Under the Dome: Democrats running for attorney general tell us their top priorities

Avi Bajpai
·5 min read

Hello and welcome to your Under the Dome newsletter. Avi Bajpai here.

The North Carolina primary election is a little more than two weeks away, and in-person early voting has begun.

Through 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, North Carolinians can visit an early voting site, the locations of which can be found on the website of the State Board of Elections, and cast their ballots. You’ll need to bring your photo ID when you go to vote. If you’re unsure which races are on your ballot, you can find your specific sample ballot on the election board’s website as well.

Last week, we took a look at the governor’s race, and what the Democrats, Libertarians and Republicans running for the state’s highest elected office had to say about the issue of casinos in their responses to the candidate questionnaires we sent them.

Since then, GOP legislative leaders have said the chances of a casino bill being voted on during the upcoming short session are slim, although separate action to legalize video lottery terminals could still happen, Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi reported.

This week, we’re taking a look at the answers to our questionnaires from the three Democrats running for attorney general, the other prominent, high-profile race that is on the ballot this year.

In each of these questionnaires the candidates answered a range of questions, but today, we’re focusing on what Jeff Jackson, Satana Deberry and Tim Dunn told us regarding their priorities for the attorney general’s office, how they think law enforcement agencies can recruit and retain more officers, and if there’s an issue on which they disagree with their party.

Top priorities as attorney general

▪ Jeff Jackson: “The fentanyl epidemic is killing people in our state each day. As attorney general, I would support a two-front approach that targets both supply and demand. That means advocating for effective addiction treatment for users as well as aggressively pursuing the elements of organized crime that traffic fentanyl into our state and distribute it via a number of regional cells.”

▪ Satana Deberry: “The protection of reproductive rights and health care access; the protection of voting rights and prevention of political violence; the consumer protection of North Carolinians against scams, wage and labor theft, and environmental degradation.”

▪ Tim Dunn: “Protect constitutional rights: of life and liberty, to vote, of public safety, and women’s rights • Reduce gun violence and violent crime: by supporting local and state law enforcement and district attorneys • Improve: juvenile justice system • End: fentanyl and opioid epidemic • Prosecute: corporate criminals and environmental polluters.”

How can law enforcement agencies recruit and retain more officers?

▪ Jeff Jackson: “I have supported state and federal efforts to pay our officers more. There is no way to recruit and retain high-level talent without offering competitive compensation. I fully support high standards for training, but if we raise our expectations for officers we need to also raise their salaries. Otherwise, many of them will find alternative employment that doesn’t regularly put them in harm’s way.”

▪ Satana Deberry: “State and local agencies all have the same problem — they do not pay people enough to do jobs that are difficult and require a high level of skill. Many officers cannot afford to live in the communities in which they work. This creates a situation where those officers have less investment in the public safety of that community.”

▪ Tim Dunn: “Law enforcement is an honorable, selfless, sacrificial, dangerous, yet vital role, in our society. We must show our law enforcement the respect they are rightfully entitled to and thank them for protecting and serving us. We must provide them the best training. I will require a thorough review of our training standards to ensure we provide the best training. We must provide proper recognition, including increased pay. They do not get paid a proper salary for the services that they provide.”

An issue where you disagree with your party

▪ Jeff Jackson: “My party made an enormous mistake by not ending gerrymandering and enacting independent redistricting when it had the chance. Now the other party is in power, and they’re making the same mistake by refusing to allow an independent redistricting process. No matter which party is in power, when politicians use partisan redistricting to favor themselves, the voters lose. We have needed independent redistricting for a long time, and I fully support it.”

▪ Satana Deberry: “My position on every issue is the position that supports the constitutions of North Carolina and the United States.”

▪ Tim Dunn: “(Neither) the far-left fringes, nor the far-right fringes of each political party need to be running our government. We need public servant-leaders, regardless of political party, who are dedicated to preserving our U.S. and N.C. constitutions, uphold the rule of law, and will abide by the oaths they swore to. Our government, from city hall to the White House, is only as good and effective as the people we elect to represent us. That is precisely why I am running to serve as our N.C. attorney general.”

That’s all for today. Check your inbox on Sunday for more #ncpol news.