I got to enjoy some independent music in Harnett County this past week. And if you make it to the end of this newsletter, you’ll be rewarded with a fun story and a request for your help.
But let’s begin with North Carolina’s continued efforts to recover from Hurricane Helene.
— Bryan Anderson
🧑⚖️ Roll Call
- Josh Stein heads to Washington for Helene recovery funds
- The latest from the campaign trail
- An appeals court rules on felon voting charges
- Election news from around the state
- Anybody have a contact at Dairy Queen?
One Short Day in the Capital City
On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Stein will take a day trip to Washington, D.C., to ask federal lawmakers for more assistance as Western North Carolina recovers from Hurricane Helene. He released his $23 billion request for Congress and federal agencies on Monday.
Stein wants $13.5 billion in new congressional spending, $2 billion more than he had previously asked of Congress. That includes:
- $8.1 billion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery for housing recovery, public infrastructure, and economic revitalization.
- $2 billion from FEMA to help local governments operate.
- Nearly $1.6 billion from the Federal Highway Administration to increase the reimbursement rate for road and bridge repair.
- $400 million from the Small Business Administration in forgivable small business loans to help the estimated two-thirds of businesses that have applied but not been approved for disaster loans statewide.
The other $9.4 billion includes a combination of funds Congress has already approved and additional money federal agencies would need to make available.
Nearly a year after the natural disaster, Stein said the federal government has obligated or allocated $5.2 billion to help the region recover from Helene, which pales in comparison to the $59.6 billion in estimated damages.
Stein and several local officials said at a news conference Monday in Flat Rock that while they appreciate what has come into the state thus far, it has not been enough.
“Western North Carolina has not received anywhere near what it needs or our fair share,” Stein said.
Republican state Sen. Kevin Corbin of Macon County said it would be impossible to recover without more help.
“We’re talking about $60 billion in damages,” Corbin said. “That’s way more than this state can pay for. … The damage is almost double the amount of our entire state budget, and we need federal help because of that.”
Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, a Democrat, said a slow approval process for grants to local governments has proven particularly frustrating: “I am grateful for the reimbursements that have come through, but the lag time makes it that much harder for us to do our jobs.”
Stein said Trump administration choices are partly to blame for the sluggish rollout. Under a new policy, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem must sign off on FEMA funding requests exceeding $100,000.
Republicans have also complained that this change caused a backlog. U.S. Sen. Ted Budd voiced his frustrations by holding up three Homeland Security nominees last week.
On Monday, Budd said the $64 million in reimbursements that had been waiting on Noem’s signature were cleared.
“I am thankful for President Trump’s strong support for Western North Carolina and personal interest in reducing the backlog of projects requiring reimbursement,” Budd said in a statement.
Stein said another step introduced by the Trump administration has slowed the pipeline of funds.
“They’ve created a third bureaucratic level of review called Defend the Spend, and it’s in this DOGE committee,” Stein said. “And that can take another 30-90 days. … All of this is slowing down the reimbursements, which means these local governments do not have cash flow. This is for projects they’ve already done that were approved and they’re just waiting on the reimbursement. And it’s taking way too long.”
The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Thanks for reading The Caucus, a politics newsletter anchored by Bryan Anderson. Reach us with tips or ideas at politics@theassemblync.com.
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End of the Road
North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins will retire on October 1. He had planned to step down last year but agreed to stay to help the state and the Stein administration recover from Hurricane Helene.
Since Helene ravaged the state nearly a year ago, 97 percent of state-maintained roads have reopened.
“It has been an honor to serve as Secretary of Transportation, and I am grateful to all the North Carolinians who put their trust in our team,” Hopkins said in a statement.
Daniel Johnson, who has served as NCDOT’s deputy secretary and general counsel since 2019, will succeed Hopkins.
On the Trail
- Democrat James Mathis is running in the 7th House District to unseat state Rep. Matthew Winslow.
- To quote Jim Carrey, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.” That’s basically what the nonpartisan Cook Political Report told Democrats as it shifted the status of GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards’ 11th Congressional District seat from Solid Republican to Likely Republican. Edwards won the race last year by nearly 14 percentage points. But Democrats see a glimmer of hope following disappointment with the federal response to Hurricane Helene and a bipartisan frustration with the speed of funds reaching Western North Carolina.
- Speaking of which, physician Richard Hudspeth is joining an already crowded Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District.
— Bryan Anderson
Court Resolves Felon Voting Quagmire
Felons who mistakenly voted in North Carolina before their rights were restored can’t be criminally prosecuted for their actions, a three-judge federal appeals court panel ruled on Friday.
Felons who are serving sentences—even if they’re on parole, probation, or still owe fines, fees, or restitution—cannot vote in North Carolina.
Under a 19th-century law, prosecutors could charge people who did so, even if they didn’t know they weren’t allowed to vote. The North Carolina A. Phillip Randolph Institute and Action NC, two civil rights organizations, filed suit in September 2020 against the State Board of Elections and district attorneys across the state, contending that the law was enacted with discriminatory intent. They further argued that it had a disproportionate impact on Black voters.
The General Assembly amended the law in 2023 to add that a felon had to know they were ineligible to vote and cast a ballot anyway to be found guilty of the offense, putting an emphasis on intent.
While the amendment addressed what would happen going forward, it left the possibility that a felon who mistakenly voted before the change took effect on January 1, 2024 could be prosecuted.
The question the court resolved last week was whether it would be constitutional for prosecutors to retroactively charge felons who cast ballots—not knowing they were ineligible—before the amended law took effect.
The ruling upheld a 2024 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Biggs declaring the 19th-century law unconstitutional, closing the loophole for prosecuting old cases.
The three-judge panel on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Biggs, saying that leaving open the possibility of prosecutions for previous actions could cause confusion and have a chilling effect on voting. The judges added in the ruling written by 4th Circuit Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin, a Biden appointee, and signed onto by judges James Wynn and Pamela Harris that people who had completed all aspects of their sentences had “expressed fear that participating in the political process may result in prosecution.”
The ruling concluded that the 19th century portion of the law was “motivated by racial animus” and “continues to disproportionately impact Black North Carolinians.”
— Anne Blythe
Around Elections
With the arrival of fall comes another round of county and municipal elections around the state. Our local teams have been busy profiling candidates and covering the ins and outs of the campaigns.
If you live in one of the regions that our local network covers, be sure to check out their reporting ahead of the primaries:
The Triangle: INDY has all you need in Durham, Wake, and Orange counties, as well as Raleigh and the city of Durham.
Fayetteville: CityView has been busy covering both the packed city council race, a sheriff selection, and other town elections around Cumberland County.
Greensboro: The council races this year could radically reshape city government, and the team at The Thread has been all over it.
A Dip Into the Arts
Over the weekend, I got to hear independent country singer Belles perform at the Bird’s Nest Listening Room in Dunn. (FWIW: this was my favorite song of hers.)
During her show, she spoke about her love of Dairy Queen and how she desperately needed a company contact so she could reach out with a song collaboration idea.
Little did Belles know this reporter was in attendance.
As readers may remember, Dairy Queen was in the news in North Carolina politics recently after a Surry County election official was arrested on charges of attempting to drug his grandchildren. The official sought to blame Dairy Queen, prompting many reporters to unsuccessfully seek comment from the company.
So I had a general email address that I passed along. But sadly, I didn’t have a personal contact at DQ.
If anybody reading this works at Dairy Queen or has a corporate contact (preferably beyond a generic PR email), please send it to me at bryan@theassemblync.com and copy Booking@bellesmusic.com.
Dairy Queen, please don’t let us down!
— Bryan Anderson
Upcoming Birthday: Rep. Cecil Brockman on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Let us know what’s on your radar at politics@theassemblync.com.
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