NC Democrat whose primary challenger is endorsed by Cooper gets key teachers group nod
The North Carolina Association of Educators announced its slate of endorsements for primary candidates in the state legislature on Thursday, and one name stands out: Sen. Kirk deViere.
DeViere is a Fayetteville Democrat and a sitting senator, so NCAE endorsing him isn’t a surprise. Legislative Democrats are generally more supportive of NCAE priorities, especially when it comes to teacher pay.
But in March, Gov. Roy Cooper announced he was endorsing a different Democrat in the primary: Val Applewhite, also from Fayetteville.
NCAE announced deViere’s endorsement following the recommendation of the local educators group, saying it “concurred with the recommendation of the Cumberland County Association of Educators to endorse Kirk deViere for the District 19 Seat in the North Carolina Senate.”
“One of the things that I went to Raleigh to do was ensure that I fought for teachers as well as the education of our children,” deViere told The News & Observer in an interview Thursday. “And to continue to have the support of our local teachers and the people who work with our children day in and day out, it means a great deal,” he said.
In March, the unusual move from the governor to endorse the opponent of a sitting Democrat drew rebuke from another sitting Democrat, N.C. House Rep. Billy Richardson, who, like DeViere, is from the Cumberland County Democratic delegation in the General Assembly.
Richardson told The News & Observer last month that Cooper should “stay the heck out of it” and withdraw his endorsement of Applewhite.
Applewhite and deViere ran against each other for mayor of Fayetteville previously — both lost that race — and also both previously served on the Fayetteville City Council. Applewhite entered the race just before candidate filing ended. Both she and deViere are military veterans. Fayetteville is next to Fort Bragg, which is home to the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Forces.
Cooper sent out a campaign email this past weekend asking his supporters to donate to Applewhite’s campaign.
“Team, Roy needs legislators who aren’t afraid to stand up to the radical right-wing and will help him continue moving North Carolina forward. He needs Val Applewhite working with him in Raleigh,” Cooper’s email stated.
North Carolina has a divided government, with a Democratic governor and the General Assembly controlled by Republicans.
Budget, schools votes
Richardson, who wants Cooper to “acknowledge it’s a mistake,” is not running for reelection this year. He and deViere are among several moderate Democrats in both the House and Senate who have voted with Republicans on some issues, though not enough of them to override any of Cooper’s vetoes. Both were on the bipartisan committee that negotiated the state budget that Cooper signed into law in November.
The 2021 state budget was a years-long stalemate that was finally resolved with a new budget that came several months after the fiscal year had started. The budget included raises for teachers and state employees, which average 5% over two years. Minimum wage for non-certified public school personnel was also raised to $15 an hour in the two-year budget. Because the budget was so late, teachers, who didn’t get raises in the last budget cycle aside from step increases, did not get their 2.5% raises until this past winter. Another 2.5% average raise is coming this upcoming fiscal year.
Democrats who served on the budget conference committee touted the wage increases as bipartisan wins.
DeViere also voted with Republicans on a bill to reopen schools for in-person learning in 2021, and to override Cooper’s veto on that bill, which was sustained. A schools reopening compromise was announced soon after. Two other Senate Democrats who have also voted with Republicans and served on the budget committee are not running for reelection to the General Assembly — Sen. Don Davis and Sen. Ben Clark — but they are running for Congress.
DeViere said Thursday that he appreciated the support of local teachers and was proud of the work he did last session to increase pay.
“We still have work to do and I look forward to continuing to be a voice for our local teachers and our children,” he said.
Whoever wins the Democratic primary may face off with a Republican who already served the district as a state senator: Wesley Meredith, who is running in the Republican primary.
NCAE legislative endorsements
DeViere is one of several lawmakers endorsed in the primary by the statewide educators association, which is the largest advocacy group for teachers. Here’s the full list:
Senate:
▪ Sen. Toby Fitch
▪ Lisa Grafstein
▪ Sen. Julie Mayfield
House:
▪ Rep. Michael Wray
▪ Rep. Rosa Gill
▪ Christine Kelly
▪ Rep. Joe John
▪ Rep. Marvin Lucas
▪ Kimberly Hardy
▪ Frances Jackson
▪ Sarah Crawford
▪ Frank Pierce
▪ Frederick Terry
▪ Rep. Kelly Alexander Jr.
“These candidates have demonstrated their commitment to public education by supporting students and educators in their communities,” NCAE Associate Executive Director Nicole Price said in a news release.
“They have a passion to do what is right for every North Carolina resident and the will to strengthen our education system, work to improve healthcare delivery, and ensure all citizens have a voice in our democracy,” Price said.
Early voting started Thursday. The primary is May 17.
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 2:54 PM.
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