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CANDIDATES
We have federal, state, district, and local candidates to vote for in the 2020 election. All have phone banking and canvassing volunteer sessions planned. And you can donate to help their campaigns on their websites.
MEET THE CANDIDATES
US SENATE
Cheri Beasley
“I’m running for Senate to be an independent voice
who stands up for North Carolina and
what’s right for our state regardless of the politics ...
I will bring the same values I was raised with —
hard work, integrity, and justice —
to fight for every person in our state.”
Raised by a trailblazing mom, Beasley learned from an early age the values of hard work, integrity, and justice. She and her husband, Curt, instilled those same values in Thomas and Matthew, their twin sons, and raised their family in a home steeped in faith.
These values guided Beasley’s work, first as a public defender and judge. In 2019, she became the first African American woman to serve as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. As a judge, she acted independently and without bias to uphold the law and keep communities safe – no matter the
politics.
Throughout her service, Beasley protected our constitutional rights and applied the law fairly and independently. She worked to make schools safe and strong, including working with law enforcement and educators to keep students in the classroom and out of the courtroom.
As Chief Justice, she implemented paid family leave to more than 6,000 court employees to help people take care of their families and succeed in their jobs. She also created the first human trafficking court in North Carolina to hold traffickers accountable and support victims.
Beasley has seen the challenges families across the state face. As a working mom, she’s spent late nights on the phone with insurance companies to make sure her sons got the medical treatment they needed. As a judge, she’s seen how Washington has failed North Carolinians.
In the Senate, she’ll put North Carolina first and bring with her the same values of hard work, integrity, and justice that have guided her life.
Beasley has been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice America, Human Rights Campaign, State Employees Association of North Carolina, NextGen, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, among others.
10th Congressional District
Pam Genant
I am a Democrat running for the United States House of Representatives to represent everyone who lives in North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District. Our district includes the counties of Alexander, Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Iredell, Lincoln, and parts of Caldwell, Gaston, and Rutherford.
Pam grew up like many of us, straddling the line between poverty and making ends meet. She has known both joy and heartbreak. And maybe because of her experiences with both, Pam devotes herself to helping better the lives of others. She’s a registered nurse, mother of two children, wife of 28+ years, fierce crusader for people’s rights, and a passionate advocate in suicide prevention.
“The people in our district deserve a voice that can truly speak for everyone living here. We need someone who’ll stand up and fight for things that’ll impact all of us.”
CATAWBA COUNTY (all can vote for)
Wendy Kennedy-Boulanger
County Commission
Wendy Kennedy and her husband live in Sherrills Ford. They’ve been in North Carolina for nearly 30 years and moved from Charlotte to Sherrills Ford for a better quality of life.
A computer science and math graduate of East Carolina University, Wendy works in enterprise software as a strategic relationship manager focused on the financial services industry.
Kennedy wants to bring her business experience to the Board of Commissioners and wants to work to “maintain, and improve, our way of life through smarter planning, smarter development, and smarter growth – in short, through sound oversight and strong leadership."
Paula Bell
County Soil and Water
Paula Bell is Native North Carolinian,
she is a long time resident of Catawba county.
Paula is a retired educator, and a
beekeeper. She is also an organic farmer with horticultural science degrees. A team player, she is endorsed by a current Catawba county soil and water supervisor.
Paula is supportive of nonpartisan conservation and stewardship of Catawba county’s soil and water resources.
As a mother and grandmother she says, “the quality of life we create for our children is important to me."
CATAWBA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD (only in district)
Leslie Barnette
Catawba County School Board
I am currently serving my first 4-year term on the Catawba County Board of Education. I was elected in 2018. I have served as the Board Chairman since 2020.
I am a proud native of Catawba County and have lived here my whole life. I am a graduate of St. Stephens High School. I am a retired educator with 42 years of service to the state of North Carolina. During my career I worked as a teacher assistant, a classroom teacher, an assistant principal, a school principal, and ended my service as Director of Elementary Education, Director of Federal Programs, Preschool, and Early Head Start for Catawba County Schools. I am a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University and Appalachian State University, where I earned my doctorate in education in 2016.
Chris Gibbs
Catawba County School Board
I am recently retired with 34 years of service in public education. During my professional career, I served as a high school social studies teacher, basketball & football coach, assistant principal, elementary, middle and high school principal and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Catawba County Schools.
I have an undergraduate degree from Lenoir Rhyne University, Masters degree in Leadership from Gardner Webb University and an Education Specialist, ED.S from Appalachian State University. I was named “Wachovia Principal of the Year, served on the Board of Directors for the YMCA and United Way of Catawba County.
I currently reside in Claremont N.C. I am married to Rachel Gibbs and have three sons. I enjoy playing the piano and listening to Gospel music. I also enjoy serving the public and providing support and leadership to enhance and promote educational opportunities for students in Catawba County.
State Supreme Court
Sam "Jimmy" Ervin IV
NC Supreme Court
Justice Ervin was elected as an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court on November 4, 2014, winning a full term that expires on December 31, 2022. Prior to being elected to the North Carolina Supreme Court, Justice Ervin served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals from 2009 to 2015 and was a member of the North Carolina Utilities Commission from 1999 to 2009.
Justice Sam J. Ervin, IV attended the public schools in Burke County and graduated in 1974 from Freedom High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College in 1978, where he majored in history, and earned his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1981.
From 1981 until 1999, Justice Ervin practiced law with the Morganton, North Carolina firm of Byrd, Byrd, Ervin, Whisnant, McMahon, P.A., and its predecessors. While in private practice, Justice Ervin handled a wide variety of civil, criminal, and administrative matters, including numerous appeals to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of North Carolina.
In 1999, Justice Ervin was nominated by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., and confirmed by the General Assembly to serve on the North Carolina Utilities Commission and, in 2007, he was nominated and confirmed for a second term. As a member of this quasi-judicial body, Judge Ervin was involved in deciding many important regulatory matters related to electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, and water and sewer service. Justice Ervin was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2008. Justice Ervin served on the Court of Appeals until 2014, when he was elected to the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Since joining the Supreme Court, he has participated in deciding more than 540 cases and has authored more than 65 majority and 16 dissenting or concurring opinions.
As a member of both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, Justice Ervin earned a reputation for thoughtful legal decision making. His opinions are perceived to be balanced, thorough and reflect a careful study of the facts and a reasoned application of the law.
Sam J. Ervin IV was born and raised in Morganton, North Carolina and lives in the house where his grandfather, Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr., was born. He is married to Mary Temple Ervin and has two step-children and two children. Ervin is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Morganton, where he has served as a deacon and currently serves as an elder and the clerk of session. Justice Ervin has also been active in various charitable and bar-related activities; officiates youth, middle school, and high school mens and women's soccer matches; and enjoys hiking in the North Carolina mountains and attending music festivals.
Lucy Inman
NC Supreme Court
Lucy Inman, a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, is a candidate for the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2020. Judge Inman was elected statewide to the Court of Appeals in 2014.
Judge Inman was raised in Raleigh by parents who taught her the value of hard work and respect for people of all races, faiths, and walks of life. She graduated from Sanderson High School and earned a degree in English from N.C. State University.
Judge Inman’s first career was as a newspaper reporter. While covering court proceedings, she was inspired to participate in the justice system. She then moved to Chapel Hill and earned her law degree from UNC School of Law in 1990. Her first job after law school was working as a law clerk for North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Exum.
Judge Inman went on to practice civil litigation for 18 years, first in Los Angeles and then back home in Raleigh. Her clients included small business owners, large corporations, famous individuals, and lesser known -- but no less important -- survivors of negligence, fraud, and sexual abuse.
In 2010, Judge Inman was appointed by Governor Beverly Perdue to
serve as a special superior court judge. She served in that role for four years, presiding in hearings and jury trials across North Carolina. Since her election to the Court of Appeals, Judge Inman has authored nearly 400 appellate decisions in a wide variety of cases, including criminal, civil, and constitutional disputes. She has presided in thousands of other cases.
Judge Inman brings hard work and respect for all others to her personal and professional life every day. She hopes to bring these values, and equal justice for all, to the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Judge Inman and her husband Billy Warden live in Raleigh. They have two college-age children and a black lab rescue who keeps their nest from ever being empty.
State Court of Appeals
Brad Salmon
NC Court of Appeals
Brad Salmon currently serves as a District Court Judge for District 11 covering Lee, Harnett and Johnston counties. He is a founding partner of The Salmon Law Firm where he focused on representing clients in various criminal, civil and administrative matters.
Brad is a graduate of North Carolina State University and the Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. Brad and his wife Rebecca live in Sanford, North Carolina.
Carolyn J. Thompson
NC Court of Appeals
I believe I can make a difference in the service of equal justice as required by our laws and constitution. True justice is independent of party affiliation, divisive ideologies, and social differences. I have taken and believe in the oath to uphold our laws and constitution consistently.
As the next Court of Appeals judge for all North Carolinians, I am committed to serving with integrity, fairness, and impartiality.
Darren Jackson
NC Court of Appeals
In 2020, Governor Roy Cooper appointed me to the Court of Appeals, and now, I am now seeking a full 8-year term! I’ve lived in eastern Wake County my entire life and am the proud father of my wonderful children, Alyssa, Logan, and Jack, and grandfather of the beautiful Ina Rose, my first grandchild. My wife, Tina, and I live outside of Knightdale with our dog, Caroline.
Darren is a lifelong resident of eastern Wake County, father of three, small-town attorney, and small businessman. He and his wife Tina, a nurse practitioner with Cary Cardiology, live near the Shotwell community outside of Knightdale. Public schools played a critical role in Darren’s life. He attended public elementary and middle schools in eastern Wake, East Wake High School, and UNC-Chapel Hill where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science (Class of 1993). Darren then earned his law degree from Duke University and passed the Bar in 1996.
When he completed his education, Darren practiced law in Zebulon with Gay & Stroud. When Donna Stroud left to serve on the bench in 2004, the firm became Gay & Jackson. Darren's small-town general practice focused on residential real estate and civil litigation.
Considering his deep eastern Wake roots, it’s no surprise that Darren has always been very active in the community. He has served as a mentor in the Communities in Schools program at East Wake Middle and as a Vice President of the East Wake Education Foundation.
Gale Adams
NC Court of Appeals
Raised in the tobacco fields of Warren County by a single mother of four, I learned, at an early age, the importance of hard work. I watched my mother struggle to provide for her four children while instilling in us the importance of having faith, staying focused, and finishing what you start.
After graduating from high school, I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I double majored in English and Economics. After finishing in just over three years, I attended North Carolina Central University School of Law, often working three to four jobs to pay my way through.
Upon graduating from law school, I joined the United States Navy as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) where I represented defendants who were charged with various criminal and military offenses or who were being administratively processed out of the military. I also provided legal advice to servicemembers on various matters involving contracts, family law, and real estate. To assist family members who remained behind, I prepared numerous powers of attorney and wills for servicemembers getting underway on lengthy deployments.
After my military service to my country, I briefly joined my husband in private practice before serving as an Assistant District Attorney. I prosecuted violent and property crimes, drug offenses, and child abuse. As a prosecutor, I understood the importance of balancing and protecting the rights of victims and the rights of defendants.
In 2012, I was elected to serve as a Resident Superior Court Judge for Cumberland County. I believe my diverse background as a JAG officer, Assistant District Attorney, and Assistant Federal Public Defender amply equipped me to assume my sobering responsibilities as a judge. I fully recognized the tremendous impact my decisions could have on people’s lives. Then and now, I approach cases carefully and thoughtfully with the resolve to render a fair and equitable decision for all concerned.
Married 36 years, my husband, Attorney Glenn Adams, and I are the proud parents of four children, Rachel, Daniel, Leah, and Joshua.
