Democratic Primary Races
The following races have challengers in the Democratic Primary.
Due to a recent court-ordered redrawing of congressional districts, races for the U.S. House of Representatives are currently scheduled to have a separate primary on June 7.
Those races still remain on the ballot and, to avoid confusiort, the State Board of Elections is urging voters to vote the entire ballot. Senate races and all other contests are being con
ducted like normal. ' ^ ?
President
Incumbent: Democrat Barack Obama
Candidates: Bernie Sanders, Hillary
Clinton and Roque Rocky De Le Fuente
Bernie Sanders is a senator represent
ing Vermont. He served as mayor of
Burlington, Vermont's largest city, from
1981-1989. He then served in the House of
Representatives from 1991-2007 and was
elected as senator in 2007. A democratic
socialist, his platform emphasizes things
like wealth inequality, free college tuition
and universal healthcare. As a Congress of
Racial Equality (CORE) officer in 1962,
he led a sit-in opposing segregated-student
, housing owned by the University of
Chicago. Among his endorsements are for
mer NAACP President Ben Jealous,
activist Angela Davis and Dr. Cornel West,
www.berniesanders .com
Hillary Clinton is the former secretary
of state under President Barack Obama, a
position she served in from 2009-2013.
She served from 2001-2008 as a senator
representing New York. She is married to
Bill Clinton and was a politically active
First Lady during his time as president
(1993-2001) and during his time as gover
nor of Arkansas (1979-1981, 1983-1992).
She ran for president in 2008, coming in a
close second in the primary to Obama. Her
campaign emphasizes protecting the
accomplishments of the Obama presiden
cy, like healthcare reform, with new initia
tives, like raising the minimum wage. Her
endorsements include the Congressional
Black Caucus and former N.C. Governors
Jim Hunt and Beverly Perdue.
wwwJiillaryclinton.com
Roque Rocky De Le Fuenle is a first
generation Hispanic American and busi
nessman from California who got enough
signatures in North Carolina and several
other states to appear on the ballot.. He's
running as an alternative to politicians and
in reaction to Donald- Trump's rhetoric
involving undocumented immigrants. His
campaign issues include a flat tax and
increased education spending,
www jocky2016 .com
Martin J. O'Malley is also on the bal
lot but has suspended his campaign.
UJS. Senate
Incumbent: Republican
Richard Bun
Candidates: Ernest
Reeves, Chris Rey,
Deborah K. Ross and
Kevin D. Griffin
Ernest Reeves of
Greenville is an Army vet
eran who's served in Iraq
and is a former United
Airlines manager. He ran
for the Democratic senate
nomination in 2014 but
was defeated by incumbent
Kay Hagan.
www.emestree ves .com
Chris Rey was elected
the youngest mayor in the
history of Spring Lake,
defeating a 30-year incum
bent in 2011 and has since
won reelection. He's
served in the National
Guard and Army, being
deployed to Afghanistan
during Operation Enduring
Freedom. He is executive
director of Cumberland
HealthNET, a non-profit
organization that helps
coordinate care for the
uninsured in Cumberland
County.
www.chrisrey.com
Deborah K. Ross of
Raleigh was N.C. represen
tative for District 38 from
2003-2012 and for District
34 in 2013. She's the for
mer leader of the North
Carolina ACLU and former
general council for
GoTriangle, the regional
transportation authority for
Wake, Durham and Orange
counties. She's been
endorsed by the national
Democratic Senatorial
Campaign Committee and
EMILY's List, a PAC that
supports pro-choice
Democratic female
candidates, www.debo
rahross.com
Kevin D. Griffin, a
firSt-time candidate, is
president and CEO of
staffing company AVANT
Group, LCC in Durham.
AVANT has worked with
StepUp Ministries to help
job seekers, Hiring Our
Heroes to help veterans
find jobs, and the
Achievement Academy of
Durham, which helps
adults who dropped out of
school. Griffin is a found
ing member of the Durham
Living Wage Project.
gowidlgriffin.org
Governor
Incumbent: Republican
Pat McCrory
Candidates: Ken
Spaulding and Roy
Cooper
Ken Spaulding of
Durham is a lawyer who
served from 1978-1984 in
the N.C. House of
Representatives. Among
his legislative accomplish
ments was the passage of
the state's first Rape Victim
Assistance Program and
legislation allowing public
residents to serve on local
Housing Authority boards.
He's chaired the N.C.
Black Legislative Caucus
and the Durham
Committee on the Affairs
of Black People. Locally
he's been endorsed by The
Chronicle and The Journal.
www.kenspaulding .com
Roy Cooper is the
N.C. attorney general, a
position he was elected to
in 2000. He lists as his
accomplishments cracking
down on child predators,
increasing penalties for
drug dealers and oversee
ing a 30 percent decrease in
crime in the state. His focus
as attorney general has
included keeping utility
rates low, targeting preda
tory lenders and the Do Not
Call telemarketing law.
Locally, he's drawn criti
cism for his office's contin
ued defense of the convic
tion of Kalvin Michael
Smith, a man who many
believe was wrongly con
victed for the 1995 beating
of Jill Marker, wwwroy
cooper.com
Lieutenant
Governor
Incumbent: Republican
Dan Forest
Candidates: Holly
Jones, Ronald L. Newton,
Robert Wilson and Linda
Coleman
Holly Jones served on
the Asheville City Council
from 2001-2007, including
two years as vice-mayor
and, in 2008, was elected to
the Buncombe County
Commission. She was for
merly the executive direc
tor of the Asheville
YWCA, which grew great
ly under her leadership,
and currently is director of
member services fqr the
YWCA USA. www.hol
lyjones.org
Ronald L. Newton is
owner of State of the Art
Financial Services in
Durham. He's been
involved in many cam
paigns, including chairing
the Jesse Jackson for
President Committee in
New York, www.thepublic
servant2016.com
Robert Wilson who
resides in Cary, had a long
career working in state
government before he
retired in 2012, including
serving as assistant secre
tary of state and chief leg
islative liaison for the
Secretary of State office.
In 2012, he was awarded
the N.C. Order of the Long
Leaf Pine, the highest civil
ian honor in the state,
wwwjobertwilson41tgov.c
om
Linda Coleman served
as a Wake County commis
sioner for four years, was
elected three times to the
North Carolina House of
Representatives and served
as director of the Office of
State Personnel from 2009
to 2012. She unsuccessful
ly ran for Lt. Governor in .
2012, but did manage to
get 2.1 million
votes statewide,
www.lindafomc .com
Attorney General
Incumbent: Democrat
Roy Cooper (who isn't
seeking reelection in order
to run for governor)
Candidates: Josh Stein
and Marcus W. Williams
Josh Stein of Raleigh is
a state senator, first elected
in 2008. Before that, he
served as senior deputy
attorney general for con
sumer protection from
2001 to 2008. He's
received honors from
groups like Equality NC,
N.C. AARP, Mothers
Against Drunk Driving
(MAAD), the Sierra Club
and The NC Justice Center
for his work as a lawmaker,
www.joshstein .org
Marcus W. Williams
of Lumberton is an attor
ney with decades of experi
ence, including being the
assistant public defender
for the state and executive
director of Legal Services
(which provides legal
assistance to low-income
individuals) for the state of
Pennsylvania and two
regional programs in North
Carolina. The many boards
he's served on include the
Z. Smith Reynolds
Foundation Advisory
Committee and chairing
the Coastal Carolina HIV
Care Consortium.
williamshouseusa.com
N.C. Commissioner of
Labor
Incumbent: Republican
Cherie Killian Berry
Candidates: Charles
Meeker and Mazie
Ferguson
Charles Meeker is the
former mayor of Raleigh,
an office he held for ten
years. Prior to that, he
served on the Raleigh city
council for eight years.
He's been practicing law
since 1975 with a focus on
local government issues.
www.charlesmeeker.org
Mazie Ferguson of
Greensboro is the former
pastor of First Missionary
and Liberation Baptist
churches. She's also former
head of the Pulpit Forum
ministerial alliance. A life
long civil rights activist,
she's worked with the
Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE) and the
NAACP. She's a lawyer
and is the former assistant
legal council for N.C, A&T
State University,
www.facebook com/votem
azieferguson
N.C. Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Incymbent: Democrat
June Atkinson
Candidates: Henry J.
Pankey and June
Atkinson
Henry J. Pankey of
Durham is a retired
Parkland High assistant
principal. He has won
numerous awards during
his almost 40 years in edu
cation, including Durham's
Principal of the Year for
turning around the low-per
forming Southern High
School. While at Parkland,
he was named Assistant
Principal of the Year by the
N.C, Association of
Educators in 2012.
www.henryjpankey.com
June Atkinson has
been state superintendent
for public schools in North
Carolina since 2005. She is
the first woman elected to
the position and oversees
nearly 1.6 million students
at more than 2,500 schools
in the state. She has more
than 35 years of experience
in education. She lauds an
increase in state high
school graduation rates in
the past 10 years, from 68
percent to nearly 86 per
cent, as one of her accom
plishments.
www.dijuneatkinson .com
N.C. Treasurer
Incumbent: Democrat
Janet Cowell (who isn't
seeking re-election)
Candidates: Dan Blue
III and Ron Elmer
Dan Blue III of
Raleigh is the son of state
Senate Democratic leader
Dan Blue, Jr. and is a
lawyer who practices com
mercial transactions and
' bond financing. He's been
endorsed by current state
treasurer Cowell, the North
Carolina Association of
Educators, AFL-CIO and
Equality NC. www.blue
fornc.com
Ron Elmer of Raleigh
is a certified public
accountant and profession
al money manager. He's
taught finance at N.C. State
and Strayer Universities
and published four books
on investment manage
ment. He has 25 years of
financial experience with
18 years investment man
agement experience. He's
managed billions of dollars
of public pension invest
ments in North Carolina
and other states.
www.elmerfortreasurer.co
m
Forsyth County
Register of Deeds
Incumbent: Democrat
C. Norman Holleman
Candidates: C.
Norman Holleman and
Lynne Johnson
C. Norman Holleman
of Winston-Salem is the
current Forsyth County
register of deeds, a position
he was first elected to in
2008. He's implemented
several cost cutting meas
ures he says have saved
taxpayers $2 million,
including cutting six full
time positions from the
office.
Lynn Johnson is a
Winston-Salem State
University alumna with 27
years of experience in the
Register of Deeds office,
which included being
supervisor of the vital
records division. She now
works for" the Clerk of
Courts office.
Both register of deeds
candidates have said they
wouldn't opt out of issuing
same-sex marriage licens
es. State law allows magis
trates to opt of issuing mar
riage licenses for religious
objections.
Winston-Salem City
Council Northeast Ward
Incumbent: Democrat
Vivian H. Burke
Candidates: Vivian H
. Burke and Keith King
Keith King is a local
entrepreneur who opened
up Kingz DownTown
Market in December 2007.
The successful grocery
store was chosen by
Governor Perdue as the
place to unveil her small
business initiative in 2010.
King is co-chair of the
Winston-Salem Transit
Authority. He is also a
member of the Downtown
Winston-Salem
Partnership, the local
NAACP and the board of
trustees of Reveal Church
of Christ. King said he
wants to bring more eco
nomic development to
the ward, www.face
book .com/KeithKingNE
Vivian H. Burke is
Mayor Pro Tempore of
Winston-Salem and has
been on the city council
since 1977. During her
time on the city council,
she introduced initiatives
like the Minority/Women
Business Enterprise
Program and the Youth
Advisory Council. She's
worked to diversify the
City's workforce and man
agement positions during
her long tenure in office.
She is vice chair of the
public safety committee
and a member of the
finance committee.
Winston-Salem City
Council South Ward
Incumbent: Molly
Leight (who isn't seeking
re-election)
Candidates: Carolyn
Highsmith and John
Larson
Carolyn Highsmith is
president of the Konnoak
Hills Community
Association. She's also
vice-president of the New
South Community
Coalition and serves on the
board of Neighbors for
Better Neighborhoods.
She's been a community
advocate for years and
helped organize the
Ministers' Conference's
effort to educate property
owners on appealing tax
reappraisals that devalued
their land. www.face
book .com/caroly nforsouth
ward
John Larson is vice
president of restoration at
Old Salem Museum and
Gardens. Larson, an Army
veteran, is a longtime
South Ward resident who
has spearheaded efforts to
preserve city landmarks
and worked to protect the
Main Street Corridor in the
Business 40 improvement
negotiations. He is a cur
rent member of the
Creative Corridors Board
and the Old Salem
Residents Association. He
is endorsed by current
South Ward City Council I
Member Leight, johnlar
sonforsouthward.com
Referendum
Connect NC Public
Improvement Bond
Connect NC is.a $2 bil
lion general obligation
bond for state infrastruc
ture spending. The bond
won't raise taxes and the
state will still be able to
maintain its Triple A bond
rating while borrowing the
money. The money will
fund "the construction and
furnishing of new facilities
and the renovation and
rehabilitation of existing
facilities for, without limi
tation, the University of
North Carolina System, the
North Caroliha
Community College
System, water and sewer
systems, the State's
National Guard, the
Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services,
attractions and parks, and
the Department of Public
Safety." Local projects
include a new science
building for Winston
Salem State University and
renovation of Forsyth
Tech's Forsyth Building,
www .connect .nc .gov
Due to a recent cpurt-ordered redrawing of congressional districts, races for the
U.S. House of Representatives are currently scheduled to have a separate primary
on June 7. Those races still remain on the ballot and, to avoid confusion, the State
Board of Elections is urging voters to vote the entire ballot. Senate races and all
' other contests are being conducted like normal.
Republican Primary Races
The following races have challengers in the Republican Primary
President
John R. Kasich
Marco Rubio
Donald J. Trump
Ted Cruz
Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Rick
Santorum, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris
Christie, Carly Fiorina and Jim Gilmore
are also on the ballot, but have all suspend
ed their campaigns.
U& Senate
Larry Hofanquist
Paul Wright
Greg Brannon
S V ' I
I
Richard Burr
N.C. Governor
Pat McCrory
Charles Kenneth Moss
C. Robert Brawley
N.C. Attorney General
Buck Newton
Jim O'Neill
Ins
N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture
Andy Stevens
Steve Troxler
i ' y.
N.C. Commissioner of Insurance
Joe McLaughlin
Ronald (Ron) Pierce
Mike Causey
N.C. Secretary of State
Michael LaPaglia
J. Daoud
N.C. Superintendent of Public
traction
Mark Johnson
J. Wesley Sills
Rosemary Stein
N.Cn State Senate District 31
\i
Joyce Krawiec
Peter Antinozzi
Dempsey Brewer
Forsyth County Board of
Commissioners District B
Richard V. Linville
Dave Plyler
Gloria D. Whisenhunt
Bill Whiteheart
City Council Northwest Ward
Eric Henderson
Jimmy Hodson
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