Nearly a dozen local politicians and activists have endorsed Democratic state Senator Wiley Nickel of Wake County in his early bid for a congressional seat.
Nickel declared his run for Congress last month after longtime U.S. Rep. David Price, an Orange County Democrat, announced plans to retire next year following more than 30 years in office.
Nickel’s list of supporters now includes recently re-elected Morrisville Mayor TJ Cawley, Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson, Cary council member Ya Liu, and three members of the Morrisville council (Donna Fender, Anne Robotti, and Steve Rao).
Former state Attorney General Rufus Edmisten and former state Senator Allen Wellons also are backing Nickel, his campaign announced in an email Thursday.
The announcement also included the endorsements of Candis Cox with Equality NC and community activist Eliazar Posada, formerly with El Centro Hispano.
The district Nickel hopes to represent—the 4th Congressional District—is solidly blue, covering Durham, Orange, Franklin, and Granville counties, plus parts of Wake, Chatham, and Vance. Price won the seat with two-thirds of the vote a year ago.
The boundaries may change, however, with redistricting and potential litigation.
Last month, a number of other elected official officials and former elected officials told the News & Observer they were considering running for Price’s seat as well. Former state Sen. Floyd McKissick, Jr., a Democrat from Durham, told the paper he is “seriously interested in running for the position,” but added that it would depend on what the district looks like following redistricting.
Other Democratic elected officials, including Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, state Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham), state Sen. Mike Woodard (D-Durham), former Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes, and Hillsborough Town Commissioner Matt Hughes all said they were interested in exploring a run for the seat, too.
State Reps. Zack Hawkins (D-Durham) and Graig Meyer (D-Hillsborough) told the paper they were not considering mounting bids for Price’s seat. ‘
Note: The story has been updated to reflect Eliazar Posada is no longer affiliated with El Centro Hispano. The last name of Anne Robotti has also been corrected.
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