Weekly Recap: Catch up on the news you missed
North Carolina Democrats elected a new party chair, House and Senate lawmakers passed their first bills and Republicans could have a contested gubernatorial primary in 2024.
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Let’s take a look back at the week that was:
Mark Walker mulls run for governor
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker is seriously mulling a run for governor, setting up a potential contested GOP primary. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who hasn’t formally declared his candidacy yet, remains the frontrunner.
Walker unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate last year. He was dealt an extra blow when Robinson endorsed eventual nominee and U.S. Sen. Ted Budd.
Walker, who traveled Washington, D.C., this past week to discuss his potential candidacy at the Republican Governors Association meeting, is also considering expanding his consulting work at Advancing Hope USA, a nonprofit that works to elect conservative North Carolina candidates.
Another option Walker is considering is a return to Congress. In 2014, he was elected to represent the Greensboro area, but new congressional maps left him with no viable district to compete in. With Republican state lawmakers creating a new map this year and having a conservative majority on the state Supreme Court that may be more inclined to uphold whatever lawmakers draw, Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning could become a target and create an opening for Walker.
Walker’s advisers say the former congressman would campaign against Robinson out of concern for the lieutenant governor’s electability in a general election. Robinson’s political team see little room for concern, given results from partisan polls showing him dominating in a GOP primary.
Democratic shakeup
On Saturday, North Carolina Democratic Party leaders selected a new chairwoman, ousting incumbent Bobbie Richardson and selecting political organizer Anderson Clayton.
Richardson was supported by nearly every top Democrat in the state, including all seven members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein.
Cooper congratulated Clayton for her victory and vowed to work with her to defeat Republicans in 2024. Clayton said on Twitter that she’s honored to hold the role as party chair and work with the governor.
Investigation into AG Stein closed
On Thursday, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman announced her office would no longer pursue misdemeanor charges against Attorney General Josh Stein through a 1931 North Carolina libel law that made it unlawful to lie in political ads.
A day earlier, a federal appeals court ruled that the nearly century-old state law was likely unconstitutional. The case, which is now closed, centered around a 2020 ad in which Stein’s campaign claimed the Republican opponent, Jim O’Neill, “left 1,500 rape kits sitting on a shelf, leaving rapists on the street,” despite the fact that local law enforcement agencies hold custody over rape kits in North Carolina.
Stein has since stood by the ad, arguing it was truthful because O’Neill could have done more to encourage local authorities to clear the testing backlog.
Robert Reives: Vote Wrangler
On Tuesday, I made my feature writing debut for The Assembly, profiling House Minority Leader Robert Reives. The Democrat is tasked with keeping his 48 Democratic colleague united. If two members are absent or one member flips, Republicans could override vetoes.
You can read the full story in The Assembly here. A breakdown with some of the key takeaways from the piece is also available.
The upcoming Supreme Court seesaw
On Friday, I highlighted the impacts of a bill unveiled this week to raise the age of state judges and justices from 72 to 76. Barring unforeseen deaths or departures, the next governor wouldn’t be able to fill a vacancy on the North Carolina Supreme Court due to the current law compelling justices to leave the bench at 72.
The measure could also make it difficult for Democrats to retake control of the high court, as Chief Justice Paul Newby would be able to serve through 2028 and would be able to run for reelection. If the law weren’t enacted, Newby and Democratic Justice Michael Morgan would be forced to retire in 2027.
Regardless, of what happens the best-case scenario for Democrats is that Republicans lose to incumbent Democrats in 2024 and 2026 and Democrats flip the bench by winning two of three Supreme Court races in 2028. Meanwhile, the best-case scenario for Republicans is that Democrats lose in 2024 and 2026. Those defeats would give Republicans control of the bench through at least the end of 2030.
Republicans pass their first bills
North Carolina lawmakers took up their floor votes on key bills this past week, with one measure of note clearing each chamber.
The Senate passed a so-called “Parents’ Bill of Rights” in a party-line vote on Tuesday. The proposal now goes to the House, where it is expected to received support from Republicans but could face tweaks that require it to go back to the Senate.
Under Senate Bill 49, public school teachers from kindergarten through fourth grade would be prohibited from incorporating instruction on gender identity, sexuality and sexual activity into the curriculum. The measure also would expand and reenforce rights currently afforded to parents who want to learn more about their child’s academic materials. Additionally, shool districts must establish a process for parents to review records of all school library materials their child has borrowed upon request.
But the bill has drawn strong pushback from LGBTQ groups over a provision that would compel schools to inform parents if their child has requested a pronoun change.
Meanwhile, the House passed an anti-rioting bill this past week with some Democratic support. One Democrat, state Rep. Shelly Willingham, co-sponsored the legislation, signaling a possible veto from Cooper wouldn’t be sustained. Before heading to Cooper, the measure now goes to the Senate, which is expected to pass the proposal.
The measure introduced by Republican House Speaker Tim Moore is a similar plan Cooper vetoed in 2021, who argued that it could stifle free speech. Proponents see the measure as a common-sense way to crack down on violent protesters.
If enacted, people who incite a riot or encourage others to violently protest would be held in custody without bond for up to 24 hours after their arrest. North Carolinians would face felony charges punishable by a prison sentence up to 5 years and 3 months if they assault emergency personnel or cause property damage of more than $2,500.
Former NC State Senator Jerry Tillman dies at 82
Former North Carolina state Sen. Jerry Tillman died at 82 on Saturday. Tillman served in the Senate for more than 17 years, where he represented residents of Guilford and Randolph counties. He steadily rose within the GOP to became the second highest-ranking senator. The staunch conservative abruptly retired in June 2020.
A message to interested news outlets
If you are a news organization interested in sharing content featured in Anderson Alerts or want access to photos of state lawmakers, please don’t hesitate to email me at andersonbryan95@gmail.com. I’m keeping a running photo log and thus far have photos of 158 of North Carolina’s 170 state lawmakers fully captioned and able to share through a link.