Election season is in full swing, and leaders across North Carolina and the country are busy touting their legislative and political victories. And while Governor Cooper is not on the ballot this November, his impact on our state continues to deliver tangible gains for our communities, economy, and political system. Because of his strong leadership, business-minded Democrats are running up and down the ballot and a culture of growth and innovation has permeated our state.

As officials and the media have rightfully promoted throughout the summer, North Carolina has been named the number one state for business in 2022 by CNBC. Thanks to our burgeoning economy, access to capital streams, billion-dollar investments from the tech sector and others, and a highly educated and innovative workforce, we now rank atop the nation.

But we didn’t get here by accident. Governor Cooper’s “open for business” mentality, and his commitment to welcoming investments from right here in Charlotte to the Triangle and every corner of our state, have supercharged our growth.

It’s a model that Democrats and our nation’s political leadership more broadly would do well to follow. As we continue through this summer of skyrocketing consumer costs, unprecedented inflation has settled into every home across North Carolina. Whether it’s buying essentials at the grocery store or filling up the tank at the gas station, rising prices are causing every consumer to feel financially stretched.

This is even clearer with the heart wrenching shortage of baby formula, which has plunged parents into a state of concern as they seek ways to provide for their children. We need action now to put families back at ease.

As Governor Cooper knows, making headway and demonstrating dedicated efforts on these issues is critical. And a trap that far too many politicians have fallen into is getting distracted by unnecessary legal or legislative pursuits that distract from the more important matters at hand.

Take the unfortunate dedication shown by a series of political figures in Congress to pursue overregulation of technology companies. While many can understand a desire to institute reasonable limits in the digital space, these proposals are overreaching and under researched. The economic impact of antitrust legislation in Washington is estimated at $319 billion, stripping the ability of tech companies to deliver consumer-oriented products in the process. An eagerness to look busy has taken hold of these elected officials, and it’s led them down a path where they are distracted from tackling the actual problems facing their constituents.

While the antitrust legislation in Congress may be sputtering out ahead of the midterms, the anti-tech sentiment has swept up other state politicians across the country. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has served as the tip of the spear on lawsuits against the tech sector, spending millions of taxpayer dollars to fund his pursuits.

We cannot afford such misplaced time in Congress, and misplaced resources in elected offices. But thankfully, we have seen a continued commitment to focused leadership from Governor Cooper. To ensure further growth in our state and avoid needless political distractions, we know that he will continue to direct his attention to the issues and initiatives that deliver maximum value for North Carolina. We can only hope that other leaders across the country will follow his lead.

Larken Egleston previously served District 1 on the Charlotte City Council. He also works for Republic National Distributing Company and co-hosts the R&D in the QC podcast.