Former U.S. Atty. General rallies for candidates and fair redistricting
By Yasmine Regester / October 12, 2018
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder also came to Greensboro to campaign for Anita Earls, candidate for the N.C. Supreme Court. Photo Ivan S. Cutler/Carolina Peacemaker
On Tuesday, October 9, he spoke to a crowd at the Guilford County Democratic Party headquarters, encouraging people to get voters to the polls. As the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, Holder was the first African American to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official from 2009-2015 under President Barack Obama’s administration.
“I see people get excited about who is running for the President. And while that is important, it’s not just about what happens on the federal level, but also at the state level,” he said.
Holder, who is chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, discussed gerrymandering and North Carolina’s Republican lawmakers drawing maps in 2011 that disenfranchised voters based on political party and race.
“North Carolina is ground zero for gerrymandering. I am doing all I can to make sure we elect people who will fight for fair districts,” said Holder. “This election has to be a successful attempt on our part to reverse those trends. We have to put more people in the State House, State Senate, and we need to have Anita Earls as the next N.C. Supreme Court Justice. She is a great lawyer, she has a great history, she will be a great judge.”
Holder spent Monday, October 8 in Charlotte and Greensboro, putting his support behind Democrat Anita Earls, who is running as a candidate for the North Carolina Supreme Court. The executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and a first time candidate for office, Earls is one of two women running to serve on North Carolina’s highest court. Because there was no primary held for judicial offices this year, Earls’ two opponents are Republican candidates, incumbent Justice Barbara Jackson, and Christopher Anglin, a Raleigh based attorney.
“A Democratic woman as the next Supreme Court justice will be a damn good thing for this state,” Holder added.
He also listed health care and the state legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid, attempts to enact voter suppression laws and the rolling back of environmental laws and regulations, as additional important issues that will be impacted by the politicians that citizens elect.
Along with Holder, Guilford County Democratic Party organizers encouraged volunteers to devote time every week leading to the November 6 Election Day to canvassing neighborhoods, passing out voter literature, participating in phone banks and registering people to vote.
“We’re in this last stretch to the election. When we vote, we win. It is our moral responsibility to get out the vote,” said Nicole Quick, Guilford County Democratic Party President. “We’re also encouraging people to vote early so that if there is a problem with your voter registration, you can get it fixed right away and be ready to vote by Election Day.”
To vote in the 2018 General Election in North Carolina, voter registration must be postmarked by October 12. You can also register in person during the early voting period from October 17 – November 2. Election Day is November 6.
