Wade among candidates receiving law enforcement endorsement

The NC Police Benevolent Association, representing law enforcement employees from across the state, has announced its election endorsements.

The endorsement likely to carry the most weight in the Piedmont Triad region of the state is the association’s nod to Republican Trudy Wade in the NC Senate District 28 race. The district leans Democratic, but the entry of Bruce Davis — a registered Democrat who serves on the Guilford County Commission and is running as an independent — potentially spoils the race for Democratic nominee Gladys Robinson.

“During the interview process Trudy Wade demonstrated why her experience makes her uniquely qualified to represent the voters of District 28,” the association said. “She also demonstrated to the NCPBA that she is committed to making strong, effective law enforcement a priority in her campaign.”

The association also endorsed Democratic incumbent Don Vaughan, whose Republican challenger is Jeff Hyde, for the NC Senate District 27 seat. Likewise, the association is supporting Democratic incumbent Pricey Harrison over Republican challenger Jon Hardister in the NC House District 57 matchup.

Curiously, the association made no endorsement in NC House District 59 races contested between Democratic incumbent Maggie Jeffus and Republican challenger Theresa Yon.

Other endorsements include Democrat Elaine Marshall for US Senate, Robert C. Hunter for NC Supreme Court, incumbent Martha Geer for NC Court of Appeals, challenger Jane Gray for the Court of Appeals seat currently held by Ann Marie Calabria and incumbent Rick Elmore for Court of Appeals.

NC Supreme Court candidates visit Guilford County

Robert C. Hunter (left), a candidate for NC Supreme Court, visits with Guilford County Clerk of Court David Churchill this afternoon.

Robert C. Hunter, a candidate for NC Supreme Court, made a stop at the Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro this afternoon after a visit to the courthouse in High Point.

It was hard to find an audience. Public Defender Wallace Harrelson was out of the office for health reasons. Clerk of Court David Churchill commiserated that judicial races, similar to his elected post, typically attract little interest from voters. Hunter handed his campaign card to a private security guard in the elevator. He planned to drop in on District Attorney Doug Henderson also.

Like his opponent, Barbara Jackson, Hunter currently serves on the NC Court of Appeals and is looking for a promotion from state voters to fill the seat of retiring Associate Justice Edward Thomas Brady. Although judicial races are nominally nonpartisan, party registration is likely to shape the outcome of the race. A Democrat from Marion, Hunter enjoys relatively strong name recognition within his party thanks to nine terms in the NC House in the 1980s and 1990s. Jackson, a registered Republican, is well regarded in conservative circles.

Hunter is touring the state in a recreational vehicle.

Hunter said he would like to see the Supreme Court take more cases, write more opinions and be more transparent, although he declined to specify how the court could let in more sunshine. In an interview today, he emphasized his experience, including 12 years on the appellate bench, legal work as an assistant district attorney and in private practice and legislative service focused on the courts.

As an example of the kind of case decided by the Supreme Court that affects the lives of ordinary North Carolinians, Hunter said, “Cases were being dismissed for what I thought were technical reasons. I think people’s cases ought to be heard. I wrote a dissent to a majority opinion as a judge on the appeals court, and the Supreme Court agreed with me.”

Jackson visited Greensboro on Monday when she addressed the group WOMAN at Mahi’s Seafood Restaurant. She outlined a career that included a clerkship in the NC Supreme Court, work advocating for people with disabilities, private practice on land use and municipal law, and a stint as general counsel for the NS Department of Labor.

“I have a passion for the law and a passion for public service, and that’s what I bring to the Supreme Court,” she said. “For me, it’s really the highest honor for an attorney in the state of North Carolina to serve on the state Supreme Court. Being a judge has been quite an honor for me. It’s something that I really love. I can’t think of another better job that a person can have.”