CHARLOTTE – Gov. Roy Cooper came to south Charlotte on Oct. 27 with a simple plea for supporters.
“I need your help,” he said.
Promoting a North Carolina Democratic Party initiative called “Break the Majority,” Cooper visited a satellite canvassing center at a south Charlotte home to encourage supporters to continue to work hard at electing Democrats to the General Assembly.
Republicans hold super-majorities in both the House and Senate and that means the Republicans have the votes to override vetos by Cooper, a Democrat elected governor in 2016. Democrats need to gain four seats in the House and/or six in the Senate to break the Republicans super-majority, but Democrats are hopeful they will gain even more seats.
Cooper, who also made a stop in Matthews in support of House District 103 Democratic candidate Rachel Hunt, urged supporters to knock on as many doors as possible for House District 105 Democratic candidate Wesley Harris and Senate District 41 Democratic candidate Natasha Marcus. Harris is running against Republican incumbent Scott Stone in the Nov. 6 general election, while Marcus faces incumbent Sen. Jeff Tarte.
Cooper was greeted in south Charlotte by dozens of party activists and other volunteers, many of whom had spent the afternoon knocking on doors across the area.
“Thanks to all of you for making democracy work,” Cooper said. “A lot of you standing here helped me get elected governor in 2016, and I am grateful for that. I’m working hard every day, and we are doing a lot of good things. But in case you haven’t noticed, I need some help in the legislature. That is what this Break the Majority effort is all about, getting us help in the legislature.”
Cooper said there are several winnable races in Mecklenburg County and that was one reason for his stops in the area.
“Right here in Mecklenburg County, we have some amazing candidates that are going to help us do this,” Cooper said. “Wesley Harris and Natasha Marcus are just two of the great candidates we are going to get elected. We need leaders that are going to bring us together so we can all succeed instead of leaders that are constantly trying to divide us for political gain. We can win Wesley’s race. We can win Natasha’s race. I believe we will. I need people who will come up and work with me for a better North Carolina. We have to elect a better legislature.”
Public education, including increasing teacher pay, and affordable and easier access to health care are two of the top issues in the state, Cooper said.
“We need a great teacher in every classroom and a great principal in every school,” Cooper said. “My mom was a public school teacher. I’m the product of public education and my daughters are. We know that it is our future and it creates opportunities for everyone. We know people deserve health care and deserve a lot better than what this General Assembly is giving them.
“What we are going to do is take this state back. We are going to have a North Carolina that says to the rest of the country and the world that we are open for business. That North Carolina is place where everyone can thrive. I want a North Carolina where people are better educated, where they are healthier, they have more money in their pockets and they have the opportunity to live a more prosperous and abundant life. That is my mission statement.”
Harris said he feels that momentum is on his side entering the final days of the campaign but that needs to continue in what he said will be a very close race.
“This type of Democratic enthusiasm isn’t supposed to happen down here,” Harris told the crowd. “I have been out at early voting all week, people are turning out but we can’t stop. We are going to need every single vote, we are going to need every single door knocked on, every phone call made. We have to get these people out to vote for us. We have a better North Carolina coming. The energy is out there.”
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