SENATE CANDIDATE BEASLEY
RUNNING STRONG 2022 BID
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Former NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley is certainly attracting both support, and scrutiny in her bid for 2022 U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by the departing Republican incumbent Sen. Richard Burr.
"I’m so grateful for all of the support and enthusiasm we’re seeing across NC," she wrote on Twitter recently. “For too long, our senators have been more focused on their own self interest than serving our state. It’s past time for that to change. And together we’ll make that happen.”
The former Chief Justice lost a razor thin race against Associate Justice Paul Newby by just 400 votes statewide in the November 2020 elections. She formally joined the 2022 race for the U.S. Senate in April 2021.
On the support side, the Beasley campaign reported raising $1.3 million for it’s war chest, with donations coming in from 93 of North Carolina’s 100 counties (90% being $100.00 or less) keeping pace with her Democratic primary opponents thus far, and also keeping pace with the GOP U.S. Senate frontrunner, former NC Governor Pat McCrory, who has also reportedly raised approximately $1.3 million.
In McCrory’s case, the once-moderate Republican and one time mayor of Charlotte faces a primary field of two others - Congressman Ted Budd (R-NC-6) and former District 6 Congressman Mark Walker (R-NC-6), and leads both in fundraising. However, McCrory has already challenged both to primary debates, mostly likely because he’s seen as weak with North Carolina’s rock solid conservative base.
Indeed, when former Pres. Donald Trump visited North Carolina last month, he surprised everyone by publicly endorsing Budd for the Senate seat. Walker has already agreed to the debates, but Budd has not responded thus far.
No such drama on the Democratic side, as Cheri Beasley leads a primary field of six, which includes state Sen. Jeff Jackson, former state Sen. Erica Smith, Beaufort Mayor Rett Newton, pharmacist Ava Edwards and virologist Richard Watkins.
The primaries are slated for March 8th, 2022.
Republicans are already trying to soften Democratic frontrunner Beasley up, with the NC Republican Party releasing statement alleging that Beasley “…has agreed to partner with Democratic Socialist U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) in a joint fundraising committee…a member of Justice Democrats, the most leftwing caucus in Congress, which includes congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tiaib (D-MI).
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is also accusing Beasley of flip-flopping on voter ID, alleging that she’s trying to having it both ways in a statement both supportive of H.R. 1 “For the People Act that is against voter I.D., but also supportive of a proposed compromise by moderate Sen. Joe Manchin that touts voter I.D..
For the record, Beasley has been against voter ID since 2014, but apparently is willing to compromise on the issue, like many other Democrats, in order to get important voting rights legislation passed.
On the support side, NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has publicly endorsed Beasley as “…a trailblazer who has dedicated he career to the people of North Carolina…, “ adding that “Cheri can flip this seat and help us hold our Senate majority…”
Political observers see at least ten U.S. Senate seats flip in 2022, and North Carolina is one of them. They also see the prospect of two Black female Democrats winning Senate seats - Val Demings in Florida and Cheri Beasley in North Carolina.
As of press time, Cheri Bealey has received endorsements from at least 70 leaders from across North Carolina, including from Color of Change; former NC Supreme Chief Justice Henry Frye; state Senators Gladys Robinson (D-Guilford); Deb Butler (D-New Hanover); state Rep. Evelyn Terry (Forsyth) and former state Rep. H.M. “Mickey” Michaux (Durham).
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New Hanover Supt. Dr. Charles Foust
“CRITICAL RACE THEORY”
THREATS MADE AGAINST
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
The growing controversy surrounding “Critical Race Theory” has now gone from over-the-top political rhetoric to heated parental protests, and now threats of violence against school administrators across the state.
In Wilmington, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is investigating threats of intimidation being made against the NHC School Board and it’s superintendent, Dr. Charles Foust. This comes a week after the regularly scheduled in-person July school board meeting had to be cut short two weeks ago because the packed audience became unruly and demanded to be heard. That forced the NHC School Board to finish it’s public meeting virtually, and putting speakers on videotape for it’s own safety.
While there are several school issues of concern to parents and citizens up for debate, there is no question that the commonly held belief that Critical Race Theory allegedly is slated to be taught starting in the coming school year is at the top of the list.
But according to Dr. Foust - who did not return a Wilmington Journal request for comment Monday - there are no plans for Critical Race Theory to be taught in New Hanover County Public Schools.
Supt. Foust has said the school district is not teaching Critical Race Theory, primarily because it is a collegiate level concept about the history of systematic racism that has been taught in universities and law schools for the past forty years , not secondary schools or primary schools.
What will be taught will be based on the new social studied standards adopted by the NC Board of Education that focus more on the history of American slavery , with students being challenged to engage in critical thinking about what they learn.
But parents in Wilmington, and elsewhere, like Guilford County, see any focus on America’s racial past as “Marxist indoctrination,” so much so that last June, many rose up in righteous indignation over what they thought was the teaching of Critical Race Theory in their schools..
Guilford Schools Supt. Sharon Contreras has had to face threats since June, again, over false accusations about Critical Race Theory being taught in the school system there. A conservative group called Take Back Our Schools reportedly has been “banging on the windows” of the school district headquarters, demanding that Contreras be fired over the allegation.
Many of the alleged threats have been racist in nature, directed at Supt. Contreras, and calling students of color “BLM thugs” and “anti-white racists.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools haven’t seen any threats over Critical Race Theory yet, but at least 80 outrage parents blasted the CMS school board two weeks ago primarily because the school system paid $25,000 to
an African-American speaker for a “ race theory presentation” during a summer leadership conference.
"I'm not co-parenting with the government. It is not your job to force these ideas onto my child," parent Abby Daugherty told the CMS Board. "Your job is to teach my child math language arts, science, and history, including American history. We are Americans."
Other school boards across the state have gotten the message, and have effectively outlawed the teaching of any subject matter that reflects badly on American history, regardlessly of how true it is.
Add to that Republican lawmakers passing HB 324 to formally outlaw Critical Race Theory, and Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson standing firm against the new social studies standards, alleging that they teach that America is a racist nation, and it should be no surprise that the level of rhetoric, threats and violence will increase when the school year resumes in a few weeks.
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STATE NEW BRIEFS FOR JULY 29TH
CONGRESSWOMAN ALMA ADAMS REACTS TO BIPARTISAN JAN. 6TH CAPITOL ATTACK SELECT COMMITTEE TESTIMONY
[WASH., D.C.] Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC-12) praised the powerful testimony of four police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol against attack by enraged Trump supporter on Jan. 6th. “Their harrowing testimony about the weapons used against them during the attack, their injuries, and their physical and mental recovery cannot be ignored by people of conscience. Their testimony the the attack was a white nationalist insurrection against our government also cannot be ignored.”
PRES. BIDEN NOMINATES RETIRED ERIK HOOKS TO FEDERAL POST
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] Retiring NC Secretary of Public Safety Erik Hooks apparently isn’t going to take much time off. On Tuesday, Pres. Joe Biden nominated Hooks to serve as deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The nomination requires Senate confirmation.
“I commend President Biden for his nomination of Erik Hooks to serve as Deputy Administrator for FEMA,’ said Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1). Secretary Hooks is the right man for the job. On day one, he will bring over 30 years of public safety experience to FEMA. Secretary Hooks’ experience and leadership at FEMA is what our country needs in times of crises, especially as a changing climate produces more severe and frequent natural disasters. I have no doubt Secretary Hooks will serve the American people with distinction while at FEMA, just as he has done for the past 30 years in North Carolina.”
POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN PROTESTORS DEMONSTRATE IN FRONT OF RALEIGH FEDERAL BUILDING
[RALEIGH] Members of Rev. Dr. William Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign demonstrated in front of the Federal Building Monday, and the offices of Republican senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, demanding that Congress end the U.S. Senate filibuster, pass H.R. 1 “For the People Act,” and also raise the federal minimum hourly wage from $7.25 to $15.
Protestors also demanded that Congress fully restore the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
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