Representation matters, and we need leaders who will fight for all North Carolinians. These outstanding candidates are running in very competitive NC House districts, and they need our help to win. Read on to learn more about these candidates, and donate to their campaigns today.
Frances Vinell Jackson
NC House District 45 - Cumberland County (Fayetteville)
Dr. Frances “Vinell” Jackson is a longtime Cumberland County resident with significant experience in government planning and public service. Her key priorities are education funding and quality, access to affordable healthcare, workforce training, and rural jobs and economic growth.
Jackson is running in NC House District 45 to unseat Republican incumbent John Szoka. While the district was redrawn last year from a strongly gerrymandered, far-right district to a slightly Democratic district, Jackson faces an up-hill battle. Not only is the incumbent very well funded, while nearly every other county in the state with competitive legislative races saw primary turnout increases of 20 and 30 points compared with 2016, primary turnout in Cumberland County was completely flat.
SUPPORT JACKSON
Aimy Steele
NC House District 82, Cabarrus County (Kannapolis)
Aimy Steele is a former elementary school principal and a strong advocate for public education. Steele wants to increase education funding, lower health care costs, and address her district’s opioid crisis.
In 2018, Steele came within 6 points of upsetting the Republican incumbent in NC-H82, greatly improving on Gov. Cooper’s 2016 performance in the district, and the district has since been redrawn to be 3 points more favorable for Democrats. Running for a second time, Steele has greater name recognition and a strong campaign organization already in place. With no incumbent in this race and a 2020 Democratic primary surge that increased turnout 32% in Cabarrus County over 2016, Steele can win this race with enough support.
SUPPORT STEELE
Kimberly Hardy
NC House District 43, Cumberland County (Fayetteville)
Dr. Kimberly Hardy is an assistant professor of social work at Fayetteville State University. A former school social worker, Hardy is dedicated to helping those who struggle and to building safe communities with opportunities to learn, build businesses, and thrive. Hardy pulled off an election upset to win the district’s primary, defeating 7-term incumbent Elmer Floyd with a strong and effective ground game. Hardy is running on a strong progressive platform: high-quality, affordable health care; high-quality schools; and clean water.
This Democrat-held district became significantly more right-leaning under the new NC House map, making it roughly even for 2020. Holding this district is critical to breaking the majority in the NC House. The good news is that the pool of untapped voters – registered voters who did not vote in 2018 – leans Democratic by more than 30 points. The not-so-great news is that Cumberland County saw no increase in Democratic turnout in the 2020 primary, so turnout-focused voter outreach in this district will be key, and Hardy needs every bit of support we can give to help her do it.