing company AVANT Group, LCC in Durham. AVANT has worked with StepUp Ministries to help job seekers, Hiring Our Heroes to help veterans find jobs, and the Achievement Academy of Durham, which helps adults who dropped out of school.  Griffin is a found-ing member of the Durham Living Wage Project. gowithgriffin.org

Governor 

Incumbent: Republican Pat McCrory

Candidates: Ken Spaulding and Roy Cooper

Ken Spaulding of Durham is a lawyer who served from 1978-1984 in the N.C. House of Representatives. Among his legislative accomplishments was the passage of the state’s first Rape Victim Assistance Program and legislation allowing public residents to serve on local Housing Authority boards. He’s chaired the N.C. Black Legislative Caucus and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. Locally he’s been endorsed by The Chronicle and The Journal. www.kenspaulding.com

Roy Cooper is the N.C. attorney general, a position he was elected to in 2000. He lists as his accomplishments cracking down on child predators, increasing penalties for drug dealers and oversee-ing a 30 percent decrease in crime in the state. His focus as attorney general has included keeping utility rates low, targeting predatory lenders and the Do Not Call telemarketing law. Locally, he’s drawn criticism for his office’s continued defense of the conviction of Kalvin Michael Smith, a man who many believe was wrongly convicted for the 1995 beating of Jill Marker. www.roy-cooper.com

Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent: Republican Dan Forest

Candidates: Holly Jones, Ronald L. Newton, Robert Wilson and Linda Coleman

Holly Jones served on the Asheville City Council from 2001-2007, including two years as vice-mayor and, in 2008, was elected to the Buncombe County Commission. She was formerly the executive director of the Asheville YWCA, which grew greatly under her leadership, and currently is director of member services for the YWCA USA.  www.hollyjones.org

Ronald L. Newton is owner of State of the Art Financial Services in Durham. He’s been involved in many campaigns, including chairing the Jesse Jackson for President Committee in New York. www.thepublic-servant2016.com

Robert Wilson who resides in Cary, had a long career working in state government before he retired in 2012, including serving as assistant secretary of state and chief legislative liaison for the Secretary of State office. In 2012, he was awarded the N.C. Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor in the state. www.robertwilson4ltgov.com

Linda Coleman served as a Wake County commissioner for four years, was elected three times to the North Carolina House of Representatives and served as director of the Office of State Personnel from 2009 to 2012. She unsuccessfully ran for Lt. Governor in 2012, but did manage to get 2.1 million votes statewide. www.lindafornc.com

Attorney General

Incumbent: Democrat Roy Cooper (who isn’t seeking reelection in order to run for governor)

Candidates: Josh Stein and Marcus W. Williams

Josh Stein of Raleigh is a state senator, first elected in 2008. Before that, he served as senior deputy attorney general for consumer protection from 2001 to 2008. He’s received honors from groups like Equality NC, N.C. AARP, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD), the Sierra Club and The NC Justice Center for his work as a lawmaker. www.joshstein.org

Marcus W. Williams of Lumberton is an attorney with decades of experience, including being the assistant public defender for the state and executive director of Legal Services (which provides legal assistance to low-income individuals) for the state of Pennsylvania and two regional programs in North Carolina. The many boards he’s served on include the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Advisory Committee and chairing the Coastal Carolina HIV Care Consortium. williamshouseusa.com

N.C. Commissioner of Labor

Incumbent: Republican Cherie Killian Berry 

Candidates: Charles Meeker and Mazie Ferguson

Charles Meeker is the former mayor of Raleigh, an office he held for ten years. Prior to that, he served on the Raleigh city council for eight years. He’s been practicing law since 1975 with a focus on local government issues. www.charlesmeeker.org

Mazie Ferguson of Greensboro is the former pastor of First Missionary and Liberation Baptist churches. She’s also former head of the Pulpit Forum ministerial alliance. A life-long civil rights activist, she’s worked with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the NAACP.  She’s a lawyer and is the former assistant legal council for N.C. A&T State University. www.facebook.com/votemazieferguson

N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction

Incumbent: Democrat June Atkinson

Candidates:  Henry J. Pankey and June Atkinson

Henry J. Pankey of Durham is a retired Parkland High assistant principal. He has won numerous awards during his almost 40 years in edu-cation, including Durham’s Principal of the Year for turning around the low-per-forming Southern High School. While at Parkland, he was named Assistant Principal of the Year by the N.C. Association of Educators in 2012. www.henryjpankey.com

June Atkinson has been state superintendent for public schools in North Carolina since 2005. She is the first woman elected to the position and oversees nearly 1.6 million students at more than 2,500 schools in the state. She has more than 35 years of experience in education. She lauds an increase in state high school graduation rates in the past 10 years, from 68 percent to nearly 86 per-cent, as one of her accomplishments. www.drjuneatkinson.com

N.C. Treasurer 

Incumbent: Democrat Janet Cowell (who isn’t seeking re-election)

Candidates: Dan Blue III and Ron Elmer

Dan Blue III of Raleigh is the son of state Senate Democratic leader Dan Blue, Jr. and is a lawyer who practices commercial transactions and bond financing. He’s been endorsed by current state treasurer Cowell, the North Carolina Association of Educators, AFL-CIO and Equality NC. www.blue-fornc.com

Ron Elmer of Raleigh is a certified public accountant and profession-al money manager. He’s taught finance at N.C. State and Strayer Universities and published four books on investment management. He has 25 years of financial experience with 18 years investment management experience. He’s managed billions of dollars of public pension investments in North Carolina and other states. www.elmerfortreasurer.com

Forsyth County Register of Deeds 

Incumbent: Democrat C. Norman Holleman 

Candidates: Norman Holleman and Lynne Johnson

C. Norman Holleman of Winston-Salem is the current Forsyth County register of deeds, a position he was first elected to in 2008. He’s implemented several cost cutting measures he says have saved taxpayers $2 million, including cutting six full time positions from the office.

Lynn Johnson is a Winston-Salem State University alumna with 27 years of experience in the Register of Deeds office, which included being supervisor of the vital records division. She now works for the Clerk of Courts office.

Both register of deeds candidates have said they wouldn’t opt out of issuing same-sex marriage licenses. State law allows magistrates to opt of issuing marriage licenses for religious objections.

Winston-Salem City Council Northeast Ward

Incumbent: Democrat Vivian H. Burke

Candidates: Vivian H Burke and Keith King

Keith King is a local entrepreneur who opened up Kingz DownTown Market in December 2007. The successful grocery store was chosen by Governor Perdue as the place to unveil her small business initiative in 2010. King is co-chair of the Winston-Salem Transit Authority. He is also a member of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, the local NAACP and the board of trustees of Reveal Church of Christ. King said he wants to bring more economic development to the ward.  www.face-book.com/KeithKingNE

Vivian H. Burke is Mayor Pro Tempore of Winston-Salem and has been on the city council since 1977. During her time on the city council, she introduced initiatives like the Minority/Women Business Enterprise Program and the Youth Advisory Council. She’s worked to diversify the City’s workforce and management positions during her long tenure in office. She is vice chair of the public safety committee and a member of the finance committee.

Winston-Salem City Council South Ward

Incumbent: Molly Leight (who isn’t seeking re-election)

Candidates: Carolyn Highsmith and John Larson

Carolyn Highsmith is president of the Konnoak Hills Community Association. She’s also vice-president of the New South Community Coalition and serves on the board of Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods.She’s been a community advocate for years and helped organize the Ministers’ Conference’s effort to educate property owners on appealing tax reappraisals that devalued their land. www.face-book.com/carolynforsouth-ward

John Larson is vice president of restoration at Old Salem Museum and Gardens. Larson, an Army veteran, is a longtime South Ward resident who has spearheaded efforts to preserve city landmarks and worked to protect the Main Street Corridor in the Business 40 improvement negotiations. He is a current member of the Creative Corridors Board and the Old Salem Residents Association. He is endorsed by current South Ward City Council Member Leight. johnlar-sonforsouthward.com

Referendum Connect NC Public Improvement Bond

Connect NC is a $2 billion general obligation bond for state infrastructure spending. The bond won’t raise taxes and the state will still be able to maintain its Triple A bond rating while borrowing the money. The money will fund “the construction and furnishing of new facilities and the renovation and rehabilitation of existing facilities for, without limitation, the University of North Carolina System, the North Carolina Community College System, water and sewer systems, the State’s National Guard, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, attractions and parks, and the Department of Public Safety.” Local projects include a new science building for Winston-Salem State University and renovation of Forsyth Tech’s Forsyth Building. www.connect.nc.gov

Republican Primary Races

The following races have challengers in the Republican Primary.

Due to a recent court-ordered redrawing of congressional districts, races for the U.S. House of Representatives are currently scheduled to have a separate primary on June 7. Those races still remain on the ballot and, to avoid confusion, the State Board of Elections is urging voters to vote the entire ballot. Senate races and all other contests are being conducted like normal.

President

John R. Kaisch

Marco Rubio

Donald J. Trump

Ted Cruz

Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore are also on the ballot, but have all suspended their campaigns.

U.S. Senate

Larry Holmquist

Paul Wright

Greg Brannon

Richard Burr

N.C. Governor

Pat McCrory

Charles Kenneth Moss

C. Robert Brawley

N.C. Attorney General

Buck Newton

Jim O’Neill

N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Stevens

Steve Troxler

N.C. Commissioner of Insurance 

Joe McLaughlin

Ronald (Ron) Pierce

Mike Causey

N.C. Secretary of State

Michael LaPaglia

J. Daoud

N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction

Mark Johnson

J. Wesley Sills

Rosemary Stein

N.C., State Senate District 31

Joyce Krawiec

Peter Antinozzi

Dempsey Brewer

Forsyth County Board of Commissioners District B

Richard V. Linville

Dave Plyler

Gloria D. Whisenhunt

Bill Whiteheart

City Council Northwest Ward 

Eric Henderson

Jimmy Hodson