An Opening for Lynn Russo in HD 117

 

Lynne Russo

 

Last night, the Republican executive committee for the 11th Congressional District picked NC House member Jennifer Balkcom to replace Chuck Edwards on the November ballot. Which means that suddenly, the HD 117 seat is open, giving a hard-to-quantify boost to the prospects for Democrat Lynne Russo who's been running for it all year. According to her 2nd Quarter fundraising report, she's raised a respectable $47k so far, and I suspect the spotlight on her now will also boost her fundraising.

House District 117 includes the northern half of Henderson County. Civitas rates it R+6 "Likely Republican," but in the current atmosphere of dissatisfaction over slow-to-non-existent relief for Hurricane Helene victims, that Republican advantage could evaporate.

There is not yet a Republican replacement for Balkcom in HD 117, but we hear it might likely be a sitting Republican county commissioner. An executive committee of Henderson County Republicans will choose Balkcom's replacement.

Russo says she was living in a mountain condo when Helene hit and became involved immediately in helping neighbors, including clearing roads so an elderly person who needed oxygen could get out. She subsequently began making informational videos about FEMA and recovery resources. Her campaign has built almost its entire rationale around the argument that Western North Carolina's recovery has been too slow and that Raleigh and Washington have failed to respond with sufficient urgency. She's published op-eds arguing that Western North Carolina has been shortchanged in federal disaster assistance, and she has been doing television interviews, including appearances on NewsNation. Her campaign site has collected interviews and articles from NewsNation, The Hill, WLOS, the Citizen-Times, and other outlets. She had already established herself as a public advocate for Helene-recovery before becoming a candidate.

Russo's Act Blue donation page.