North Carolina faces systemic challenges that need to be effectively addressed in this upcoming election. Running for governor are incumbent Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican challenger Dan Forest, North Carolina’s current lieutenant governor, and each have their own ideas of how to mitigate the pressing issues facing North Carolina residents. We believe that the future governor of our state must be ready to address and effectively fix many issues facing North Carolinians, specifically young people and college students; including the state’s response to COVID-19, racial inequality and injustice, climate change and public school management.
This is why in the 2020 gubernatorial election, Technician’s editorial board is choosing to endorse Governor Roy Cooper.
A majority of the members of our editorial board are upperclassmen and have witnessed and felt the repercussions of Cooper’s policies firsthand. In addition, over the course of 2020, Technician has provided extensive coverage of Cooper’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Black Lives Matter protests that are affecting all North Carolinians.
We believe that Cooper is the most equipped to address and effectively fix many issues facing North Carolinians, specifically young people and college students. These issues include the state’s response to COVID-19, racial inequality and injustice.
In the wake of COVID-19, Cooper implemented a stay-at-home order to help prevent the spread of a deadly disease that has now killed nearly 4,000 people in North Carolina alone. Cooper then released a detailed plan for an eventual safe reopening, one that emphasized the need for proper social distancing, sanitation and mask-wearing.
Cooper successfully broke down the reopening of North Carolina into five phases. Phase one opened businesses at 50% capacity, phase two saw the reopening of some K-12 schools and universities, phase 2.5 opened playgrounds, gyms and museums in a limited capacity and loosened mass gathering restrictions, and phase three opened stadiums, arenas and theaters in limited capacity while further loosening the restrictions on mass gatherings.
Ideally, Cooper will be able to bring North Carolina to the fourth and final phase: fully reopening the state.
Cooper also stood tall in the face of pressure from those who protested wearing masks and social distancing, helping keep North Carolina safe and healthy. He helped provide relief for unemployed citizens, aided small businesses, helped with child care and food security, signed executive orders that protected citizens from evictions and foreclosures and prohibited utilities from disconnecting.
Unlike many politicians across the country, Cooper was not dismissive of the Black Lives Matter movement. Instead, Cooper repeatedly emphasized his belief that Black lives do matter and went as far as to speak with George Floyd’s sister, who lives in Hoke County, North Carolina.
When rioting and protests took place in the summer, Cooper reassured citizens that lives mattered more than destroyed property, and he expressed disappointment with media outlets that covered the riots more than the voice of the people.
Cooper is not a perfect candidate. His weak stance against transphobia during the repeal of House Bill 2 was disappointing, with a compromise that gave state legislators the ability to change public bathroom policies in the future and made it impossible for local governments to pass nondiscrimination ordinances against private employers. He also allowed curfews to be set in place in various cities during the Black Lives Matter protests, during which police shot rubber bullets and threw tear gas into protesting crowds.
However, when compared with Forest, who actively promoted transphobic policies, proposed endangering North Carolinians by lifting the mask mandate and consistently demonizes the Black Lives Matter movement, the choice is clear. Cooper will do much more in leading the state forward than Forest.
Cooper has actively stood for the rights of North Carolinians. He has continuously supported funding and protecting our public schools, even during the middle of a pandemic. Cooper has also stood for substantial criminal justice reform, giving more protections to those convicted of nonviolent crimes.
Similarly, Cooper has promoted environmentalism in North Carolina for our communities. Recently, Cooper gave $5 million in land grants to be used for parks, trails and recreational facilities, further connecting our communities not only with the environment, but with our neighbors.
Roy Cooper seeks to innovate, not decay, North Carolina. Without his effective and open stances on various issues, this state would not be making the progress it is today. We believe that there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of addressing these issues; because of that, we believe that Cooper is far better equipped and in touch with reality on issues that are harming North Carolinians. For the well-being of North Carolina, Technician believes Cooper is the ideal candidate for governor this upcoming election.
This unsigned editorial is the opinion of the members of Technician’s editorial board, and is the responsibility of the editor-in-chief.
