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State Sen. Sydney Batch’s challenge to long-serving minority leader Dan Blue seemed to come, well, out of the blue. A Holly Springs attorney entering her third Senate term, Batch quietly assembled a bid for Democratic leadership late last fall. By the time Blue caught wind of her campaign, Batch was closing in on majority support.
Blue dropped out, and Batch became the new Senate minority leader—the first Black woman to lead a party in the General Assembly.
Frequently profane and unapologetically blunt, Batch has promised a more assertive approach that takes the fight to Republicans. Leading a superminority isn’t exactly a easy task, as Jeffrey Billman reports, but Batch says she’s up for it.
The Senate Democrats’ New Boss
State Sen. Sydney Batch ousted one of North Carolina’s most venerated leaders to head a caucus languishing as a superminority. Can she lead them back to relevance?
“We have a lot of new members,” she said. “We have a lot of new energy. There are a lot of individuals who just want to, frankly, do some things that are different. And, you know, Sen. Blue—I am more bullish in a lot of ways than he is. It’s just a different style.”
Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.
The Moral of the Story
The North Carolina Supreme Court is currently considering the case of Maurice Devalle, a former Highway Patrol officer fired for dishonesty and neglect of duty.
He soon secured a job as a school resource officer. But to keep it, Devalle would have to prove to the board overseeing standards for the state’s deputy sheriffs that he had “good moral character,” a minimum requirement to be employed in many licensed professions in North Carolina. His battle to secure that stamp of approval has now dragged on for more than seven years.
How the justices decide the case could prompt an overhaul in how licensing boards guard the integrity of their professions, from doctors to real estate agents, lawyers, and certified public accountants. Roughly one third of jobs in North Carolina require some kind of occupational license, and many require “good moral character.”
Carli Brosseau and Sarah Nagem have the details.
Voices from the Fields
In his 2024 book, Finding America’s Farmworkers, Michael Durbin dug into the stories of both migrant workers and the North Carolina farms that employ them. A software engineering manager by day, the Carrboro-based writer’s book is timely as the Trump administration’s immigration policies could upend both lives and a major state industry.
The Assembly asked Durbin three questions about what he’s watching.
What is the biggest misconception about farmworkers in North Carolina?
To the extent people even think about our farmworkers (they are very nearly invisible) I think people might not realize how the H-2A guestworker program allows for the systematic exploitation of vulnerable people. This program has exploded over the past decade and is on track to bus in nearly half a million Mexican workers to toil in U.S. crop fields this year.
To be clear, some North Carolina employers treat their guestworkers well and put them in decent housing—I’ve been to labor camps I would live in myself. But plenty do not. And with the investigation of rule violations on the decline, plenty of H-2A employers, especially farm labor contractors, have little to fear by stealing worker wages, working them to near-death in scorching heat, or forcing them to live in squalid housing conditions.
I also think very few people are aware of the family separation built into the H-2A program. Most of our crop workers are Mexican dads who spend the better part of each year of their adult lives away from their kids, wives, and parents. It’s easy to see why: What they can earn in one hour in North Carolina—$16.16 this year—can take more than two days back in Mexico.
With the flurry of executive action from the Trump administration on immigration, what impacts are you seeing on migrant labor and NC farms so far?
I’m hearing of widespread fear and anxiety among agricultural workers outside the H-2A program, many of whom lack work authorization. Nobody knows when ICE might show up and take people away.
Within the H-2A program, which should bring more than 25,000 crop workers to our state this year, things seem normal. The U.S. Department of Labor is certifying H-2A visas, a major recruiter in Mexico is arranging consular appointments for workers, buses filled with workers have been rolling into North Carolina since January, and the state Department of Labor is inspecting scores of labor camps every month—just like it always does this time of year.
Interestingly, if Trump follows through on his deportation promises, we may see an expansion of the U.S. guestworker program—potentially beyond agriculture.
Spring planting is right around the corner. What are you hearing from migrant laborers and farmers about how they’re preparing amid uncertainty?
Members of the grower community are telling me they haven’t yet heard of any changes to status quo, but they know things can change any day. I think they’re holding their breath like everyone else. I’m also told senators from both parties have contacted the White House with a clear message: Don’t play games with the H-2A program.
What We’re Reading
Fed Up: The Washington Post reports that in areas hard-hit by Hurricane Helene, frustration about the speed of federal response is continuing to grow.
Waste Not, Want Not: A company that converts waste to energy is abandoning its plans for downtown Fayetteville after neighborhood backlash, per CityView.
It’s a Whole Thang: If you’ve wondered what is going on with those North Carolina accents on the new season of White Lotus, so have actual linguistic experts. INDY Week investigates.
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Both sides of the fluoride-in-water debate say they want a rigorous scientific study. Now UNC-Chapel Hill is doing it in Kinston.
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