Under the Dome: NC Democrats announce their keynote speaker
Good morning! Here’s what you need to know in North Carolina politics today.
Kelly Daughtry was blunt about why she’s no longer a congressional candidate, stating that former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of her opponent Brad Knott made it impossible for her to win. But Daughtry is already on the ballot for the scheduled May 14 Republican runoff, which means anything can happen. – Stephanie Loder, correspondent
Nancy Pelosi to speak at NC Democrats’ event
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is coming to North Carolina this summer.
The N.C. Democratic Party announced Thursday that Pelosi would be the keynote speaker at its annual Unity Dinner in July.
As always, North Carolina is shaping up to be a key battleground for the 2024 election, with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump amping up their campaign presences in the state. Biden himself visited Wilmington on Thursday after Trump canceled an event there due to weather earlier this month.
Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein will also attend the Unity Dinner.
The dinner will be held on July 20 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Individual tickets start at $250 each. — Kyle Ingram
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE DROPS OUT
Republican Kelly Daughtry, an attorney from Smithfield, announced Thursday she will drop out of the primary election for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District seat and endorsed her opponent, Brad Knott, a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Daughtry said she wanted to be transparent and said the endorsement by Trump made it impossible for her to win the May 14 runoff.
Knott issued a written statement that commended Daughtry for her desire to unite the Republican Party and thanked her for the endorsement.
Daughtry’s decision to step aside would appear to make Knott the GOP nominee.
But ballots have been printed and cast, so “if she happens to get the most votes she will still be the winner despite what she says,” said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University.
Get the full story from Danielle Battaglia here.
BIDEN VISITS FAMILIES OF CHARLOTTE OFFICERS KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY
President Joe Biden traveled on Thursday to Charlotte to visit with the families of four officers who were shot to death while trying to make a warrant arrest this week.
Biden arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, but it isn’t known who or how many people Biden met with before leaving for a Wilmington, where he touted a $3 billion federal program to help water utilities nationwide replace outdated lead service lines.
Upon Biden’s arrival in Charlotte:
Biden shook hands with Gov. Roy Cooper and then Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles.
He took off his sunglasses and addressed Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings.
The president addressed a group of five local and state leaders before going to meet the families of the slain officers.
Sam Poloche and William Elliott of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Joshua Eyer and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks died and four others were injured Monday in Charlotte when they tried to serve an arrest warrant for a man who opened fire on them.
Read more from Julia Coin and Mary Ramsey here and from Adam Wagner here.
JEWS REACT AMID UNC PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS
Jewish counter-protesters were in attendance this week at the Gaza solidarity encampment’s pro-Palestinian protest on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, but they stood in small groups and were keenly aware of their surroundings.
“Jewish faculty, Jewish students, many of them are scared to be here. They’re scared they’re gonna be accosted,” said Professor Adam Goldstein of the UNC School of Medicine as he stood outside the encampment on Monday.
Goldstein spoke as a pro-Palestinian demonstrator inside the encampment denounced Zionism – and held up a sign with profane language.
But even as some Jewish students and faculty members joined counter protests, others were part of the encampment. Some pushed back against accusations of antisemitism, including Michael Palm, a UNC communications professor and member of Faculty for Justice in Palestine
“As a Jew, I refuse to let them weaponize antisemitism,” Palm said.
The timing of the encampment was unsettling for many since it happened during Passover, a major Jewish holiday celebrating the liberation of Hebrews from slavery. North Carolina Hillel claimed in a social media post that the timing of the protest on a Jewish holiday was intentional.
Get the full story from Korie Dean here.
NC SENATE PASSES BILL TO FORCE SHERIFF COOPERATION WITH ICE
The GOP-sponsored House Bill 10, requiring North Carolina sheriffs’ cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on Thursday cleared the state Senate with a 28-16 vote.
Republicans have wanted the legislation since 2019, the year after Democratic sheriffs entered office in some counties and pledged to cut back cooperation with ICE.
Sheriffs already are responsible to notify ICE when they can’t determine a person’s legal status. But they are not required to comply with federal immigration detainers that can keep someone jailed for up to 48 hours if suspected of illegally entering the country.
HB 10 would force sheriffs to comply with detainer requests and require them to let ICE know if they can’t determine the legal status of a person they charge with certain offenses like homicide or rape.
An amendment to the bill by Republican Sen. Buck Newton of Wilson includes a provision in HB 10 allowing a complaint to be filed with the North Carolina attorney general by anyone who thinks a sheriff isn’t complying with the bill.
During Thursday’s floor debate, Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Democrat from Charlotte, expressed his concern for public safety regarding the bill because he said it will hinder and not help immigrant communities’ trust in law enforcement.
Get the full story from Avi Bajpai here.
GOFUNDME EFFORT LAUDS PI KAPPA PHI FRAT BROTHERS’ FLAG EFFORTS
Andy Warhol predicted in a 1971 New York Times article that in the future, “everyone in the world will get a chance to be famous for 15 minutes.”
Warhol was correct, at least for a group of UNC Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers who have found themselves the potential beneficiaries of a $400,000-plus GoFundMe page to support a “rager.” The party is to honor their efforts in protecting an American flag during the UNC-Chapel Hill pro-Palestinian protest.
The frat brothers appeared in a photo taken Tuesday after protesters – many who police had removed earlier in the day from a campus encampment – returned to the Chapel Hill grounds to take down the American flag and raise a Palestinian flag.
During the ensuing struggle, students – some members of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity – were photographed with others standing at the flagpole and holding the American flag off the ground.
Here’s what we know:
The original GoFundMe post was created by John Noonan.
Noonan referred questions to blogger Max Meyer, who describes himself on X as a propagandist.
The GoFundMe was later changed to say “John Noonan is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Susan Ralston.”
Ralston, a conservative, served as former special assistant to President George W. Bush and former deputy to Karl Rove, who was Bush’s senior advisor until 2007.
A national Pi Kappa Phi spokeswoman said the fundraiser isn’t endorsed by the fraternity.
What we don’t know is whether the invites are in the mail.
Get the full story from Josh Shaffer and Tammy Grubb here.
That’s all for today. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol news.
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