Don't Forget the City Councils

There is going to be a special election next year and that is a big deal. Many observers have pointed out that it may not necessarily be a boon for Democrats across the state. The Republican legislature will have the opportunity to draw even better maps for themselves and may attempt to draw out rising stars and double-bunk current legislators.

Clinton Supporters Should Want to Get Rid of Super Delegates.

This isn’t just another online rant from a random Bernie supporter (though I did campaign for him and am running to be a delegate for him). We should realize by this point that Super Delegates are bad for the primary process. And if anyone should believe that right now, it’s Clinton supporters.

We've all heard the (accurate) criticisms of Super Delegates being undemocratic. But what is increasingly becoming obvious is that they can seriously hurt the nominee in a close contest.

An Open Letter to the Greenville City Council Regarding Syrian Refugees

When I first wrote this letter I didn't think it would get very far. It has been overwhelming to see 224 of my neighbors come out of the woodwork to endorse this idea. Two of Greenville's elections this year were decided by fewer people! Cities are where we must increasingly turn to in order to achieve progressive change. I hope that -- at the very least -- this will help to influence the debate in my neck of the woods. (Originally posted in The Greenville Guardian: http://greenvilleguardian.org/?p=6823)

Ward for House Fundraiser in Chapel Hill on Sunday 9/14

I would like to invite the BlueNC Community to our fundraiser at the home of Florence Peacock.

Special Guest:
Representative Graig Meyer

Host Committee (Still in formation):

Sunday September 14th 4pm-5:30pm
The Home of Florence Peacock
306 N Boundary Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Suggested Contributions:
Host $1000
Friends $500
Supporter $250
Guest $100

To RSVP, email uriah@uriahward.com or call 252.565.2038

I hope to see you this Sunday!!

We're making ourselves accessible via YouTube and Google Hangouts

I've taken your advice and begun a series of YouTube videos that we will use to speak directly to the voters. The first one went live today and serves as an intro:

Our campaign is also doing a series of virtual town halls. The first one is tonight at 7pm and focuses on education. Everyone across the state is welcome to join us:

A poem for Governor McCrory

Dear Governor McCrory, I’m writing you today
Because – as a citizen – I have a great deal to say.

I’m incredibly proud of this wonderful state,
Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great
From Murphy to Manteo we are all instilled
With a North Carolina value: a desire to build
We built universities that were the envy of the nation
We built community colleges that enabled vocations
We built a K-12 system that served every single student
We cultivated a political system that stressed politics less than prudence
We passed pro-business policies, and still invested in our communities
We took it upon ourselves to strive for equal opportunity
We made sure we supported the poor and middle class
But now we have teachers leaving us en masse
And now we’ve decided that public schools aren’t a priority
And now we’re at the mercy of an ideologue majority
And now we’ve become a national joke
And now the lines are drawn to neglect most folks

Ward beats Brown in individual fundraising

We're gaining momentum! Below you can see an excerpt from our most-recent press release.

Raleigh, N.C. – Uriah Ward, Democratic Nominee for N.C. House in District 9, gains momentum in one of this year’s most highly-contested State House races. Earlier this year, Public Policy Polling released a poll citing this district as one of the top-five swing districts in the state. The poll put incumbent Republican Representative Brown at 43%, with newcomer Uriah Ward, the Democratic challenger, hot on his heels at 39%, while 18% of the vote was still undecided.

Both Brown and Ward submitted their most recent campaign finance reports last week. Ward more than tripled his fundraising over the previous quarter. While Representative Brown was busy raising funds from special interests, Ward raised more than Brown from individual contributors.

Petition: Tell legislators not to cut class

While members of the General Assembly are preparing for their upcoming holiday vacations—refusing to look at new versions of the budget and make smart decisions that affect our state’s livelihood—many teachers are anxiously awaiting news as to whether or not they will financially be able to continue serving our children in this state. It’s time our legislators learned that we won’t accept them compromising one of North Carolina’s most valuable resources—our teachers—for the sake of political expediency.

North Carolina teacher salaries rank 46th in the nation. It’s time to act! Join me in sending a clear message to our elected leaders. The General Assembly should stay in session until an agreement is made to raise teacher salaries without threatening a teacher’s career status and employment security. We should demand better from those who are supposed to put our state and its people before partisan rhetoric and empty promises.

Uriah Ward for NC House 9

My name is Uriah Ward, and I’m the Democratic Nominee for NC House District 9 here in Pitt County. I was born and raised in Pitt County, and I care deeply about this district. I got into this race because I am passionate about public education, and we’re not doing nearly enough to support our teachers and students in North Carolina.

In 2012, our long-term Democratic Representative, Marian McLawhorn, was defeated by first-term Republican Representative Brian Brown. In his time in the legislature, he has supported cuts to education at all levels, advocated for the elimination of teacher tenure, and was one of the primary sponsors of the vouchers bill.

BlueNC

Uriah Ward's blog