Charlotte Observer endorsements: Our choices for U.S. House primaries

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Endorsements 2022

The Editorial Board’s recommendations for the primary elections on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

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Endorsements: We’re asking about 2020 before we recommend for 2022

Endorsements: Our choices in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate primaries

Endorsements: All of the Charlotte Observer’s choices in the 2022 primaries

How to find the Charlotte Observer’s endorsements for 2022 primary races

How to find the News & Observer’s endorsements for 2022 primary races

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North Carolina’s court-resolved redistricting battle has changed the political landscape significantly, and Charlotte’s two U.S. House races look a lot different than they did in 2020. For one, both districts are now located almost entirely within the Charlotte metro area. Also noteworthy is that U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop will no longer represent part of Mecklenburg County. Bishop is running for re-election in the 8th Congressional District, which includes counties to the north and east of Mecklenburg.

Unlike in past elections, neither district is expected to be especially competitive in November. Barring an upset, they both lean Democratic, although the 12th district is bluer than the 14th.

U.S. House District 12

The 12th Congressional District now includes the northeastern half of Mecklenburg County as well as part of Cabarrus.

Incumbent Alma Adams, who has served the district since 2014, is running for re-election. Her lone opponent, John Sharkey, is a first-time candidate whose platform prioritizes economic issues like wages and inflation.

Adams has been an active representative for Charlotte despite her Greensboro roots, and she’s earned another term in Congress. Issues she’s championed include efforts to address Black maternal health as well as HBCUs, student debt and affordable housing. She’s shown a willingness to work alongside both Democrats and Republicans while remaining a strong, progressive voice for her district. We recommend Adams.

The Republican field has three candidates — Andrew Huffman, Nalini Joseph and Tyler Lee — none of whom have held political office before. Joseph does not live in the district, nor did she respond to a request to be interviewed by the Editorial Board.

Of the two candidates we spoke with, the choice was clear. Huffman, a Charlotte native who lives in Concord, has run a quiet campaign, but he’s a young, moderate candidate who would be a better fit than his opponent for a district that’s nearly two-thirds Democratic. Huffman says he supports what he calls “basic human rights,” as well as automatic voter registration and police reforms such as mental health training. Lee, a real estate investor, is a Trump-like conservative who decries the government’s “unconstitutional” response to the pandemic and falsely declares the 2020 election was stolen. To us, the latter is disqualifying. We recommend Huffman.

U.S. House District 14

The brand-new 14th Congressional District contains the rest of Mecklenburg County and a large portion of Gaston County. It’s a new district and does not have an incumbent.

In the Democratic primary, state Sen. Jeff Jackson faces Ram Mammadov, an Azerbaijani immigrant who’s the underdog in this race. Jackson, who has become one of his party’s more popular personalities, has been an active and attentive leader for Mecklenburg County. He’s been a consistently strong voice throughout his time in the N.C. Senate, especially on gerrymandering and criminal justice reform. He has a sophisticated grasp of the issues that matter to his constituents as well as the willingness to tackle them. And as a former Gaston County prosecutor, he’d be a good fit for this district. Mammadov is a sharp and progressive candidate who believes in clean energy and Medicare for All, but Jackson’s experience in office makes him better equipped to serve this district in the U.S. House. We recommend Jackson.

In the GOP primary, business owner Jonathan Simpson describes himself as a “new kind of Republican,” and he is certainly a fresh and independent voice in his party. We appreciate his thoughtful approach to issues like health care, which he says needs significant, universal reform. Simpson is a fiscal conservative who supports traditional policies such as curtailing taxes and government spending, but also more modern policies like the formation of an American digital currency. His opponent, Pat Harrigan, lives in Hickory and did not respond to a request to be interviewed by the Editorial Board. We give the nod to Simpson.

This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 6:00 AM.