News & Observer endorsements: NC House primaries in Wake County
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Endorsements 2022
The Editorial Board’s recommendations for the primary elections on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
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Endorsements: We’re asking about 2020 before we recommend for 2022
Endorsements: Our choices in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate primaries
Endorsements: All of the Charlotte Observer’s choices in the 2022 primaries
How to find the Charlotte Observer’s endorsements for 2022 primary races
How to find the News & Observer’s endorsements for 2022 primary races
District 33
In a county where transition is the norm, Rosa Gill is a fixture. Prior to being appointed to the state House in 2009, Gill served as chair of the Wake County Democratic Party, the Wake County Board of Elections and the Wake County Board of Education. She has regularly trounced primary challengers and Republicans alike in a district serving Southeast Raleigh and Garner.
Nonetheless, Democrat Nate Blanton, a 43-year-old Gastonia native, U.S. Navy veteran and NC State University graduate, is taking on Gill. “I believe everybody deserves a challenge, not a coronation,” he said.
We thank Blanton for giving District 33 voters a choice but we recommend Rosa Gill.
District 34
In the District 34 Republican primary, Josh Jordan, 24, combines youth and conservatism and says he will ”get things done” in the General Assembly. A Georgia native, Jordan has lived in Raleigh since 2015. He works for a HVAC company and is a volunteer firefighter in North Raleigh. He supports better pay for teachers and first responders, but says, “Throwing more money at issues isn’t always the best thing to do.”
Jordan’s opponent is Ashley Seshul, a North Carolina native and a speech-language pathologist. She has spoken at Wake Board of Education and Board of Commissioners meetings, but she declined to be interviewed by the editorial board.
We make no recommendation for this race.
District 35
Brandon Panameno, 23, says he wants “to push the Republican Party in a different direction.” As a gay man who favors legalizing marijuana and Medicaid expansion and who acknowledges Joe Biden as the legitimately elected president, he certainly would do that.
But Panameno also checks key boxes for Republican voters. He’s a member of the Marine Corps Reserve, he favors more state tax cuts and is a strong supporter of the right to bear arms. He thinks his background and positions will appeal to unaffiliated voters.
His opponent is Fred Von Canon, who declined to be interviewed. We recommend Brandon Panameno.
District 37
In District 37, the Democratic primary winner will face off against Erin Paré, a Republican small business owner with one term in the N.C. House. The three women vying for the spot are each qualified in their own ways.
Mary Bethel, a former advocacy director for AARP, has experience lobbying for legislation that would benefit elderly and disabled people. Elizabeth Parent stresses the need for a statewide pay increase for public school teachers and staff and is running on a progressive platform..Christine Kelly is a former member of the Holly Springs Town Council who works in marketing at SAS Institute. Her top three issues are: education, voting and elections and pollution. We recommend Christine Kelly.
District 40
In District 40, incumbent Democrat Joe John is up against Marguerite Creel, an educator and first-time candidate. While we were unable to get Creel in an interview, John was ready to talk about his more than five years of experience in the legislature, and the bills he was able to pass in spite of an incredibly rigid gridlock against Democratic legislation. We recommend Joe John.
District 66
N.C. Sen. Sarah Crawford is running for a House seat after her Senate district was redrawn. She is facing two main challengers. The first, Wesley Knott, is the former leader of the Wake County Democratic Party and a young progressive who has vowed to stay away from corporate contributions. Frank Pierce is small business owner who became a teacher amid the pandemic as a response to staff shortages in our schools.
We recommend Sarah Crawford.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we do our endorsements
Members of the combined Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News & Observer editorial boards are conducting interviews and research of candidates in municipal and state elections. The combined board is led by N.C. Opinion Editor Peter St. Onge, who is joined in Raleigh by deputy Opinion editor Ned Barnett and in Charlotte by deputy Opinion editor Paige Masten. Board members also include Observer editor Rana Cash and News & Observer editor Nicole Stockdale.
The editorial board also talks with others who know the candidates and have worked with them. When we’ve completed our interviews and research, we discuss each race and decide on our endorsements.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 4:30 AM.