Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina’s primary elections may be delayed, but Democrats appear to have made their choice for the U.S. Senate seat up in next year’s elections.
State Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, ended his campaign this week and endorsed former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley. Beasley still must defeat some other candidates to secure the nomination, but Jackson was seen as her main challenger. He said in a video announcing his decision that Democrats could best win the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr by uniting behind Beasley, who would be the first Black woman to run for U.S. Senate in a general election in North Carolina.
Weeks after the $25.9 billion state budget was signed into law, items tucked into the spending plan continue to be discovered, such as Medicaid expansion.
Lawmakers continue to block the full expansion that Gov. Roy Cooper has pushed for years, but a provision in the budget would give new mothers who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for Medicaid access to taxpayer-funded health services for a year, up from the two months currently allowed.
Another budget provision gives smaller, poorer school districts access to more money from the North Carolina Education Lottery for repairs and renovations to their aging buildings.