Josh Stein emphasizes importance of down-ballot races in Wilson rally with Dems

The Democratic nominee for governor was joined by Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, as well as legislative candidates Dante Pittman and Raymond Smith.

“I’m running because I love our home state, and I believe in its promise that if you work hard, where you come from should never limit how far you can go,” Josh Stein told the crowd at Casita Brewing Company in downtown Wilson. 

With Election Day just days away, Stein is holding events across the state to get out the vote. With the early voting period now over, anyone wishing to cast a ballot must do so on Tuesday, November 5th. For those voting on Election Day, you can find your local precinct here by entering your personal information.

Wilson County is a swing county that Democrats are hoping to perform well in on Tuesday. President Joe Biden narrowly won the county in 2020 and Governor Roy Cooper won by around 10%.

Stein, ahead in many polls by double digits over Republican Mark Robinson in the gubernatorial race, is hoping Democrats break the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly so he can implement his agenda should he become governor.

Cooper has faced a supermajority for half of his governorship, and as a result, Republicans in both chambers of the legislature have had the ability to override his vetoes so long as their members are in lockstep. 

Stein called on the crowd to support two legislative candidates, Dante Pittman and Raymond Smith, who he says will help him implement his proposals and be a check on the supermajority.

“What I need is to have a legislature with Dante and Raymond, who are going to uphold that veto,” Stein said.

In his remarks, Pittman, the Democratic nominee in House District 24, who is running against Republican Representative Ken Fontenot, said the stakes for Wilson and the broader eastern North Carolina community were high.

“People are hearing our message. They know the importance of this race. They know about breaking the supermajority, they know how critical we are to making sure we have good public schools, that we have affordable healthcare here in Eastern North Carolina.” 

Smith, running in Senate District 4 against incumbent Senator Buck Newton, emphasized the importance of down-ballot races like his and Pittman’s on people’s everyday lives. 

“I think a lot of times we get caught up at the top of the ticket, what’s going on at the top of the ticket. The top of the ticket pales in comparison to the remainder of that ticket,” he said, mentioning the impact on education and redistricting that the down-ballot races can have.

@cardinalandpine

Speaking in Wilson, NC Supreme Court @Justice Allison Riggs says Tuesday’s election will have a huge impact on a range of issues that affect North Carolinians lives, including education, clean water and air, as well as partisan gerrymandering. #nc #northcarolina #courts #election #wilson

♬ original sound – Cardinal & Pine

Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs spoke to the importance of judicial elections on the ballot, and mentioned races for the Court of Appeals in addition to her own.

“Our courts are where issues are getting decided that affect you every single day. If you care about the resources that are going to your public schools here in Wilson, you have to fight for our courts with me,” Riggs said.

In addition to education, Riggs said that clean water and air, as well as partisan gerrymandering are issues voters should keep in mind when voting on Tuesday. Riggs noted that if she is re-elected, it puts Democrats in position to flip the court from Republican control prior to the 2030 Census.

“We need to keep my seat if we’re going to win back our State Supreme Court before the next round of regular redistricting,” she said.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, the first woman to be elected statewide when she first took office in 1996, said her priority was to support small businesses in rural communities like Wilson, touting a program called Rural RISE (Resources for Innovators, Startups, and Entrepreneurs).  

“I am disturbed about the urban-rural divide, which is causing brain drain from rural counties. It’s really starving out some rural counties,” Marshall said.

She says that some communities aren’t able to bring in larger companies to create jobs, and therefore boosting small businesses locally is critical. 

“We’re not going to get big major companies to come to some places in eastern North Carolina in particular, or western North Carolina, for different reasons. But we have to grow our own businesses from within, and what this program does is, it lets the new entrepreneurs know what resources are available,” Marshall said.

In his closing remarks, Stein emphasized the role that North Carolina will play on Tuesday, and that the impact is global.

“The path to the White House runs right up I-95 North. We have the power to shape the future, not only of the state, but the nation and the World,” Stein told the crowd.