The PA has a long history of advocating for social justice, tax fairness, racial equity, and environmental protection in Durham and North Carolina. All of our PAC endorsements are made at democratically-run meetings attended by hundreds of members. Voting information and more about our endorsed candidates is below.

Click here to download our famous "green ballot" to bring with you to the polls!

Early voting for the March 5, 2024 primary election starts Thursday, February 15, and continues every day until Saturday, March 2! Election Day is Tuesday, March 5. Vote early for our progressive slate of endorsed candidates at any of the voting locations below:

Durham County Main Library – Roxboro St.
North Regional Library – Milton Rd.
East Regional Library – Lick Creek Lane
South Regional Library – S. Alston Ave.
NCCU Turner Law Building – Nelson St.
Duke University Karsh Alumni Center – Duke University Rd.
Eno River Unitarian – Garrett Rd.

For more detailed information about early voting hours, and to find your March 5 Election Day Polling Place, visit the Durham County Board of Elections website. Please note that an ID is now required to vote in NC.

Learn more about our endorsed candidates 

¡Para leer en español!

Vote for Nida Allam, Michelle Burton, Wendy Jacobs, and Mike Lee for Durham County Board of Commissioners. This progressive team will fund our public schools, educators, and support staff; work for racial equity and criminal justice reform; expand environmental protection and climate change mitigation; and support fair and affordable housing.

Joy Harrell for Durham School Board At Large | Joy’s background as an artist, DPS parent, former elementary and middle school teacher, and former DPS substitute teacher keeps her rooted in the humanity of children and gives her valuable insight into what our schools need in pursuit of equity.
We also endorse unopposed Millicent Rogers, Jessica Carda-Auten and Wendell Tabb to take our Durham Public Schools forward and upward.

Sophia Chitlik for NC Senate District 22 | Sophia will prioritize health care in the Senate, with a particular focus on women’s health and preventing infant mortality through improved access to health care. She’ll fight for public schools, environmental sustainability, and practical solutions for working people.

Satana DeBerry for NC Attorney General | Durham’s own District Attorney has a remarkable track record of progressive reform, using the courts to improve the lives of residents, and focusing on violent crime. As Attorney General, she would bring those reforms to all North Carolinians.

Allison Riggs for NC Supreme Court Seat 6 | Justice Riggs works tirelessly for civil rights and  voting rights. Her deep dedication to justice for all is deeply inspiring. At a time when NC courts are being abused, Justice Riggs will fight for fairness, equality, and justice under the law.

Josh Stein for NC Governor | As Attorney General, Josh fought to hold polluters accountable, combat the opioid crisis, and keep North Carolinians safe and secure. He is a champion of public schools. His wealth of experience is so very necessary to NC’s top office.

Rachel Hunt for NC Lieutenant Governor | In the NC Senate, Rachel fought for affordable child care across the state, full funding for public schools, masters pay for teachers, and reproductive freedom. She will continue this work from the bully pulpit of the Lt. Governor’s office. 

Maurice (Mo) Green for NC Superintendent of Public Instruction | Mo has a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the needs of public school students and teachers. He is committed to investing in our youth and championing educators. Mo will fight to fully fund our schools!

Wesley Harris for NC State Treasurer | Wesley is a progressive economist with a long term plan to protect our public schools, do best by state employees, maintain our excellent bond rating, and take us into a green energy future. No more political games with our money!

Natasha Marcus for NC Commissioner of Insurance | Natasha will bring her powerful energy as a state Senator to ensure your rates stay reasonable, stand up for people over corporations, and help boost consumer protections.

PA PAC Press Release - Endorsements for 2024’s March Primary and November’s General National, Statewide, and Local Election

PA PAC Endorsement Meeting Held Virtually - Members meet to select a progressive slate of candidates to represent Durham

(Durham, N.C.) On Sunday afternoon, January 21, members of the PA PAC in Durham met virtually to debate and decide which candidates running for office in 2024 would get the group’s endorsement. Nearly 300 people attended the virtual meeting. 

The PA PAC shares a common vision and membership with the progressive People’s Alliance in Durham. In recent years, membership in the People’s Alliance has swelled and the PA PAC’s influence in elections has grown. In advance of this year’s endorsement meeting, the PA PAC solicited responses to questionnaires or statements from candidates running for offices from governor all the way down the ballot to the Board of Education. PA PAC volunteers also interviewed candidates whose races are contested in the Democratic  primary. The interview committees shared their recommendations at the endorsement meeting.

Endorsement decisions are made by the PA PAC membership at a meeting in advance of elections every year. At the meeting, PA PAC committees who have interviewed  the candidates make recommendations but ultimately the endorsement is decided by a vote of the members after rigorous debate. During Sunday’s meeting, dozens of members rose virtually to speak during the debate over these endorsements. Candidates value the PA PAC endorsement and work hard within transparent PA PAC rules to make sure their supporters in the organization get to the meeting. PA PAC members attend to persuade and be persuaded.

The PA PAC’s support of its candidates only begins with the endorsement. PA PAC campaigns for its candidates with organizing, events, mailings, social media, canvassing and poll work. This work is managed by a volunteer committee of PA PAC coordinators elected by the membership. Members give money to support the PA PAC campaign and volunteer for poll work and the many other tasks that are necessary to win elections.

The PA PAC endorsements are as follows:

These progressive candidates embody excellence and readiness to serve the people of Durham, North Carolina, and the nation. PA PAC is unwavering in its commitment to ensure their success.

Looking Ahead: With many candidates facing primary challenges in March and others debuting on the general election ballot in November, PA PAC will disseminate more information as the elections approach.

Heartfelt Thanks: PA PAC extends gratitude to all candidates filing for the 2024 elections, recognizing their dedication to serving the people of Durham and North Carolina.

For more information about PA PAC, visit www.peoplesalliancepac.org and for more information about the progressive values that inform these endorsements visit www.durhampa.org.

Contact: Nana Asante-Smith, PA PAC Coordinator (608) 512-9758.

Agenda (Google Doc)

Note that PA PAC solicited statements (rather than questionnaires) for candidates for US Congress, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Labor, Secretary of State, and Durham County Register of Deeds.

PA PAC reached out to all candidates (regardless of party affiliation) for offices for which we created questionnaires or requested statements, and offered them the opportunity to participate in the endorsement process. Those candidates with links next to their names chose to participate. Candidates for each office are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Durham County Board of County Commissioners

Nida Allam (DEM) | Questionnaire | Resume

Nimasheena Burns (DEM) | Questionnaire | Bio

Michelle Burton (DEM) | Questionnaire | Resume

Fredrick Davis (DEM) | Questionnaire | Bio

Brenda Howerton (DEM) | Questionnaire | Bio

Wendy Jacobs (DEM) | Questionnaire | Bio

Mike Lee (DEM) | Questionnaire | Resume

Jovonia Lewis (DEM) | Questionnaire | Resume

Daryl Payton (DEM) | Questionnaire

Stephen Valentine (DEM) | Questionnaire | Resume

Renee Vaughan (DEM) | Questionnaire

Join People’s Alliance PAC for our 2024 candidate mixer! We are pleased to be partnering this year with our friends at the Durham County Democratic Women to cohost this event.

The mixer will take place on Tuesday, January 16 from 6-8 p.m. at Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham, NC 27701.

Meet the candidates running for office up and down the ballot in the 2024 elections.

The candidate mixer is free and open to the public. You do not need to be a member of People's Alliance to attend this event.

Click here for a complete list of candidates who filed with the Durham County Board of Elections. 

Lists of candidates who filed with the NC State Board of Elections are available here.

Light fare will be provided, and there will be a cash bar. 

Agenda:

6:00 pm – Doors open for meeting, eating, & mingling
6:45 pm – Welcome & recognition of elected officials
7:00 pm – Candidate speeches
7:45 pm – Closing remarks

Sincerely,

People's Alliance PAC

PS. You must be a 2024 member to attend the PA PAC endorsement meeting on Sunday, January 21. Learn more about the endorsement meeting.

The People's Alliance PAC will host a virtual endorsement meeting on Sunday, January 21, 2024 beginning at 2 p.m. Please read this message closely as we have updated registration instructions to ensure a smooth voting process at the meeting.

Primary elections for the Durham county commission, school board, and other local offices, as well as state and federal offices, will take place on March 5, 2024, and PA PAC will meet in January to consider whether to make endorsements in those races.

You can register via Zoom for the virtual endorsement meeting here.

**NOTE: All household members participating in voting must register separately for this meeting. All participants must log in for the meeting with a unique device. This means household members CANNOT share Zoom login details. Each person much register individually via Zoom using their own email address, and log in to the meeting using their own computer, tablet, or smart phone.

With many races to consider at this meeting, we're making this change to the meeting logistics to streamline the voting process. Please contact the PA PAC coordinators at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

If you want to vote at the endorsement meeting, you must have been a member of the People's Alliance for at least 60 days prior to the meeting. Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. is the last time a new member could have joined to be eligible to vote at this meeting. Members who join the People's Alliance for the first time after that date may speak at the meeting but may not vote.

Need to pay your 2024 dues? Join or renew here.

We look forward to your participation at the endorsement meeting on January 21, 2024 at 2 p.m. Click here to register for the meeting via Zoom.

Questions? Email the PA PAC coordinators at [email protected].