Opinion

Endorsements: All of the News & Observer’s recommendations in NC midterm races

By the Editorial Board

Updated October 28, 2022 11:10 AM

A volunteer and voter chat inside the polling site at South Regional Durham County Library in Durham, N.C. on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Angelina Katsanis akatsanis@newsobserver.com

News & Observer Endorsements 2022

The Editorial Board’s endorsements for North Carolina’s midterm elections on Nov. 8.

Expand All

The 2022 midterms are just around the corner. Early voting has already begun in North Carolina, and a wide range of local, state and federal races appear on the ballot.

The dynamics of midterm elections are always interesting, but especially so this year. It’s the first major election since the events of Jan. 6, and threats to democracy and reproductive freedom have raised the stakes significantly.

The Editorial Board has spent the past several weeks carefully analyzing races in the Triangle area. We’ve interviewed dozens of candidates, and we’ve also spoken with people who know or have worked with them. A number of factors weigh into our recommendations, including the makeup of the district and the elected body as a whole.

Our goal isn’t to tell you how to vote. It’s to provide you with enough information to make your own decision — whether you heed our recommendations or not.

With that said, our recommendations are below. Click on the links to read the full reasoning behind the Board’s choices.

U.S. SENATE

Cheri Beasley

N.C. SUPREME COURT

Seat 3: Lucy Inman
Seat 5: Sam Ervin IV

N.C. COURT OF APPEALS

Seat 8: Carolyn Jennings Thompson
Seat 9: Donna Stroud
Seat 10: Gale Adams
Seat 11: Michael Stading

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

District 2: Deborah Ross
District 4: Valerie Foushee
District 13: Wiley Nickel

N.C. SENATE

District 13: Lisa Grafstein
District 14: Dan Blue
District 15: Jay Chaudhuri
District 16: Gale Adcock
District 17: Sydney Batch
District 18: Mary Wills Bode

N.C. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

District 21: Ya Liu
District 34: Tim Longest
District 35: Terrence Everitt
District 36: Julie von Haefen
District 37: Christine Kelly
District 39: James Roberson
District 40: Joe John
District 41: Maria Cervania
District 66: Sarah Crawford

WAKE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

District 1: Don Mial
District 2: Matt Calabria
District 3: Cheryl Stallings

WAKE COUNTY SHERIFF

Willie Rowe

WAKE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Lorrin Freeman

WAKE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

District 1: Ben Clapsaddle
District 2: Monika Johnson-Hostler
District 3: Doug Hammack
District 4: Tara Waters
District 5: Lynn Edmonds
District 6: Sam Hershey or Dajma Livingston
District 7: Chris Heagarty
District 8: Lindsay Mahaffey
District 9: Tyler Swanson

RALEIGH MAYOR

Mary-Ann Baldwin

RALEIGH CITY COUNCIL

At-large: Jonathan Melton, Stormie Forte
District A: Mary Black-Branch
District B: Megan Patton
District C: Corey Branch
District D: Jane Harrison
District E: David Knight

BEHIND THE STORY

How 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 October 26, 2022 at 6:00 AM.