Carla Cunningham May Be in (More) Trouble

 

House District 106 is majority Black. Carla Cunningham has represented the district in the NC House since the election of 2012. She's often been unopposed for reelection, and when she is challenged in a primary, she rarely takes less than 70% of the vote.

Carla Cunningham, Democratic Incumbent

Cunningham already had a growing reputation for voting with the Republican super-majority, but she crossed a couple of lines too many last August when she joined the Republicans in voting to override Governor Stein's veto of H 318, a new immigration enforcement law that makes ICE effectively the boss over local sheriffs. It was not just her vote to override, but a downright astounding floor speech attacking the very idea of immigration. Embarrassingly, she first trumpeted her own racial bona fides:

“I am an ADOS (African Descendant of Slaves), a black American, and an American,” she said. “I support House Bill 318 because it’s time for my unapologetic truth to be shared. It’s not just the numbers of immigrants that matter, but where they come from and the culture they bring. Some come and refuse to adapt, but they must assimilate and respect the laws of the country they wish to live in .... We’ve been naive, exploited, and abused [by illegal immigrants] .... All cultures are not equal.”

Meaning (we take it), "They're not equal to me." An odd thing to hear a Black rep say in the age of Trump. In fact, she seemed to be mimicking Trump's "immigrants are garbage" line of thought.

Cunningham has been half-heartedly apologizing for that floor speech, while simultaneously complaining that it was "those people" who had made her feel threatened and intimidated to the point she blurted out a basically racist rant. Cunningham's feeling the heat.

One of her primary opponents, Vermanno Bowman (see below), sez of Cunningham: "She has a record of voting with Republicans over 80% of the time during the 2023–2024 legislative session, joining Republicans in overriding multiple vetoes from Governor Roy Cooper, and missing 332 votes (43%) in the 2021–2022 session." Being perpetually safe in your gerrymandered seat -- applies to Democrats as much as Republicans -- can make you high-handed and arrogant.

Most recently, Cunningham has signed onto a petition to have Meck Co Sheriff Garry McFadden removed from office, saying he threatened her like a mob boss for her vote on House Bill 318. The threat she alleges happened almost six months ago. If indeed the sheriff threatened her, she didn't mention it to anyone until her reelection primary began to look like her first bad election, because Gov. Stein publicly endorsed...

Rodney Sadler, Dem Primary Challenger

Just this past Monday, Gov. Stein issued this endorsement of church pastor and community activist Sadler: “I am proud to stand with Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler in his campaign to put people first. The people of North Charlotte deserve a representative who will fight for Democratic values, defend our public schools, and keep costs down. Rev. Dr. Sadler will help us build a North Carolina where we can all afford to thrive.” Sadler’s campaign told the Charlotte Observer that he has raised more than $100,000 and has secured endorsements from labor groups and more than 20 local leaders.

Sadler brings impressive academic credentials. He is a graduate of Howard University (1989, B.S. Psychology/Philosophy) and Howard University School of Divinity (1992, M.Div.). He holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Biblical Archaeology from Duke University and has also studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Though he is an ordained Baptist minister, he's also done service in Presbyterian churches and is currently associate professor of Bible and director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte.

Vermanno Bowman

Vermanno Bowman is perhaps headed for that category called "Perennial Candidate," which could make me sad for this ever earnest Gen Z do-gooder who's got an up-by-the-seat-of-his-pants personal story of poverty and struggle. Bowman has run twice before for the NC House, most recently against Carla Cunningham in 2024. He's back in 2026 with little prospect of success. In his first run in 2022 against another entrenched conservative Black Democrat, Bowman didn't quite get to 17% of the vote. In '24 against Cunningham, he took less, 15%.

Bowman enlisted in the North Carolina Army National Guard and has served as a military police officer for five or six years. He's been an active Democrat in Mecklenburg County, served on the state exec committee, so it must have hurt when Gov. Josh Stein endorsed the other Democrat.

Four NCHouse Democrats Challenged in 2024 Primaries

 

Ren Larsen writing for The Assembly ("The Democrats' Shrinking Tent") reminded me of some interesting Democratic primaries about to be decided on March 5th. Early Voting begins a week from Thursday. Four moderate NCHouse Democrats, who've voted for Republican laws maybe more than some voters in their district think healthy, are challenged by rival Democrats who criticize them for being too compliant with the Republican super-majority.

James Adams

HD 60 (Guilford) -- incumbent Cecil Brockman v. James Adams

Larsen reports that Brockman votes with Republicans 75% of the time. The average is actually 66%, which indicates the number of non-controversial bills that get voted on and passed by a bi-partisan majority. Brockman notoriously voted to override the governor's veto of the Republican budget, which shafted the Leandro plan to improve K-12 public schools, and he's been a consistent supporter of more and more money to charters (ergo less money for public schools). An investigation by Bryan Anderson found that Brockman's absences from the work of the House seemed high: "He was absent on 21 voting days, or 44% of voting sessions."

James Adams is the former head of the High Point NAACP. He's been endorsed by Carolina Forward and by Nicole Quick, a former candidate for House, and he's running with the slogan "James Adams Will Always Show Up."

HD 60 is majority white (40.4%) but has a competitive Black population (37.5%), with some 10% Hispanic. It leans Democratic by 63.2%. Both the incumbent and the challenger are Black. 

 

HD 27 (Halifax, Northampton, Warren) -- incumbent Michael Wray v. Rodney Pierce

Rodney Pierce

This particular primary pits a 10-term white rep. against an aggressive Black challenger. Michael Wray has voted to override more Roy Cooper vetoes than any other Democrat in the House.

Pierce is another Carolina Forward endorsee and an award-winning public school teacher and a historian. Described by Greg Childress: "Outspoken social studies teacher and historian Rodney Pierce has successfully submitted five applications to the state for historical markers commemorating Black historical figures, events and organizations. Pierce has opposed efforts by the state’s Republican-led General Assembly and others to restrict what he and his colleagues teach students about the nation’s history of racism." He's endorsed by labor (small as it is in this right-to-work state).

HD 27 is a majority minority district with some 51.9% Black voters to 41.4% white and 2.4% Hispanic. It leans Democratic heavily 61.7%. 

HD 23 (Bertie, Edgecombe, Martin) -- incumbent Shelley Willingham v. Abbie Lane

Willingham was groomed by Republican Speaker Tim Moore, who notably gifted Willingham with a committee chairmanship as a reward for his voting Republican a dismaying number of times.

Abbie Lane

Abbie Lane (what a perfect name! aka "Bud") ran before in 2020 under the Green Party label and supplied other details about himself to Ballotpedia:

Abbie Lane was born in Washington, North Carolina. He graduated from North Edgecombe High School in 2002. He earned an associate degree in marketing from Pitt Community College and a certification in leadership from Edgecombe Community College. He worked in entertainment and sports management for a decade [professional wrestling]. He changed careers and spent time working with multiple Fortune 500 companies to implement procedures to enhance customer service experiences as well as remote workspaces.

In 2021, Lane became a Fall Fellow with the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership and in 2022 was added to the E.A. Morris Fellowship for Emerging Leaders. He has also completed training and certifications with Young Americans For Liberty, Win At The Door, MoveOn Progressive Power Summit, the National Democratic Training Committee, and the Victory Institute. In the Spring of 2023, Lane returned to the Democratic Party after spending more than 20 years registered as unaffiliated/independent. As of September 2023, Lane served as the 1st Vice Chair of the Edgecombe County Democratic Party and as a State Executive Committee member of the North Carolina Democratic Party representing Edgecombe.

The training and networking outlined in that 2nd paragraph might be enough to help this white candidate overcome a very seasoned Black incumbent.

HD 23 is another majority minority House district, with 53.4% Black population to 41.7% white and 3.6% Hispanic. It leans Democratic by 59.4%. 

HD 106 (Mecklenburg) -- Carla Cunningham v. Vermanno Bowman

Carla Cunningham was first elected in 2012. She's another pretty consistent vote for Republican laws on the most sensitive subjects. Her district is so safe, she wasn't even opposed in 2020, and she's never won with less than 70% of the vote.

Vermanno Bowman ran a primary against Democratic incumbent Kelly Alexander Jr. in HD 107 in 2022 and got 16.5% of the vote. He looks like a pure sacrificial offering, meant to send a message.

HD 106 is 33% white, 47.2% Black, and 11% Hispanic. Both candidates in this primary are Black. Whoever wins the primary is pretty guaranteed election because the district leans Democratic by 73.4%.

The Dem Primary in HD107: The 23-year-old vs. a Powerful Incumbent

 

NC House District 107 is another safe Democratic seat (Mecklenburg Co.) with a primary. This particular primary pits a 23-year-old Black upstart against a powerful Black incumbent running for his eighth term in the House. (There seems to be a trend this year of challenges to well entrenched Democratic incumbents in safe districts. Is that a bad thing? Or is it evidence of insurgent energy rising to keep the party renewed and on its toes?)

Vermanno Bowman, the Young Insurgent

He says on his website that the experience of sitting up late with his mom watching on CNN while Barack Obama won reelection in 2012 molded his determination to one day run for office himself. He was 13. He's 23 now, which would surely make him the youngest member of the General Assembly, should his improbable candidacy actually succeed.

Back then I didn't know what the electoral college was, how states choose their delegates or even how Congress had to certify each state's electoral votes. One thing I did know was that I felt a sense of unity when President Obama stated, "The best is yet to come for the United States of America." That work still has to be done to make our country a more perfect union, and I choose to be a part of the few but many to do just that. From that night on I have made it my goal to pursue elected office no matter how hard things got or the obstacles I faced.

He implies that the incumbent Democrat has grown too complacent with the status quo:

The working class in this state have been left behind and forgotten by people who get elected into office and get too comfortable. When I’m elected I will go to Raleigh and stand up for the working class who’ve been struggling in the shadows for far too long.

And this punch he threw at do-nothingism:

In the United States we have politicians who serve at the best interest of Corporate America and Wall Street rather than their constituents. It’s past time that North Carolina implemented term limits for every political office and got rid of career politicians.

He's punching up, naturally, which is the right direction to take it, and he may be the first Democratic candidate in North Carolina to wear his hat in that fashion. (He says he's a military policeman and probably knows how to fight.) I'm cheering him on. If not this year, maybe next.

Kelly Alexander, the Incumbent

Alexander is a 73-year-old funeral director who was first appointed to fill an unexpired term in June of 2008 and then won it in his own right in November of that year at the same time Obama was taking the White House. No one's ever come close to subsequently beating him in either a primary or a general election. He went totally unchallenged in a couple of his reelection campaigns.

He earned his B.S. in political science and a Master's of Public Administration from Chapel Hill.

His autobiography suggests a juggernaut of community influence:

I have worked for most of my life in the areas of civil rights, community organization and small business. Along with my brother, Alfred, I manage the Alexander Funeral Home, Inc. Established by our grandfather in 1914, it is the oldest African American-owned business in Mecklenburg County. I have taught classes at West Charlotte and Harding High Schools, Central Piedmont Community College, Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University, and UNCC. I have passionately served in various positions with the NAACP including my twelve years of service on the National Board of Directors as the North Carolina NAACP President.

In the present circumstances, he may feel like a show horse tormented by a horse fly.