Sen. Ellie Kinnaird wants a woman to succeed her.
The Carrboro Democrat has not announced whether she will run again, but she says that she has asked nine women if they would run for her seat if she retired. All turned her down.
Meantime, a diverse slate has stepped up, including a black man, a gay man and a Hispanic immigrant.
Carrboro Alderman John Herrera, a native of Costa Rica, announced he would run for the District 23 seat. He joins Orange County Commissioners Moses Carey and Mike Nelson.
If Kinnaird does run again, Herrera said he would drop out of the race.
Kinnaird said she will keep looking for a female successor, because women are interested in serving the people "and not the business interest and special interest."
"Some people will say, 'What is this, ethnic or gender politics?'" she said. "What I would say to this is, When I went in 11 years ago, there were seven women." (N&O)
Blog RSS feed
