Days after October 7, when America still seemed united in its revulsion at Hamas’ massacre and kidnapping of Israelis, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein spoke at a mournful event in Raleigh and wrote a letter of solidarity to the Asheville Jewish community, which was also gathering to grieve.
“Dates like December 7, 1941, and September 11, 2001, are etched in our minds forever as Americans. Now, October 7, 2023, will forever be indelibly marked in the hearts of Israelis,” he wrote, ending with, “We stand with Israel.”
This was personal for Stein: He’s a member of Temple Beth Or, a Reform Jewish congregation in Raleigh, and would be the first Jewish person elected governor of North Carolina if he wins in November.
But soon, and for months, most of the headlines and TV news footage would be about deep divisions within the Democratic Party over Israel, the ongoing war in Gaza, and pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.
Reporter Tim Funk looks at how Stein and other Jewish politicians are navigating this fraught topic in 2024.
How Jewish Democrats Are Navigating a Difficult Year
As the war in Gaza continues, gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein and other Jewish politicians are subtly maneuvering to hold their traditional coalition together.
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
Record Scratch, Freeze Frame
Several Democrats have sought, unsuccessfully, to force Republicans to defend their position on public records changes enacted in last year’s budget.
Under the new law, current and former members of the General Assembly are free to sell, destroy, withhold, or disclose communications as they see fit. Discussions about redistricting are also no longer public records. And prior to the changes, lawmakers already enjoyed a “legislative privilege” exemption allowing them to keep internal discussions with staff private.
As The Assembly reported last week, few lawmakers have elected to respond to records requests since the changes took effect. Only one of 72 Republicans provided documents in response to a request to disclose just one email of their choice.
Rep. Lindsey Prather, a Buncombe County Democrat whose previously safe district got redrawn to lean-GOP, sought to force a vote on the issue last Wednesday by offering an amendment to this year’s House budget proposal. Her amendment would have repealed the “legislative privilege” exemption and undone provisions that exempted lawmakers from public records laws.
Prather said her amendment would help restore people’s faith in government.
“Public trust in the government process is absolutely essential to a working democracy,” Prather said in an interview. “These records belong to the public. We were elected by the public.”
But House Speaker Tim Moore declined to allow the amendment to be heard on the floor, citing his wide latitude under procedural rules to determine whether an amendment is germane.
Prather said she believes Moore was trying to avoid a tough vote, and accused Republicans of not wanting to talk about the issue. “They didn’t want the mailers sent against them about it,” she said. “They didn’t want the video clips of them explaining why taking transparency away is a good thing.”
Another measure from Democratic Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams of Cabarrus County sought to create a full-time position in the Legislative Services office to handle the records archive was considered. That amendement was rejected on a near party-line vote, with Rep. Erin Paré of Wake County as the lone Republican supporting it.
—Bryan Anderson
Anderson is a freelance reporter who most recently covered elections, voting access, and state government for WRAL-TV. Subscribe to his newsletter here.
Meet The New Chancellor Martin
On Friday, James R. Martin II was announced as the next leader of North Carolina A&T University. Martin is currently the vice chancellor for STEM research and innovation at the University of Pittsburgh.
He will succeed Harold Martin—no relation—who has been at the helm at A&T for 15 years. In that time, A&T went from a beloved but struggling regional university to the nation’s largest HBCU, with explosive growth in student performance, the footprint of the campus in Greensboro, funding, and prestige.
Joe Killian reports on the next Chancellor Martin.
North Carolina A&T Names Its Next Leader
The UNC System Board of Governors named James R. Martin II the next chancellor of the country’s largest HBCU.
What We’re Reading
Expeditious: An unnamed but well-connected charter school would be allowed to bypass state review and open in August under a provision tucked into the House budget bill, WFAE reports.
Vibe Check: An outlet named The Travel claims that these seven North Carolina cities have “Asheville vibes, but better.”
Bring Out Your Dead: WUNC reports that a bill under debate in the Senate would require counties to toss early or absentee votes from people who then died or were convicted of a felony before election day, among other changes.
Our Recent Stories
At A Crossroads
We took a road trip along one of the state’s oldest highways to probe what the “Carolina Core” marketing effort might mean for the region’s future.
Nothing to See Here
Last year, North Carolina lawmakers gave themselves the ability to sell, destroy, and disclose their legislative records as they see fit. Despite bipartisan pushback, few are choosing to be transparent.
Dads of Death Row
Fathers on North Carolina’s death row are navigating complicated relationships with their children amid uncertainty about their fate.
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