Tag search result

Democratic state Reps. Jim Crawford of Oxford and Dewey Hill of Columbus County will serve as co-chairs of Democrats for McCrory, the campaign announced Wednesday.

Crawford and Hill, both veteran lawmakers, had crossed party lines to help the Republican majority pass a budget two years ago. Both were regarded as conservative Democrats.

The state Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against Democratic Rep. Jim Crawford of Oxford.

Justin Guillory of Progress NC filed the complaint on March 16 over a campaign commerical Crawford filmed in the House chamber with legislative employees in the background. Guillory claimed Crawford used state funds to create political advertising.

The complaint alleged Crawford used the chamber without paying the state and allowed legislative employees to participate while they were on the clock. The Ethics Commission concluded that Crawford did not violate the Ethics Act or break any law it has jurisdiction over.

It was payback time for state Rep. Jim Crawford, a conservative Democrat from Oxford who crossed Planned Parenthood with his flip vote for the controversial abortion bill last year. Crawford, a 28-year incumbent, was knocked out by fellow Democrat Rep. W.A. “Winkie” Wilkins in a redrawn district that favored Wilkins. Crawford lost by a 56-37 percent margin.

Progress North Carolina ACTION today filed a complaint with the State Ethics Commission against Democratic Rep. Jim Crawford of Oxford, for using state legislative staffers on state time in a political commercial.

The ad grew out of a report on WRAL that noted that several legislative staffers were seen in the background of the House chamber in the ad. Crawford later confirmed that they were on state time when the ad was shot.

“Rep. Jim Crawford abused the power of his office for political gain,” said Gerrick Brenner, the group's executive director. “We call on the Legislative Ethics Committee to begin an investigation as soon as possible.''

Crawford is a conservative Democrat who bucked the party's leadership to join the Republicans to help pass a budget last year. He faces two Democratic opponents including Rep. Winkie Wilkins, who was thrown in the same district as a result of redistricting.

A new survey conducted for a liberal Democratic group suggests that conservative Democrat Jim Crawford could be in some trouble.

The survey found Crawford of Oxford trailing Rep. Winkie Wilkins of Person County by a 43-28 percent margin in a potential Democratic primary match up. The two Democrats have been thrown into the same district under lines drawn up by the Republican legislature.

Crawford has upset some Democrats by voting with Republicans on some key issues, including the budget compromise he helped workout last year.

The survey was conducted by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm based in Raleigh and was commissioned by Progress North Carolina, a group that has been critical of the actions of the GOP-controlled legislature.

The survey also found that Republican state Sen. Neal Hunt of Raleigh would defeat Democratic civic leader Jill Gammon in a matchup 43-39 if the election were held today.

The spin: “The most recent round of legislative redistricting has left many progressives frustrated, but they should not be,” said Gerrick Brenner, executive director of Progress North Carolina. “There are competitive districts all over the state if the right people step up and run for office.”

Both polls were conducted January 7-9. The survey of the Crawford district polled 354 Democratic voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points. The survey of Hunt's district polled 1,552 voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Rep. Jim Crawford of Oxford, one of the five House Democrats who voted with the Republicans on budget, has drawn a challenger.

Jason Jenkins of Creedmoor announced on his Facebook page that he would challenge Crawford in next May's Democratic primary, Barry Smith reported on his website M2M Politics..

Crawford voted to over ride Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of the budget, but not before gaining significant concessions from Republicans.

“For you all that do not remember, Crawford was one of the five Democrats who voted with the Republicans for the budget,” Jenkins wrote. “He voted with the Republicans to override the governor’s veto and he also was a primary sponsor of the anti-gay marriage amendment!”

Siding with the Republicans did not protect Crawford when it came to redistricting. Crawford and W.A. “Winkie” Wilkins of Roxboro were drawn into the same House District 2.

Ben Chavis, the former executive director of the national NAACP, is considering challenging Rep. Jim Crawford in a Democratic primary next year because of his budget vote.

Chavis, a native of Oxford, said he he was concerned about “the devastating impact of the proposed state budget cuts” in the budget passed by the GOP-controlled legislature and vetoed by Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue.

The GOP majority is expected to try to override Perdue's veto on Wednesday, but they need the votes of five conservative Democrats who voted for the budget including Crawford to sustain the veto.

“I respect and admire all the people who live in Granville County and other counties in Eastern North Carolina,” Chavis said in an email, “and I truly believe that they should have better representation on this issue in the legislature.”

A community meeting is scheduled tonight at the First Baptist Church in Oxford to discuss the budget cuts. Chavis said that Crawford was expected to attend the meeting. Crawford could not be reached for comment.

Chavis said he would make his decision based on what happens tonight.

Chavis has long been active in the civil rights movement. As an organizer, he was imprisoned as one of The Wilmington 10 in connection with a fire bombing of a grocery story in 1971 – a conviction later overturned by the courts.

He later went on to earn a doctorate, headed the NAACP, and lead the Million Man March in Washington D.C. He currently lives in Florida.  

The Golden LEAF Foundation would have less money diverted to the state treasury under the new Senate budget proposal.

The Senate budget a committee approved last week would have diverted the next $67.6 million payment from the Golden LEAF account to the state treasury. Golden LEAF had been getting half the state's share of the national tobacco settlement for economic development and other projects.

Rep. Jim Crawford, a Democrat who was negotiating a budget deal with the GOP, said last week he wanted Golden LEAF to get $50 million of its next $67.6 million payment because, he said, the foundation's work is important to the state's poorest counties.

The revised budget lets Golden LEAF keep the $50 million, and reduces the diversion to $17.6 million.

Correction: Appropriations, not full Senate approved the last version of the budget.

There were rumors floating last week that Republicans might be rethinking their strategy after five Democrats in the House voted for the GOP budget. But local political pundits say there’s a reason Gov. Bev Perdue sounded so confident when she said, “They will be with me when the going gets tough. You can take that to the bank.”

Scott Mooneyham, editor of The Insider, writes in his most recent newsletter that the five remind him of the Gang of Eight who during the fall and summer of 2001 became the gatekeepers to a final budget deal. The eight liberal Democrats included Rep. Mickey Michaux of Durham and then-Rep. Dan Blue of Raleigh.

This time the five are more conservative but apparently equally wily.

Six Democrats joined the sole independent and all the Republicans to elect Thom Tillis as House speaker.

The six are Reps. Jim Crawford of Oxford, Beverly Earle of Charlotte, Dewey Hill of Columbus County, Bill Owens of Elizabeth City, Tim Spear of Washington County, and Elmer Floyd of Cumberland, reports Dan Kane.

All but Earle and Floyd are considered conservative Democrats; Earle told the Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill that she supported Tillis because he is a member of the Mecklenburg County delegation.

The upshot is that any Republican looking to get a veto-proof vote on a bill likely will be talking to these folks.

Correction: Adds Floyd's vote for Tillis.