Here are all of the News & Observer’s endorsements in 2022 races
The combined editorial boards of the News & Observer and Charlotte Observer have talked to candidates and others this election season to learn about the people who seek your vote on Election Day. Here’s a recap of our recommendations for contested 2022 races on the Wake County ballot.
U.S. Senate
Democrat Cheri Beasley would be a capable and thoughtful senator — and, notably, the first Black senator to represent North Carolina. Her views on important issues, including abortion and the climate crisis, align with most of the constituents she would serve. Her opponent, Republican Ted Budd, has repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to condemn what’s poisoning his party and threatening his country.
U.S. House
District 2: While willing to cooperate with Republicans where she can, Deborah Ross, a former head of the North Carolina ACLU, supports a progressive agenda that includes protecting abortion rights and voting rights and supporting clean energy and comprehensive immigration reform.
District 4: Replacing David Price requires someone that demands that same respect. Valerie Foushee is the right woman for the job. Her Republican opponent, Courtney Geels, an election denier, is not.
District 13: Democratic state Sen. Wiley Nickel is way ahead of Republican Bo Hines in qualifications and competence. Most importantly, Nickel defends democracy while Hines defends former President Donald Trump and his lies about a stolen 2020 presidential election.
NC Supreme Court
Seat 3: Both Richard Dietz, a Republican, and Lucy Inman, a Democrat, are highly regarded within the legal community. But given how much is at stake in this election, we are more confident in where Inman would stand on critical issues like voting rights and abortion.
Seat 5: Incumbent Justice Sam Ervin IV, a Democrat, has been a strong presence on the court. He has a breadth of experience as both a lawyer and an appeals court judge, and has proven himself to be a justice who stays above the fray of ideology and party affiliation. His opponent, Republican Trey Allen, has no prior experience as a judge.
NC Court of Appeals
Seat 8: Both Republican Julee Tate Flood and Democrat Carolyn Jennings Thompson are qualified to fill this position, but we recommend Thompson, the only one who has held elected office as a judge prior to the election.
Seat 9: Donna Stroud, the Republican incumbent, manages the court’s operations as chief judge and is respected by Republicans and Democrats alike. Challenging Stroud is Democrat Brad Salmon, a district court judge for Lee, Harnett and Johnston counties. We recommend Stroud.
Seat 10: Democrat Gale Adams is well-qualified; before her election to Superior Court in 2012, she was an assistant district attorney as well as a federal public defender. Republican incumbent John M. Tyson has authored a number of troubling opinions, including his dissent from a 2020 decision allowing LGBTQ people to seek emergency protections from abuse by a same-sex partner.
Seat 11: Republican Michael Stading, a District Court judge in Mecklenburg, faces Democrat Darren Jackson, a longtime legislator who was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2020. We recommend Stading, who brings a greater breadth of legal experience as a judge, prosecutor and JAG officer in the U.S. Air Force.
NC Senate
District 13: We recommend Democrat Lisa Grafstein, a political newcomer but a natural campaigner. A civil rights attorney, Grafstein is on the staff of the nonprofit advocacy group Disability Rights North Carolina.
District 14: We recommend incumbent Democratic Sen. Dan Blue, the Senate minority leader.
District 15: We recommend incumbent Democrat Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, who is seeking his fourth full term in the Senate and is among the leaders of the Democratic caucus.
District 16: We recommend Democrat Gale Adcock, who has represented a part of the district in the state House.
District 17: The race between Democrat incumbent Sydney Batch and Republican Mark Cavaliero will be a test for Democrats. We recommend Batch, who is one of the legislature’s strongest advocates for families and children.
District 18: Republican candidate E. C. Sykes’s district residency has been challenged, although he owns a North Raleigh property within the district. Our endorsement is Democrat Mary Wills Bode of Oxford, an attorney who previously led an anti-gerrymandering group, North Carolinians for Redistricting Reform.
NC House
Because of the number of candidates, the Editorial Board focused on the more competitive districts.
District 21: We recommend Democrat Ya Liu, a current Cary Town Council member and Duke Law School faculty member.
District 34: We recommend Democrat Tim Longest, a double UNC-CH alumnus who clerked at the NC appellate courts and says he would like to see Roe v. Wade codified in North Carolina.
District 35: We recommend Democrat Terrence Everitt, who says his immediate priorities are protecting democracy and securing abortion rights.
District 36: We recommend incumbent Democrat Julie von Haefen, who was one of the main sponsors of a bill to expand abortion rights in North Carolina during the most recent legislative session.
District 37: We recommend Democrat Christine Kelly, a former member of the Holly Springs town council. She’s challenging incumbent Republican Erin Paré for the seat.
District 39: We recommend Democrat James Roberson, who is focused on education and implementing the Leandro school funding plan.
District 40: We endorse incumbent Democrat Joe John over Republican Marilyn Avila, who lost the seat in 2016 after co-sponsoring H.B. 2.
District 41: We endorse Democrat Maria Cervania, a current Wake County commissioner.
District 66: Our recommendation for the redrawn seat is Democrat Sarah Crawford, a current state senator for part of the district.
Wake County Board of Commissioners
District 1: Don Mial
District 2: Matt Calabria
District 3: Cheryl Stallings
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
Other Wake County Races
Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor: Jenna Wadsworth
Wake County Sheriff: Willie Rowe
Wake District Attorney: Lorrin Freeman
Bonds: We support a yes vote for all the bond issues in Wake and Durham Counties.
Raleigh Mayor and City Council
Mayor: Mary-Ann Baldwin
At-large: Jonathan Melton and Stormie Forte
District A: Mary Black-Branch
District B: Megan Patton
District C: Corey Branch
District D: Jane Harrison
District E: David Knight
