Bumpy 2014 Political Landscape Leads to Changes in 2015
by Nelda Holder
State and local politics crossed some treacherous territory in 2014, putting voters in a somewhat petulant mood.
They threw out, albeit by a small percentage, the sitting U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (Democrat), replacing her with N.C. Speaker of the House Thom Tillis (Republican) in a record-breaking $100-million contest.
Meanwhile, voters in Buncombe County turned out two-term NC legislative power-point Rep. Tim Moffitt (R), giving District 116 to political newcomer Brian Turner (D). Ditto, first-term Rep. Nathan Ramsey (R), whose District 115 seat went to first-time candidate John Ager (D).
Miranda DeBruhl (R) took away Commissioner David King’s (R) seat on the county commission by defeating him in the primary. His loss, however, resulted in a successful petition drive by his wife, Nancy Waldrop (Unaffiliated), to oppose DeBruhl in November. DeBruhl ultimately prevailed to now carry the double distinction of first Republican woman elected to the board since 1976, and youngest woman (at 34) to serve there.
Newcomer Todd Williams (D) was the surprise winner (by a large margin) in the primary over 24-year incumbent District Attorney Ron Moore (D). Williams then handily defeated Ben Scales, who collected 10,000 signatures in an independent general-election bid.
Legislative Hangover Pending for 2015
General Assembly actions reverberating into 2015 include:
Voter Information Verification Act – A major overhaul of voting law passed in 2013 ostensibly to require photo identification to vote, this lengthy bill weaves many significant changes into its language to be implemented over several years. It is currently being appealed in court by a coalition of voting rights advocates.
Judicial Campaign Reform Act – This 2013 act took effect in the 2014 elections, eliminating the state’s acclaimed public funding law and opening the gates to what was a record-breaking amount of money spent in the 2014 judicial elections (including $5.2 million for four contested Supreme Court seats).
Regulatory Reform Act of 2014 – One of the final legislative acts this year was a 57-page bill covering everything from locksmith licensing to the creation of a new Education Cabinet under the Office of Governor to the poaching of Venus flytrap to the development provisions formerly protecting isolated wetlands.
Taking State Politics to the Streets
The 2014 Legislature played host to a second year of Moral Monday movement protests concerning social issues in the state, led by Rev. William Barber II, president of the NC-NAACP. The year saw dismissal of criminal charges against the more than 900 participants arrested inside the Statehouse Rotunda in 2013.
Announcing the dismissals, the Wake County district attorney cited a June 30 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the Constitutional right to peaceful assembly and protest. Barber also spearheaded the defeat in Wake County Superior Court of several Statehouse rules newly imposed in 2014, designed to curb public demonstrations.
Meanwhile, in U.S. District Court, Judge Max Cogburn Jr. in Asheville ruled on the far-reaching matter of same-sex marriage, making that legal in the state where a bitter public battle was fought in 2012 over passage of the Legislature’s proposed Amendment 1 ban.
