East Wake Times

The North Carolina Democratic Party has resolved to disallow challengers in the 2024 primary, a decision that consolidates President Joe Biden's unopposed position. This move has ignited debates and provoked questions about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process, as some individuals have voiced concerns over the restricted options available to voters.

WRAL News reports that democratic campaigns led by Marianne Williamson and U.S. Representative Dean Phillips have denounced this decision, expressing apprehension that without competition, they will not secure a place on the North Carolina ballot. The State Board of Elections has approved primary candidate lists submitted by the state's political parties, including the Democratic Party's exclusive nomination of Biden. In contrast, the Libertarian Party has put forward 10 candidates for the ballot.

According to WRAL News, Williamson's spokeswoman Sydney Goldstein said: "The Democratic Party is doing everything possible to remove any candidates from the ballot that aren’t named Joe Biden. From Florida to Tennessee and now North Carolina, they’re doing what they can to suppress other candidacies. We are tracking the pattern and researching our options going forward."

In terms of historical context provided by WRAL News, during North Carolina's 2020 primary, Biden clinched victory with 43% of the vote, trailed by Bernie Sanders at 24%. However, Trump won the state in the general election with 49.9% compared to Biden's 48.6%, indicating the state's historical preference for Republican presidential candidates.

As reported by The Carolina Journal, North Carolina's Republican primary features seven candidates: former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, alongside Ryan Binkley, Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy. Early in-person voting for the 2024 primary is set to begin on Thursday, February 15th and continue until Saturday, March 2nd. Absentee ballots are scheduled to be mailed out, starting from January 19th.