News & Observer endorsements: Our choices for NC Senate in Wake County

Democrats can’t afford attrition in their state Senate numbers. The party needs 21 votes in the 50-member Senate to uphold vetoes by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. There are currently 22 Senate Democrats. Holding that margin will begin with Democrats continuing their dominance in Wake County despite a midterm election environment that may favor Republicans.

District 13 (central North Raleigh)

Democrat Lisa Grafstein is a political newcomer but a natural campaigner. She defeated City Council member Patrick Buffkin in the primary and appears well in front in the race to represent this Democratic-leaning district. A civil rights attorney, Grafstein is on the staff of the nonprofit advocacy group Disability Rights North Carolina. Others in the race are Republican David Bankert, a retired engineer, and Libertarian Michael Munger, head of Duke’s Department of Political Science. We recommend Lisa Grafstein.

District 14 (SE Raleigh, Garner, eastern Wake County)

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Dan Blue, the Senate minority leader, is seeking his seventh full term in the Senate (after serving 13 terms in the House).

Blue’s priorities include creating more affordable housing, protecting voting rights and expanding Medicaid. But he said, “Our primary focus is on ensuring we get at least 21 seats.”

The minority leader is being challenged by Republican Chris Baker and Libertarian Matthew Laszacs. We recommend the reelection of Dan Blue.

District 15 (central and west Raleigh)

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jay Chaudhuri is seeking his fourth full term in the Senate and is among the leaders of the Democratic caucus. He is a strong advocate for public schools and expanding Medicaid. Also running are Republican Emanuela Prister and Libertarian Sammie Brooks. We recommend Jay Chaudhuri.

District 16 (Cary, western Wake County)

District 16 features an unusual four-way race among a Republican, a Democrat, a libertarian and a Green Party member. Despite the crowd, the front-runner is Democrat Gale Adcock, who has represented a part of the district in the state House and is now seeking to win the Senate seat vacated by Wiley Nickel, who is running for Congress.

Adcock, a family nurse practitioner who retired after a career as the chief health officer at SAS, emphasizes health care issues. She describes herself as “a pro-business moderate.” Also running are Republican James Powers, Libertarian Dee Watson and Green Party candidate Michael Trudeau. We recommend Gale Adcock.

District 17 (Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, southern Wake County)

This race in a fast-growing corner of the county will be a test for Democrats to hold. Democrat State Sen. Sydney Batch, a family law attorney, was appointed to the state Senate in January 2021 to complete the term of Sam Searcy, who resigned. Batch lost her bid for reelection to the state House in 2020.

Republican Mark Cavaliero, a retired Marine and businessman, is making a second run at this seat after losing to Searcy in 2020. He favors the state’s private school voucher program and supports lower taxes and less regulation of businesses. Batch is one of the legislature’s strongest advocates for families and children. Also running is Libertarian Patrick Bowersox. We recommend Sydney Batch.

District 18 (NW Wake County, Granville County)

This race has been complicated by claims that Republican candidate E. C. Sykes does not live in the district, although he owns a North Raleigh property within the district. Sykes says he lives on the property. The Democratic candidate is Mary Wills Bode of Oxford, an attorney who previously led an anti-gerrymandering group, North Carolinians for Redistricting Reform. Also running is libertarian Ryan Brown. We recommend Mary Wills Bode.

This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 4:30 AM.