Facing South: “This past March, three Democrats in the North Carolina General Assembly who had sided with Republicans on key votes lost their primary elections to progressive challengers. The defeated incumbents included Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Charlotte-area legislator who voted with the Republican majority 84% of the time and helped the GOP overturn 15 vetoes by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.
Among the groups that mobilized for progressive challengers was the hospitality workers union UNITE HERE, which knocked on 46,000 doors statewide to support Sadler and two other candidates.
‘We were trapped inside, even though there were a lot of us that were U.S. citizens. Nobody went to school, nobody went to work. We were basically trapped in an area where we should feel free because we’re in America.’ — Maria Hernandez, UNITE HERE Local 23”