Progressive Democrats of Orange County, INDY Week Share 2021 Candidate Endorsements

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of the Progressive Democrats of Orange County’s endorsements listed support for Randee Haven-O’Donnell in the Carrboro Town Council race. An updated version now has removed that support. This article has been updated to reflect that.

With early voting around the corner, the Progressive Democrats of Orange County (PDOC) and INDY Week each shared their endorsements for races in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough.

PDOC, an organization focused on advancing progressive values in the region, shared its picks for the local government elections on Tuesday, while INDY Week, a progressive weekly newspaper, published its endorsements Wednesday morning. Across all races, the two had many overlapping selections.

For the Chapel Hill races, both endorsed incumbent Pam Hemminger in the mayoral election and incumbent Karen Stegman, challenger Paris Miller-Foushee and challenger Camille Berry for town council. Each said Hemminger’s resume on growth of business, action against climate change and support of affordable housing efforts led to her selection. Similarly, the Progressive Democrats and INDY Week each cited Stegman’s voting history on the council as a reason to endorse her again. The lived experiences and perspectives of Berry and Miller-Foushee, as well as their approaches to local affordable housing, were also cited by both groups.

In the Carrboro elections, mayoral candidate Damon Seils earned endorsements from both the Progressive Democrats of Orange County and INDY Week. They each commented on Seils’ continued support for transit projects and equity initiatives, citing these as key aspects of their choices. PDOC endorsed incumbent Barbara Foushee and challenger Danny Nowell in the race for Carrboro Town Council, with INDY Week doing the same. Despite there being three open seats, INDY Week said it believes both incumbents Randee Haven-O’Donnell and incumbent Jacquelyn Gist have seen their policies become “reactionary rather than truly progressive,” which led to the endorsement of just two candidates.

The three incumbents in Hillsborough’s local elections earned endorsements from both the Progressive Democrats and INDY Week. Mayor Jenn Weaver, who is running unopposed, earned support based on her work toward equity and environmental sustainability during her two years leading the town. Incumbent Kathleen Ferguson and appointed incumbent Robb English received endorsements based on Ferguson’s commitment to improving affordable housing and English’s background in support of sustainability, according to both groups.

The endorsements are consistent between PDOC and INDY Week when it comes to candidates for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education too. Each voiced support for George Griffin, Riza Jenkins and Mike Sharp to fill the three seats, citing their stances on issues like the racial equity gap and the role of school resource officers.

To read the full descriptions of the Progressive Democrats of Orange County’s endorsements, click here. To read INDY Week’s, click here.

Early voting in Orange and Durham Counties is set to begin on Thursday.

For more coverage of the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough races this election season, visit Chapelboro’s Local Election Coverage page.

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Progressive Democrats of Orange County, INDY Week Share 2021 Candidate Endorsements

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