Below are our 2024 endorsements and our rationale for each one. Also Indyweek’s endorsements came out today and are worth a read.
You can find all of our election coverage here. You can find interviews with the candidates here. You can find our roundup of all interviews with candidates, for all publications we could find, here.
Triangle Blog Blog endorses the following:
Statewide
Governor: Josh Stein
Lt. Governor: Rachel Hunt
Attorney General: Jeff Jackson
Agriculture: Sarah Taber
Auditor: Jessica Holmes
Insurance: Natasha Marcus
Labor: Braxton Winston
Public Instruction: Maurice (Mo) Green
Treasurer: Wesley Harris
Secretary of State: Elaine Marshall
Judicial
NC Supreme Court, Associate Justice (Seat 6): Allison Riggs
NC Court of Appeals, Seat 12: Carolyn Jennings Thompson
NC Court of Appeals, Seat 14: Ed Eldred
NC Court of Appeals, Seat 15: Martin E. Moore
Local
US House of Representatives, District 4: Valerie Foushee
NC House of Representatives, District 56: Allen Buansi
NC House of Representatives, District 50: Renee Price
NC Senate, District 23: Graig Meyer
Orange County Water and Soil Board: Gail Hughes
Orange County Board of County Commissioners: Marilyn Carter, Jean Hamilton, Amy Fowler, Phyllis Portie-Ascott
Carrboro Town Council: Cristóbal Palmer
Ballot initiatives
Constitutional amendment: Vote AGAINST (No)
Chapel Hill Bond Referendum: Yes
2024 School Bond Referendum: Yes
There are more guides to the top of the ballot so we’ll start at the bottom and work our way up.
School bond
Endorsed by: Northern Orange NAACP, Chapel Hill Carrboro NAACP, Hillsborough Chamber, Chapel Hill Carrboro Chamber, Orange Democrats
Triangle Blog Blog, Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill Carrboro PTA Council, INDYWeek and the Chapel Hill Carrboro Association of Educators
We urge you to vote yes.
This is a thoughtful plan that gets us three new schools in a decade, and also allows us to make investments in other school buildings as needed. For several years, elected officials—school board members and county commissioners—have been working on a plan that addresses our needs for new school buildings, and we’re excited that they have prioritized our aging schools. Many of these schools were built 60-70 years ago, and have reached the end of their useful lifespans. We shouldn’t expect our teachers and students to work and learn in substandard conditions.
The bond is projected to cost a property taxpayer $34.10 for every $100,000 of assessed property value, or about $136 annually for a home valued at $400,000.
The plan addresses the backlog of major repairs that are needed for many buildings across both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the Orange County Schools. Some schools have flooding, mold, broken HVACs, plumbing that frequently breaks, and one school caught on fire this past year — forcing a grade to work from the cafeteria for weeks. The overall long-term plan is set into three stages, with the schools with the most prioritized needs going first. In some cases, replacing a school will be cheaper than repairing it due to the nature of the repairs. Here’s the plan right now – which incorporated parent feedback and considerations from operational efficiencies to phasing construction challenges, among others.
Chapel Hill bonds
We urge you to vote yes on all five bonds. Warning: they’re worded weirdly: this is a legal requirement and you have to vote five separate times. More info on each is below.
The first thing to know is that the Town will be able to borrow this money without raising property taxes. That’s because the Town has a debt fund that annually allocates a portion of our property tax rate to pay existing debt service and build future debt capacity. And this money would go towards a variety of needs that would benefit residents of all life stages and ages, including:
Affordable Housing ($15 million)
With these funds, the Town’s goal will be to support the development of affordable housing projects that align with the Town’s Affordable Housing Plan and Investment Strategy, which we wrote about here.
Passage of the affordable housing plan was a big deal. It acknowledges that tackling affordability requires multifaceted, well-funded efforts. It acknowledges that UNC and market rate developers can be a part of the solution but that we cannot simply sit back and demand they solve the problem for us. Affordable housing is a generational crisis – it’s all hands on deck to address it.
Public Facilities ($15 million)
With these funds, the Town’s goal will be to replace Fire Stations 3 (54 years old) and 4 (42 years old) with new facilities. Both buildings are well past their useful life span by fire industry standards, and both face significant issues that are beyond repair. This includes failing HVAC and plumbing systems, aging roofs, and significant foundation issues.
Streets & Sidewalks ($7.5 million)
With these funds, the Town’s goal will be to improve and expand sidewalk connectivity and ADA accessibility. This funding would also support high-priority sidewalk projects in areas close to schools and transit.
More sidewalks and more ADA accessibility? 🎵to our 👂s.
Parks & Rec Facilities ($4.5 million)
With these funds, the Town’s goal will be to replace the artificial turf on the playing fields at Homestead Park, a known need championed by the Parks and Recs Advisory Board. Additional uses for this funding include potentially replacing the climbing wall at Community Center, building a splash pad, or enhancing/expanding pickleball courts.
We have been long been champions of the splash pad and the pickleball community, and know that the climbing wall needs some ❤️. There has been a long and concerted effort to replace the playing fields at Homestead Park, which are used by people of all ages throughout the week. We support these projects.
Open Space & Greenways ($2 million)
With these funds, the Town’s goal will be to construct the Bolin Creek Greenway extension from Umstead Park to Estes Drive Extension. This will add miles of connected greenways as part of the Town’s Everywhere to Everywhere Greenway Initiative to create a multimodal network to connect schools, shopping, parks, healthcare opportunities, and UNC.
We are really big fans of this one. Connecting more parts of our town east to west, north to south allows more people to get out in nature, commute to UNC or schools or work, and relax. We’ve long championed the Bolin Creek Greenway in Carrboro, and connecting it to Chapel Hill will only enhance the network and allow more people to bike and walk to school, work and around town.
Constitutional Amendment
Kirk Ross wrote everything we’d say on this topic: “This one may seem like a talking point in the form of an amendment, but it’s important to remember that the amendment is only part of the strategy at play. If approved by the voters, it will enable the General Assembly to legislate all sorts of hurdles and impairments to voting using the peoples’ approval of the new amendment as a justification. In some states that have tried this, the number of eligible voters who have been disenfranchised runs in the tens of thousands.”
Read the rest of his analysis here.
Carrboro Town Council: Cristóbal Palmer
Cristobal Palmer is thoughtful, forward-thinking, and has long supported Democratic causes in our community and his precinct. His answers to our questions, as well as interviews with Chapelboro and the News and Observer, show a deep understanding of Carrboro’s issues. He has been endorsed by Indyweek, as well as former alderman Braxton Foushee and former mayor Damon Seils, who wrote on social media, “Because Cristóbal is familiar with the issues, is knowledgeable about the Council’s current priorities, and is motivated to support implementation of the award-winning Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan, he’ll be able to hit the ground running as soon as he takes office. “
His opponent, Isaac Woolsey, has some good ideas regarding public transportation and we encourage him to apply to the transportation advisory board. But many of his ideas lay outside of the scope of what a town council in North Carolina can do, legally. Furthermore his political and social media history raise serious questions about his ability to serve a diverse, progressive community. Woolsey was a registered Republican from 2019 through early September 2024, when he changed his affiliation to the No Labels Party. He gave Tammy Grubb and the blogblog different reasons for why he changed his affiliation. Furthermore, he was a member of an “I Love Pro Life” Facebook group until we asked him about it, after which he scrubbed his profile of that and other groups that post memes for right-wing candidates and causes.
Orange County Board of Commissioners
Three of our endorsed candidates – Marilyn Carter, Jean Hamilton, Amy Fowler – are running unopposed in their Districts. Our fourth pick – Democrat Phyllis Portie-Ascott – faces a Republican opponent in the 2nd district.
Though we don’t agree with these candidates on every topic, we appreciate their advocacy for our public school system in both school districts – and their thoughtful answers to our questionnaire. Portie-Ascott is the former vice chair of the Orange County Democratic Party and has thoughtful ideas about protecting renters and supporting home buyers with down payment assistance, and receives our endorsement for District 2. We encourage you to vote for all four.
Orange County Water and Soil Board
Gail Hughes is the only candidate for this position, where she’s served since 2020, and has devoted much of her life to resource conversation, which you can read about in our interview with her. The board deals with everything from stabilizing streams to pet waste to helping farmers address nonpoint source pollution. Hughes can do the job.
NC Senate, District 23: Graig Meyer
Meyer does much to champion other Democrats across the state, and has a strong history of supporting access to public records and a free press. We appreciate his vote against putting the constitutional amendment and his strong statement about it. He sponsored over a dozen bills in the most recent legislative session, including a bill to legalize marijuana. He’s also passed legislation to reduce the cost of home mortgage processing and help families caring for children with disabilities.
NC House of Representatives, District 50: Renee Price
Price is a strong advocate for public schools and reproductive rights, and also voted against putting the constitutional amendment on the ballot, with a strong statement, which we appreciate.
NC House of Representatives, District 56: Allen Buansi
Buansi did vote with the Republican majority to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot, but gave some strong comments against the bill on the House floor. We appreciate his look into predatory towing, given what’s going on with Carr Mill Mall. (He also co-sponsored the bill for the Venus Fly Trap license plate, which was approved after five years.) He’s also worked on strengthening renter’s rights, and sits on the House Judiciary Committee.
US House of Representatives, District 4: Valerie Foushee
Foushee is a co-sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and a strong supporter of reproductive rights and the Green New Deal. She has fought to explain Medicaid at the state level (when she was in the state legislative body) and is a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus. She has worked on funding gun violence research, and helped secure a grant to improve Durham’s roads.
We don’t agree with Foushee on every issue, but appreciate her work focused on criminal justice reform and civil rights.
NC Court of Appeals (Vote for 3)
NC Court of Appeals, Seat 12: Carolyn Jennings Thompson (incumbent)
NC Court of Appeals, Seat 14: Ed Eldred
NC Court of Appeals, Seat 15: Martin E. Moore
Here’s how the NC Court of Appeals works: there are 15 judges and 3 of them are randomly assigned to a case. Right now, Democrats hold 4 of the 15 seats on the NC Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals corrects legal errors made in trial courts. As Ed Eldred told us, “About 90% of all cases in North Carolina end in the Court of Appeals. It is essentially our court of last resort. It catches mistakes.”
The Republican-led NC Court of Appeals was the court that blocked UNC students from using digital One Cards in this election cycle. Martin Moore told us, “In an ideal world, the Court of Appeals is one of the last safeguards against partisanship and extremism, assuring that the constitutional rights are always protected.”
We strongly encourage you to vote for all three Democrats. You can read their interviews with us here:
NC Supreme Court, Associate Justice (Seat 6): Allison Riggs
Right now, Republicans hold a large majority (5-2) on the State Supreme Court. Allison Riggs is one of the two Democrats serving, and we must protect her seat to take the Courts back in 2028.
The Republican majority has restricted voting rights, restored the discriminatory voter ID law, halted $677 in funding to public schools, and made it legal for Republicans to rig election districts in their favor.
Riggs has served on the State Supreme Court since 2023. Prior to that, she served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and served as co-executive director for programs and chief counsel for voting rights at the Durham-based Southern Coalition for Social Justice. In our interview with Riggs, she said, “I value reproductive freedom and the ability of all people to make their own private healthcare decisions. In contrast, my opponent signed onto an opinion, since withdrawn, stating that life begins at conception – the same extreme legal position that left women in Alabama without access to fertility treatment. It is not that voters should pick me because I am a Democrat. They should pick me because of my values and my track record, particularly when compared to my opponent.”
Riggs’ opponent, Jefferson Griffin, has blocked funding for public schools, has threatened access to reproductive care and contraceptive access, and doesn’t believe racism in the judicial system exists. He admires Clarence Thomas and considers himself an originalist.
Vote for Riggs.
Secretary of State: Elaine Marshall
Elaine Marshall has served as North Carolina’s Secretary of State since 1997 and is up for reelection this year. Marshall was the first woman elected to a statewide office in North Carolina, and has focused on stopping the state’s rural ‘brain drain’ and integrating technology into the Secretary of State Office.
Marshall’s opponent’s website talks about “traditional marriage” and his opposition to abortion – which has nothing to do with the office of the Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing the administrative functions that support business in the state. In her interview with us, Marshall said, “I would stress that the Secretary of State’s office is vital to the daily functioning of our economy and the protection of consumers. This office is responsible for helping businesses get started and ensuring they have the resources to grow and succeed, which directly impacts jobs, economic growth, and opportunities in our communities. It also plays a critical role in preventing fraud, safeguarding intellectual property, and maintaining cybersecurity for the business data that so many rely on. While it might not always make the headlines, the work of this office has a profound effect on North Carolina’s economic health and your daily life.”
Vote for Marshall.
Treasurer: Wesley Harris
The Treasurer of NC is like the CFO of North Carolina: the position is responsible for investing the state’s pension fund for state employees, and managing the state employee health care plan.
Wesley Harris is currently a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, where he represents District 105 (Mecklenburg.) He has a PhD in Economics, and wrote his dissertation on voting and the political geography of the US.
Harris also has a very informative YouTube channel where he provides frequent updates on what’s going on across our state. (He told the Daily Tar Heel last year that he has “been the lead Democrat on every financial and economic issue in our caucus.” (We appreciate that he shares more about these issues on video. They’re sometimes hard to parse and he provides context.)
Harris has been endorsed by EMPAC, the political action committee of the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC). (SEANC previously supported Folwell, a Republican.) The North Carolina Association of Educators’ PAC, the NCAE Great Public Schools Fund, has also endorsed Harris.
His opponent is a Republican member of the UNC Board of Trustees, which NC Newsline reported in December, and retired as co-chief investment officer from Willett Advisors, the firm that manages assets for Michael Bloomberg.
In his interview with us, Harris went into great detail about what he hopes to accomplish, and notes “If you want great teachers in every classroom, if you want qualified state employees working for the government, if you want to make sure your community has good schools, good roads, and the infrastructure necessary to grow and prosper, then you depend on having a great State Treasurer who will make sure our Teachers, Firefighters, Police, and other State Employees have the benefits and retirement they need, and our state is able to afford the investments we need to make to improve the quality of life in every corner of this state.”
Vote for Harris.
Public Instruction: Maurice (Mo) Green
This one’s a no brainer: Mo Green has long been a champion for public education across our state. He served as superintendent of Guilford County Schools – the third largest district in North Carolina, as well as the deputy superintendent, chief operating officer, and general counsel of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Green began his career as a lawyer in private practice after doing two United States judicial clerkships. Most recently, he served as the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. He has a clear plan for public schools in the state.
His opponent is a dangerous extremist who called for the execution of President Obama, attended the January 6th insurrection, and has described public schools as “indoctrination centers.” She has no experience with public schools and homeschools her kids.
The NC superintendent of public instruction is the top public education official in the state, and makes decisions that affect every teacher and student. The position also administers public school funds.
In our interview, Green outlined a clear plan and spoke about his goals for the position. This role is vitally important and we urge you to vote for Green.
Labor: Braxton Winston
The Secretary of Labor investigates complaints of wage theft, violations of labor laws,
employment discrimination, and workplace safety issues in North Carolina and ensures the well-being of more than 4.4 million workers across North Carolina.
As The Assembly reported last month, “as workplace fatalities rise and dozens of state inspector jobs remain unfilled, the two candidates for North Carolina’s top regulatory job have starkly different backgrounds and philosophies.”
Winston is the clear choice to protect workers’ rights. He wants to prioritize heat safety for workers, eliminate poverty in the workforce, and close the digital divide. He has served as Mayor Pro Tem of the Charlotte City Council, and is a union member. His opponent opposes unions and having a minimum wage; he has also rallied against heat safety for workers.
Vote for Winston.
Insurance: Natasha Marcus
The Commissioner of Insurance sets rates for auto, homeowners, worker’s comp, and health insurance. They also combat insurance fraud.
We endorse Democrat Natasha Marcus, a three-term state senator who currently serves on the Commerce & Insurance, Judiciary, Education, Budget and Election & Redistricting Committees. She has been endorsed by Roy Cooper, Alma Adams, Jeff Jackson, Dan Blue and the Sierra Club.
Her opponent has approved an unprecedented number of rate hikes, with more on the way – and hasn’t held any public hearings.
In her interview with us, Marcus said, “My promise to voters is to restore transparency, accountability, and advocacy to the Department of Insurance. I will force insurance companies to justify their rate increases with evidence, in a public forum and if they cannot, I will refuse to rate rates. The incumbent Insurance Commissioner has never held a public rate hike hearing. Instead, he’s taken over $250,000 in campaign dollars from the insurance industry, then given them exactly what they want – more profits for them, while NC consumers get squeezed. I’m running a people-powered campaign, not taking a dime from the insurance companies, so that I’m free to work for the people and do what’s best for them.”
Vote for Marcus.
Auditor: Jessica Holmes
The NC Auditor is responsible for overseeing the books and finances of every state agency and examining that state operations run efficiently. Holmes has been in the position, and already identified hundreds of thousands of dollars in missing funds.
Her opponent sits on the UNC board of trustees where he has been a key part of politicizing the campus. He told President Trump at a rally in August “I’m only in politics for you, sir.”. His campaign website says “while he was board chair, “Dave led the fight at UNC to eliminate woke diversity and equity policies and create a new School of Civic Life and Leadership to help bring ideological balance to the notoriously liberal campus.”
Agriculture: Sarah Taber
The Commissioner of Agriculture enforces agricultural and food safety regulations, and is responsible for leading policies related to the state’s farmlands. (NC has the second largest rural population, after Texas.)
Sarah Taber has a PhD in crop science and wants to prioritize crops that can bring in more revenue and production, which has fallen by 20% under the incumbent. Taber also supports helping Black farmers who are losing their land. (This ProPublica feature from 2019 on black land loss is worth a read.)
Attorney General: Jeff Jackson
Attorney General is one of the most important roles in the council of state: it’s there to protect North Carolinians against people and corporations who may do them harm.
Jeff Jackson is the clear choice: his work in the House of Representatives has fought to increase healthcare access, lower prescription drug prices, and strengthen Medicare – he’s also worked to protect voter rights.
His opponent voted to overturn the last election, wrote the “bathroom bill,” is deeply opposed to reproductive freedom, has never prosecuted a single case, and invested in a website used by white supremacists.
In his interview with us, Jackson said that the attorney general position is one “that can do a lot of good to defend the people of this state. Whether it’s defending reproductive or voting rights, taking on corporations who pollute our water with PFAS, protecting North Carolina families from consumer fraud, increasing online safety for children, or fighting the opioid epidemic, there are a lot of ways to use this position as a shield for those who are in harm’s way.”
Lt. Governor: Rachel Hunt
This is the role that Mark Robinson currently occupies, and it’s an important one: it can cast any tie-breaking votes in the NC Senate, and becomes Governor when the Governor is out of the state.
Rachel Hunt is a state senator who supports raising the minimum wage and protecting reproductive rights. She cares about public schools, access to healthcare, and helping the economies of our state’s rural areas.
Her opponent plans to ban abortion if he’s the tie-breaking vote and has a joint yard sign with Robinson – who has endorsed him.
Governor: Josh Stein
Josh Stein is the Democratic candidate for Governor in North Carolina. He has served as North Carolina’s Attorney General since 2016. Before that, he represented the 16th district in the North Carolina Senate and served as the Senior Deputy Attorney General for Consumer Protection. Over the course of his career, Stein has:
- Tackled the largest backlog of untested rape kits in the country.
- Secured more than $50 billion nationally for opioid addiction treatment and recovery services for people in North Carolina.
- Worked to extend and expand NC’s renewable energy tax credit.
- Defended women’s access to reproductive health care.
- Defended children’s rights to a good public education.
- Won $40 million in a lawsuit against Juul to help kids overcome nicotine addictions.
- Helped negotiate the largest coal ash clean up in the history of the country.
In his interview with us, Stein said, “North Carolina is home, and I pray that all of our children and grandchildren also want to call it home. The only way we can do that is by investing in public education, health care, and infrastructure, protecting public safety, and standing up for personal freedoms. It will pay dividends in creating more opportunity for people in our state over the next decade.”