In which we revisit our endorsement for Wake County Register of Deeds

Endorsements, Revisited

One race we’ve reconsidered, one we’ll weigh in on

backtalk@indyweek.com

Wake County Register of Deeds Based on new information, the INDY is rescinding our endorsement of WILLIAM MADDEN in the Democratic primary. Instead, we’re endorsing TAMMY BRUNNER. On Saturday, Madden was campaigning at an early-voting site in Cary. When a poll worker told him that he could not campaign inside the voting area, according to Wake County Board of Elections director Gary Sims, Madden became “aggressively confrontational” and cursed out the poll worker. He called other officials names and took issue with a parking attendant, with whom he had a beef. The Cary Police Department was called.

Madden says he was just cursing out the parking attendant, not the poll worker.

This isn’t the only offputting thing about Madden, who moved to Wake last year. When he registered to vote, he tried to list his race as “Irish,” which we found odd: “I feel that this whole white or other [thing] is continuing to hold up the binary—white or nonwhite race—within our society, and if I wanted to describe myself as Irish for race, there’s no good reason why I can’t.” Another thing: His website makes reference to him “losing his wife” in 2007, which is sad. Except she’s alive. They got an annulment. His explanation: “I did lose her. I never said that she died.”

Lastly, we asked Madden if he had an anger problem: “Do I have an anger problem? I don’t think anybody readily wants to admit to having an anger problem,” he said. Then, “I don’t like people who have a position of authority who abuse other people.” So, yeah, we bombed this one. Fortunately, TAMMY BRUNNER is great. Among other things, she’s the former director of the state Democratic Party and ran a PAC that recruited legislative candidates to break the Republican supermajority. She has experience in innovating and managing organizations. And she has our enthusiastic support. U.S. Senate

Two weeks ago, we said we’d punt on our Democratic Senate endorsement until we released our feature on the race. It’s here, and the choice is no less difficult. We want to believe in ERICA SMITH. We like so much about her: her perseverance, her indefatigable spirit, her energy, her sense of humor, her progressive politics, the fact that she’s won in a previously red state Senate district, the hope that she could appeal to women and African Americans. But we also really want to beat Thom Tillis, a spineless Trump sycophant. And here Smith gives us pause. She can argue that raising less than $300,000 shows her independence, but in reality, she’s just not good at fundraising. Nor is she particularly good at running a statewide campaign. If she wins the primary, she’ll owe that victory to Mitch McConnell, whose super PAC has funneled $3 million—more than 10 times what Smith has raised—into ads to prop her up. That says a lot about whom Tillis would rather face. CAL CUNNINGHAM has the opposite problem. He has all the money in the world. And he’s, in some ways, a quintessential North Carolina Democrat: veteran, from a small-town, loves barbecue, more Buttigieg (for whom he voted) than Bernie. He is, in other words, fine. Not inspiring, but fine. Folks in Durham might resent him for his work on the 751 South development, where he leaned on the General Assembly to force the city and county to approve the controversial project. But otherwise, he’s mostly nonthreatening. And, truth be told, he’s more likely to beat Tillis.

The question, then: Head or heart? Sigh. Head. Tillis’s seat could determine whether McConnell is Senate Majority Leader next year—which, in turn, will determine the fate of Supreme Court picks, executive appointments, and key legislation. We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We’re endorsing Cunningham. W

THE PRIMARY INDY’s 2020

Voting Guide

NC Senate, District 20 Democrat: Natalie Murdock Durham Board of Commissioners Democrat: Nida Allam, Nimasheena Barnes, Heidi Carter, Brenda Howerton, Wendy Jacobs

Durham School Board At-Large Alexandra Valladares

State & Federal

President Democrat: Elizabeth Warren Republican: Bill Weld

U.S. Senator Democrat: Cal Cunningham Republican: None U.S. House, District 2 Democrat: Deborah Ross

U.S. House, District 4 Democrat: David Price Governor Democrat: Roy Cooper Republican: None Lieutenant Governor Democrat: Chaz Beasley Republican: None

Attorney General Republican: Christine Mumma State Auditor Democrat: Beth Wood Republican: Tim Hoegmeyer Commissioner of Agriculture Democrat: Jenna Wadsworth Commissioner of Insurance Republican: Mike Causey

Commissioner of Labor Republican: None Secretary of State Republican: Chad Brown Superintendent of Public Instruction Democrat: Jennifer Mangrum Republican: Catherine Truitt State Treasurer Democrat: Matt Leatherman

Early voting through Saturday, February 29. Election Day is Tuesday, March 3.

Orange County NC House, District 56 Democrat: Verla Insko Orange Board of Commissioners, At-Large Democrat: Amy Fowler

Orange County Board of Commissioners, District 1 Democrat: Mark Dorosin, Jean Hamilton

Orange County Schools Board Of Education Carrie Doyle, Jennifer Moore, LaTandra Strong District Court 15B Seat 3 Democrat: Hathaway Pendergrass

Wake County State Senate, District 18 Democrat: Sarah Crawford Republican: None

State House, District 33 Democrat: Antoine Marshall State House, District 35 Republican: None State House, District 36 Republican: None

State House, District 37 Republican: Anna Powell State House, District 38 Democrat: Abe Jones District Court 10B Seat 3 Democrat: Tiffanie Meyers

District Court 10F Seat 3 Democrat: Damion Mccullers Wake County Board of Commissioners, District 1 Democrat: Sig Hutchinson

Wake County Board of Commissioners, District 3 Democrat: Maria Cervania

Wake County Register of Deeds Democrat: Tammy Brunner