On Super Tuesday, NCLCV Helped Defeat A Long Term Environmental Foe

NCLCV and other public interest advocates are celebrating the apparent defeat of one of the worst Democrats in the NC General Assembly on environmental issues.

In complete but unofficial returns, ten-term NC House incumbent Rep. Michael Wray (D-Northampton) lost his bid for re-election to Democratic primary opponent and award-winning teacher Rodney Pierce by a narrow margin of 42 votes.

Wray was one of two anti-environment Democratic incumbents targeted for defeat by the Conservation Votes PAC. The outcome shows that voters in House District 27 were fed up with Wray voting with Republicans 85% of the time, including half of the votes important to environmental voters.

”Wray’s Republican cronies tried to pull the wool over the eyes of voters in HD 27 by spending heavily on his behalf, but in the end, the truth set the voters free. Let this be a message to elected officials: North Carolinians care about the environment and Conservation Votes PAC will hold you accountable for your votes on the environment, regardless of party affiliation,” said Dan Crawford, Director of Governmental Relations for the NC League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV). NCLCV has further called upon Wray to accept the voters’ judgment by formally conceding the contest. “Michael Wray must immediately concede after voters rejected him in this election,” said Crawford.

“Wray has voted with anti-environmental leadership 85% of the time, including to cut public education funding while spending millions for a Civil War Museum and going along with GOP efforts to refuse critical health care access that residents of this district need. That’s unacceptable. Voters deserve a representative who will actually vote to serve their constituents and prioritize the people of Northeast North Carolina. That’s why on Tuesday they chose Rodney Pierce to finally provide the representation they deserve in Raleigh.”