State Democratic Party vice chair Jonah Garson will succeed Graig Meyer to represent Orange, Caswell, and Person counties in the state senate. Garson will also replace Meyer on the November ballot in the safe blue district, so he is all but set to hold the seat until 2028. State law sets Garson up to be officially seated before the week ends.
Garson was selected over the weekend by a committee of six local Democratic Party officials, two from each of the three counties. Five of those committee members voted for Garson, and one from Person County opted for state Rep. Allen Buansi. State Rep. Renée Price and Kenneth Perry, who serves on several local government boards in Person, did not receive any votes from the committee.
“I look forward to working with Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch and alongside Representatives Buansi, Jeffers, and Price to win the progressive policies our communities need,” Garson said in a press release shortly after his selection.
Meyer served two terms in the state senate before resigning to serve as executive director of the Justice Center. He previously served four terms in the state house.
When Meyer announced his resignation, Garson moved aggressively to lock down endorsements from many local Democratic Party notables and flood his website and social media with the evidence.
The appointment, he previously told INDY, is “about fielding the best team of complementary strengths and experiences and maintaining seniority where we can for that collective progressive strength,” which means keeping Buansi and Price where they are in the House.
“I have deep relationships across all three of these counties, I know these counties, and I know rural North Carolina well from organizing all across the state,” Garson said last week. “When our local jurisdictions are trying to do the best with the resources they have, we just have to have a legislator who brings in an organizer’s orientation and perspective and experience.”
Garson’s candidacy also drew some detractors. As INDY reported last week, three Senate Democrats and two other officials said they feared Garson would create instability in Raleigh at a time when the caucus needs to be united.
But it seems Garson was at least able to unify most of the committee. Bonnie Bevan, a committee member representing Orange County who voted for Garson, wrote to INDY to call him a “rule follower” and to call the story “vindictive.”
Prior to the appointment, committee member Kenneth Woods (who ultimately voted for Garson) told INDY that “whoever doesn’t win, they need to simply accept the decision and just move forward,” and local politicos are sure to keep an eye on if senator-designate Garson and his colleagues can play nice in Raleigh.
Kennedy Thomason contributed reporting.
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