Democratic NC Gov. Josh Stein endorsed in two primaries, helping candidates win
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gov. Stein’s endorsed candidates won two Democratic primaries.
- Rev. Rodney Sadler beat Carla Cunningham and is unopposed, likely earning a 2027 seat.
- Cunningham helped overturn Stein’s veto on ICE cooperation and drew backlash for comments.
Good morning and welcome to our Under the Dome newsletter that focuses on the governor. I’m Capitol bureau chief Dawn Vaughan.
The two primary races that Democratic Gov. Josh Stein got involved in paid off for him, as both candidates he endorsed won. One candidate is an incumbent: Rep. Rodney Pierce, who defeated former Rep. Michael Wray in a rematch of the 2024 election, when Pierce took Wray’s House seat. The district includes Halifax, Northampton and Warren counties.
The other race made more headlines, especially in Charlotte. Stein endorsed an opponent of Rep. Carla Cunningham, an incumbent who lost her primary to Stein’s preferred candidate, the Rev. Rodney Sadler. Cunningham faced backlash after helping Republicans overturn Stein’s veto of a bill requiring more cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and making inflammatory comments about immigrants during the debate. The governor said he stepped into that primary because of Cunningham’s speech.
Listeners to our Under the Dome podcast have heard me talking multiple times with my Charlotte Observer colleague Mary Ramsey about Cunningham’s race. Check out election night reporting from Ramsey and Chase Jordan on Cunningham’s loss and Sadler’s win. Sadler is unopposed in the general election, so it is highly likely he’ll be in the House come 2027.
Here are more post-primary stories to catch up on:
- ‘Political games.’ Three NC Democrats who crossed the governor defeated in primary
- Sam Page expands lead over Phil Berger in tight race for NC Senate
- What Sen. Berger & Sheriff Page will do this year, regardless of primary results
- Next Wake DA Wiley Nickel vows corruption crackdown, scrutiny of ICE tactics
Thanks for reading. On our upcoming Under the Dome podcast posting Tuesday, I’ll be joined by reporters Nathan Collins and Kyle Ingram to talk about the latest in the primary between Senate leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
Reach me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com or the entire politics team at dome@newsobserver.com.
