The first Black woman to serve as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court wants to make history again — this time as the first Black U.S. senator from North Carolina. Cheri Beasley announced her candidacy Tuesday morning for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, joining a robust field trying to replace retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr. Beasley, 55, narrowly lost her 2020 election for chief justice by 401 votes to fellow Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby.
She has won two statewide judicial elections — for the court of appeals in 2008 and for the Supreme Court in 2014. In 2019, she was tapped to lead the court. “No door should ever be closed to you. With hard work and determination, you can accomplish anything,” Beasley says to open her campaign launch video, which includes her background and family story, including her late mother. Beasley is the fifth known Democrat in the race, joining former state Sen. Erica Smith, state Sen. Jeff Jackson, virologist Richard Watkins and Beaufort Mayor Rett Newton in the field.
Smith and Watkins are Black. Get unlimited digital access Subscribe now for just $2 for 2 months. CLAIM OFFER There are no Black women currently in the U.S. Senate. “There are times when people tell you that you can’t do something. And really it has more to do with the confinement of their own ability to see it,” Beasley says in one of the clips in her launch video. After November’s drawn-out election, Beasley became a partner at McGuireWoods in January, an international law firm with offices in Raleigh and Charlotte. Soon thereafter, her name was among those rumored to be considering a run to replace Burr, who is not running for a fourth term. Breaking News Alerts Be among the first to know when there's major national and international news.
SIGN UP This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Beasley had been expected to enter the race this month, The News & Observer reported in March. Beasley started her legal career as a public defender in Cumberland County. In 1999, she was appointed as a state district court judge and won elections for the position in 2002 and 2006. Beasley won a seat on the court of appeals in 2008, becoming the first Black woman to win a statewide election. Beasley was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2012, then won her seat in 2014.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper elevated her to chief justice in 2019. Beasley received more than 2.695 million votes in 2020 — more than any U.S. Senate candidate on the ballot and more than President Joe Biden, who lost the state to former President Donald Trump. She has not run for partisan office before, and her launch offered few details about her positions on any hot-button or current issues before Congress. Instead, she called for opening doors. “Whether it’s health care, education, or the ability to find work that supports a family and retire with dignity, too often Washington only responds to the well-connected. As we come out of this pandemic, now more than ever, that needs to end,” Beasley said. Beasley is married and has twin sons, Thomas and Matthew. Jackson, a corporate lawyer and captain in the Army National Guard, raised nearly $1.3 million before the end of March, according to quarterly campaign finance reports. Jackson’s campaign said more than 14,000 individual contributors have given to his campaign.
Jackson had more than $838,000 cash on hand at the beginning of April. Smith, who lost her bid for the nomination in 2020, raised about $196,000 — including $85,000 in loans — in the first quarter. Smith is running to the left, calling for reparations for Black Americans, $1,000 monthly payments for adults as a universal basic income policy and Medicare for All among other policies. “I have deep respect for Cheri Beasley and welcome her into this race,” Smith said in a statement after Beasley’s announcement. “This will be the first time in North Carolina history that we have two viable and qualified Black women running for U.S. Senate at the same time. That’s a good thing for the Democratic party, for North Carolina, and for the country.”
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