U.S. Senate: Deborah Ross

The contest between incumbent Richard Burr and challenger Deborah Ross is really tough to call. Burr is a quiet, low-key legislator who has been part of the state’s congressional delegation for a couple of decades.

Mrs. Ross, a state representative from 2003-13, made her reputation as a progressive champion for government transparency and education reform. We’re siding with Ross, in part because eight years of congressional inaction has led us to a dangerous crossroads in the nation’s history. A Democratic-leaning Senate, coupled with a Hillary Clinton presidency, is the best way to move the nation from its legislative morass. Hence, our endorsement of Mrs. Ross, who leans more left than most North Carolina voters, but brings a wealth of experiences that we’re convinced will do more to help the state and nation.

Senator Burr is an honorable man who has served his state nobly, if off the radar. However, we have deep reservations about his decision to let two capable candidates languish for a federal judgeship since Barack Obama was elected president. One of those candidates had Burr’s backing, only to have him pull the plug by refusing to submit a “blue slip” that would’ve sent the nomination to the full Senate for consideration. Burr has yet to explain why the about-face other than a half-baked excuse about Obama not living up to some deal no one knows much about.

Senator Burr has also been part of the Senate’s obstructionist Republican majority that has been derelict on finding solutions on jump-starting the nation’s economy, strengthening civil rights and alleviating poverty. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Burr has pushed for better national security, but there’s growing Russian threat to U.S. data, if not our military.

Mrs. Ross, on the other hand, is an advocacy candidate. As a lawmaker, her track record as an advocate for better education and economic mobility are clear-cut and will prove an asset in Washington. She’s been a tough campaigner for change in the Senate and we’re impressed with her determination to tell a full story about what she’ll do if elected.

N.C. governor: Roy Cooper
Four years ago, we warned voters that with Pat McCrory as governor, “the legislative tail will wag the gubernatorial dog.” Well, the chickens have come home to roost. The “Mayor Pat” who served as Charlotte’s mayor on a centrist-right platform turned hard right as governor and in the process caused North Carolina no shortage of headaches as he rode shotgun with conservative lawmakers to turn the clock back 50 years.

The list is pretty expansive, starting with signing HB2, which not only alienated the LGBT community, but cities who are prohibited from extending non-discrimination rules as well as minimum-wage ordinances. It also attacked worker rights by blocking access to state courts for redress of discrimination complaints.

In response, businesses bolted North Carolina, taking jobs and potential jobs with them. Sports leagues took their business elsewhere and McCrory doubled down, calling HB2 common sense and blaming everyone but himself for the damage appropriated to the state.

There was the state’s attempt to wrest control of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport from the city and the Duke Energy coal ash disaster, in which the utility was basically slapped on the wrist while entire communities had to live with the threat of contaminated drinking water seeping from earthen pits. And don’t forget education cuts that impacted public school districts as well as the University of North Carolina system.

You see where this is going, right?

Mr. Cooper is the state’s top law enforcement official and has been a stalwart servant of consumer protection and civil rights. Even when he’s drawn fire for not defending egregious laws, like the draconian voter ID provisions, Mr. Cooper clearly defines and defends his reasons. We may not like everything he’s done, but Mr. Cooper certainly can’t do any worse that what we have in the Executive Mansion. We’re betting he’ll do quite a bit better.

Comments