Targeted races will end North Carolina Republicans’ supermajority rule in the state, restore the veto power for future Democratic Gov. Josh Stein
WASHINGTON — Today, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced its Spotlight candidates in North Carolina to break the supermajorities in the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives. Including 9 House candidates and 5 Senate candidates, these initial target races will serve as a guidepost as the DLCC works to restore the veto pen for future Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, should he win the competitive Gubernatorial race in the fall.
Breaking the Republican supermajority in North Carolina and defending a Democratic governor’s veto is a priority for the DLCC in 2024, and Democrats only need to flip a single seat in either the Senate or House to break the supermajority. In North Carolina, Democrats are competitive statewide, but Republicans in the state legislature have used gerrymandering to ruthlessly protect their own power. A reminder: Republicans only gained a supermajority in the House of Representatives when a Democrat went against the will of voters and switched parties.
Since that betrayal, for the past year, Republicans have been using their supermajorities to:
- Push through an unpopular abortion ban
- Enact more voter suppression measures
- Attack the LGBTQ+ community
- Create new, gerrymandered maps to ruthlessly protect their own power
Now, the DLCC and partners on the ground are fighting back and are proud to announce our Spotlight candidates running in target races ahead of November.
Candidates who received our Spotlight designation:
- David Hill (SD-7)
- James Mercer (SD-11)
- Sen. Lisa Grafstein (SD-13)
- Rep. Terence Everitt (SD-18)
- Woodson Bradley (SD-42)
- Dante Pittman (HD-24)
- Lorenza Wilkins(HD-25)
- Bryan Cohn (HD-32)
- Evonne Hopkins (HD-35)
- Safiyah Jackson (HD-37)
- Rep. Diamond Stanton-Williams (HD-73)
- Beth Helfrich (HD-98)
- Nicole Sidman (HD-105)
- Rep. Lindsey Prather (HD-115)
A reminder: The DLCC has invested early in North Carolina, while the North Carolina House and Senate caucuses successfully recruited Democratic candidates to run in every Senate race and 119 of 120 House races.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams issued the following statement:
“The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is proud to announce our Spotlight candidates to break the supermajorities in the North Carolina General Assembly and restore the veto power for the next Governor of North Carolina, Democrat Josh Stein. North Carolina Republicans are the extreme of the extreme who used backroom deals and political favors to achieve a supermajority against the will of North Carolina voters and roll back fundamental freedoms in the state.
“North Carolina shows how one seat can change the balance of power in the state for millions of lives. With one-seat supermajorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republicans have used their power to push through an unpopular abortion ban, enact voter suppression measures, and pass bills attacking the LGBTQ+ community. North Carolina Republicans then doubled down and used their power to draw themselves more favorable maps. To restore balance in the state and ensure that every North Carolinian has their voice heard, the DLCC is gearing up to flip as many seats as possible and end the gerrymandered supermajority once and for all.
“Our 14 Spotlight candidates and expansive target map means that there are multiple pathways to breaking the undemocratic control that legislative Republicans currently have. These candidates represent the best that North Carolina has to offer. The DLCC has invested early in both chambers and is looking forward to working alongside these incredible candidates, House Democratic Leader Robert Reives, Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue, and other partners on the ground to create and sustain competitive, winning campaigns in November.”
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures and building state infrastructure. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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