Category Archives: State/Regional

Republican North Carolina state Sen. Bobby Hanig announces bid to unseat Democrat Don Davis in 2026

Republican North Carolina state Sen. Bobby Hanig announces bid to unseat Democrat Don Davis in 2026

POWELLS POINT, N.C. (AP) — A coastal North Carolina legislator announced his bid on Wednesday for a U.S. House seat next year, looking to unseat Democratic incumbent Don Davis in what is now the state’s currently only swing congressional district.

State Sen. Bobby Hanig of Currituck County said he would seek the Republican nomination for the sprawling 1st Congressional District, which covers 22 counties from the northern Outer Banks to the Raleigh metro area’s outskirts.

Davis and Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson, also a Republican, have already filed federal candidate paperwork for the 1st District seat in 2026. The official state election filing period is in December, with primaries set for early March.

Republicans currently hold 10 of North Carolina’s 14 U.S. House seats, with the 1st District seat the only other one for which the GOP has been competitive. The November 2026 outcome will be watched closely given the Republicans’ narrow U.S. House majority and efforts in other states to redraw congressional maps to favor one major party or the other.

Hanig, who was initially elected to the state House in 2018 before moving to the Senate in 2022, highlighted his support for President Donald Trump’s policies and his legislative record with his entry.

“I’m a proven leader who has always been a fierce advocate for my constituents and our shared values and beliefs,” Hanig said in a news release. “I will continue that fight when I get to Washington.”

Davis, himself a former state senator, won the 1st District seat in 2022 by defeating Republican Sandy Smith, and earned a second term last fall over Republican Laurie Buckhout by less than 2 percentage points.

Roberson, who lost the GOP nomination to Smith in 2022, reported to the Federal Election Commission raising nearly $2.3 million for his campaign committee in the second quarter, of which $2 million came from his personal funds.

Hanig, a business owner and former Currituck County commissioner chairman, is perhaps best known at the Legislative Building for wearing colorful and striking suit jackets.

Hanig clashed with state Senate GOP leaders this year while opposing their efforts to ban inshore and coastal shoreline shrimp trawling. The legislation petered out in the House after shrimp industry members and their allies rallied in Raleigh against it.

Trump and Republican senators fight over a century-old tradition for judicial nominees

Trump and Republican senators fight over a century-old tradition for judicial nominees

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the Senate’s century-old tradition of allowing home state senators to sign off on some federal judge and U.S. attorney nominees is “old and outdated.” Republican senators disagree. Trump has been complaining about what’s called the blue slip process for weeks and has pushed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to abandon the practice. But the veteran Iowa Republican senator hasn’t budged. On Monday, Trump said he may sue, arguing he can only get “weak” judges approved in states that have at least one Democratic senator. Senate Republicans have been unbowed, arguing they used blue slips to their own benefit when Democrat Joe Biden was president.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin leaves rough seas with 2 swimmers dead and a search underway for a missing boater

Hurricane Erin leaves rough seas with 2 swimmers dead and a search underway for a missing boater

SALISBURY, Mass. (AP) — Hurricane Erin never made landfall, but it left behind rough ocean conditions along the U.S. East Coast. At least two people have died, a 17-year-old boy in New Hampshire and a 59-year-old man in New York, after they went swimming in heavy current. A search continued Monday for a man who was missing after his boat capsized off of Salisbury Beach in Massachusetts on Saturday. The teen was pulled away by a strong ocean current off of Hampton Beach. The man was swimming at Sailors Haven in the Fire Island National Seashore. Forecasters say there are no coastal watches or warnings for newly formed Tropical Storm Juliette in the Pacific Ocean and Tropical Storm Fernand in the Atlantic.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin never hit land or caused major damage, but threatened turtle nests weren’t so lucky

Hurricane Erin never hit land or caused major damage, but threatened turtle nests weren’t so lucky

As Hurricane Erin pelted North Carolina’s barrier islands with strong winds and waves, it destroyed many nests of threatened sea turtles. The waves buried the eggs deep in sand or washed them out to sea. On Topsail Island more than half the 43 loggerhead turtle nests were lost this week. The storm also likely wiped out eight of the 10 remaining nests on Emerald Isle. Loggerheads are threatened in the U.S. due to bycatch from fishing. But conservation groups can do little to keep nests safe during a hurricane given North Carolina’s strict laws about keeping the sea turtle hatching process natural.… Continue Reading

North Carolina Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lawsuits can continue

North Carolina Supreme Court says bars’ COVID-19 lawsuits can continue

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Supreme Court has issued favorable rulings for bars seeking compensation from the state for COVID-19 restrictions. On Friday, the court decided that two lawsuits filed by bars and their operators can continue. These lawsuits claim that through ordered closings they were treated unfairly compared to restaurants during the pandemic. The restrictions began in March 2020 under then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat. The court’s Republican justices agreed one lawsuit could proceed, rejecting state arguments to halt it. They ruled the other case also can return to a trial judge so evidence could be analyzed on the claim the owners’ rights to earn a living were violated.… Continue Reading

North Carolina updates more than 20,000 voter records, seeks more ID numbers

North Carolina updates more than 20,000 voter records, seeks more ID numbers

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina election officials have successfully amended over 20,000 voter registration records. This effort began in mid-July to address a lawsuit from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. The lawsuit focused on records missing a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. A “Registration Repair Project” by the State Board of Elections created an online database of over 103,000 registrants lacking these identifiers. As of Monday, the number of registrants on the list has dropped by 20%. Now the remaining people are getting letters requesting to act. Those who don’t provide the information will have to vote provisionally in upcoming elections.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin forecast to churn up dangerous swells and winds from Florida to New England

Hurricane Erin forecast to churn up dangerous swells and winds from Florida to New England

RODANTHE, N.C. (AP) — Hurricane Erin is churning slowly toward the eastern U.S. coast and stirring up waves that already have forced dozens of beach rescues several days before the biggest storm surges are expected. Forecasters remain confident the center of the monster storm will remain far offshore. But the outer edges are likely to bring damaging tropical-force winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents. Warnings about rip currents have been posted from Florida to the New England coast. In New Jersey, towns are closing some beaches to swimming. The biggest swells along the East Coast are expected to develop Wednesday and last into Thursday.… Continue Reading

Hurricane Erin forecast to create dangerous surf, winds along North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Hurricane Erin forecast to create dangerous surf, winds along North Carolina’s Outer Banks

MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Erin is pelting parts of the Caribbean and is forecast to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast this week. Forecasters are confident that Erin will turn northeast and away from the eastern U.S. But the National Hurricane Center in Miami says Erin is still expected to churn up dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Evacuations are being ordered on a few islands along the Outer Banks even though the storm is unlikely to make direct landfall. The storm intensified again to a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds Monday.… Continue Reading

Republicans look to make a U-turn on federal commitment to electric vehicles for the Postal Service

Republicans look to make a U-turn on federal commitment to electric vehicles for the Postal Service

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding. The effort comes a year after the agency was honored for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gas-powered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet. In June, the Senate parliamentarian in June blocked a Republican proposal to sell off the agency’s new electric vehicles and infrastructure and rescind any remaining money, but the push continues. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst says she’s going ahead with a bill to rescind what’s left of the $3 billion in federal funding.… Continue Reading

Category 4 Hurricane Erin buffets northern Caribbean islands but not forecast to hit land

Category 4 Hurricane Erin buffets northern Caribbean islands but not forecast to hit land

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Forecasters say Erin has exploded into a major hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean just north of the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center says Erin reached Category 5 strength before weakening somewhat and becoming a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The hurricane center said that while Erin was “undergoing structural changes,” it remained “formidable.” The storm’s center was north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Saturday night. And its rains and winds were buffeting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Forecasters warned that flooding and slides were possible. Powerful rip currents could affect the U.S. East Coast next week.… Continue Reading

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