North Carolina’s first Black female Chief Justice recently announced she’s making a run for US Senate.
Former Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who lost her re-election campaign to the state’s highest court by just 401 votes, is seeking to be the state's Democratic nominee for Senate.
“I’m running to fight for the people of North Carolina,” Beasley said in an interview. “I have run successfully twice, and people know me differently. I do have a very different record. I’ve been a judge for more than 20 years, and I’ve led a branch of government.”
Beasley was Chief Justice for a year after being appointed by former Governor Roy Cooper in 2019. Before that, Beasley served on the state’s Court of Appeals from 2008-2012.
Two other candidates, state Sens. Jeff Jackson and Erica Smith, are running to fill Republican Sen. Richard Burr’s seat. Both Smith and Beasley are Black women who could change the fact that there are no Black women currently serving in the Senate following Vice President Kamala Harris’ departure.
On the Republican side, former Gov. Pat McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker are the only candidates who’ve officially announced their run.
During the 2020 election, North Carolina gave its 15 electoral votes to Donald Trump by a 1.3 percent margin.
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