Dear Friends,
Thank you again for helping me secure the Democratic nomination to continue representing you and District 49 in the North Carolina Senate. Now that the challenging part of my race is over, I am turning my attention to other races to make sure that Republicans don’t take over the Senate. And they are close – only two seats stand between Governor Cooper’s veto and full Republican control.
That’s because, with the 22 seats we hold, we can sustain Gov. Cooper’s veto. If we lose two of those seats, they will have a super-majority, Cooper’s veto becomes powerless, and Republicans will run the table on bad bills dealing with abortion, elections, education, and whatever else they want. So it is crucial that we keep the seats we hold.
That is why I am spending all my campaign time this summer raising money for the Senate Democrats. We need to raise $6 million to help a handful of candidates in tight races around the state, and we need your help. I’m asking all of my supporters to donate in these races in one of three ways: to the Senate Democrats directly, to me (I will be giving any money I raise to the caucus), or to the candidates directly.
Here are the races we are focused on. First, the seats we hold and need to keep:
- District 17 – Sydney Batch, Wake County. Sydney is the incumbent and is a great colleague, and we need her back. https://sydneybatch.com/
- District 18 – Mary Wills Bode, Wake/Granville Counties. This is a new district, so there is no incumbent, but a Democrat (who chose to run for the House) holds much of this territory now. https://www.bode4senate.com/
- District 3 – Valerie Jordan, coastal counties. This seat is currently held by Ernestine Bazemore, but Valerie Jordan is the candidate this year. https://valeriejordan.com/
- District 42 – Rachel Hunt, Mecklenburg County. Rachel is running for Sen. Jeff Jackson’s seat (he’s running for Congress), and we need to hold it. She currently serves in the House, and is former Gov. Hunt’s daughter. https://www.rachelhunt.com
The following seats are currently held by Republicans, but we have a chance of picking them up in a good year:
- District 7 – Marcia Morgan, New Hanover County. Marcia is a former educator and retired Army Colonel with 25 years of military service. https://www.marciamorganforncsenate.com/
- District 11 – Mark Speed, Franklin/Vance/Nash Counties. Mark is currently a Franklin County Commissioner. https://www.electmarkspeed.com/
- District 21 – Frank McNeil, Moore/Cumberland Counties. Frank is a small business owner, and he served on the Town Council, as Mayor of Aberdeen, and on the Moore County School Board. https://mcneillfornc.com/
- District 24 – Darrell Gibson, Robeson/Hoke/Scotland Counties. Darrell is currently a Scotland County Commissioner. https://www.gibsonfornc.com/
I will be devoting separate emails in the future to each of these candidates so you can get to know them. But for now, please consider a gift to the Senate Democrats directly, to me, or to the candidates directly.
Our rights and the future of North Carolina depend on these races. Please join me in fighting to keep North Carolina from turning into Texas, Florida, and Georgia.
Sincerely,
Julie