More arrested in 9th district election scandal, as GOP’s new slate still growing

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC —

The dates for new elections in North Carolina’s 9th district House race have been set (at least if there are no runoffs). But the only thing certain in the Republican list of primary contenders is that Mark Harris won’t be running.

Meanwhile, in the election fraud scandal that caused last fall’s race to be thrown out and a new one called, Leslie McCrae Dowless, the political operative at its center is not the only person facing consequences. A Wake County grand jury indicted five people on charges related to the alleged scheme, and four have been arrested. (Mary C. Curtis)

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Mar062019 TAGS: , , , , , , ,

A House Race in North Carolina Gets Curiouser and Curiouser

Featured at Roll Call

OPINION — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Perhaps North Carolina’s 9th District will have a congressman by January; but maybe not.

You see, there seems to have been a mix-up in the count, distribution and collection of absentee ballots in Bladen and Robeson counties, which make up part of the district — what the state elections board (made up of four Democrats, four Republicans and one independent) called “unfortunate activities” when it first refused to certify the results.

For a while, it looked as though the Republican, former Baptist pastor Mark Harris, had beaten the Democrat, Marine veteran and businessman Dan McCready, by a mere 905 votes of about 280,000 cast in the gerrymandered district that may not exist after a court-ordered redraw. But now investigations, possible lawsuits and an absence of official results mean this particular 2018 race may not be decided until 2019.

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Dec062018 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Opinion: Is It Too Early for North Carolina Democrats to Get Their Hopes Up, Again?

Featured at Roll Call

In 2008, Barack Obama’s slim North Carolina victory in his first presidential run had Democrats in the state celebrating in the present and dreaming of a blue future in what had been considered a (relatively) progressive Southern state. Boy, were those dreams premature.

But 10 years later — after new redistricting and voting rules solidified GOP control in both the state and U.S. House delegations and a bill on LGBT rights made the state a poster child for conservative social policies — Democrats are again seeing light at the end of a deep-red tunnel.

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May172018 TAGS: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Opinion: Will Tax Bill Open Church Doors Wider Still for Politics?

Featured at Roll Call

A place of worship has never been completely clear of politics in America. But that physical and spiritual space for contemplation and reflection may grow smaller still, and moments without intrusion from the bitterness and division in the world could grow shorter.

Tucked into the House version of the tax plan that Republicans dearly crave as “a win” is a provision that would remove a check on places of worship — churches, synagogues and mosques — and some nonprofits. The in-danger Johnson Amendment of 1954, one with more intent than teeth, supposedly prohibits pastors and other faith leaders from endorsing or opposing political candidates from their perches of religious authority or risk losing their tax-exempt status.

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Nov302017 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

Open Letter to My Congressman, Robert Pittenger: No, We Don’t Hate White People

Featured at The Root

The congressman’s statements to the BBC were shocking and the last thing needed in a taut atmosphere already filled with hurt. Perhaps a visit to the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture could help?

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Sep262016 TAGS: , , , ,

Will rightward moves by GOP prove tricky or do the trick in North Carolina?

Featured at The Washington Post

The 2014 midterm election is already shaping up as a litmus test for the political state of the state. With voters angry at different faction for different reasons, politicians from both parties calibrate their messages with care.

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Mar122014 TAGS: , , , , , , ,