NC SECRETARY OF STATE 2024
NOTE: You may vote for one. Candidates are presented below in the order they appear on your ballot.
Reason for my Endorsement: Elaine Marshall is the Cat’s Pajamas.
Elaine Marshall (Democrat)
https://www.elainemarshall.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Elaine4NC/
I consider Elaine Marshall a personal friend of mine, so you’ll have to forgive me for gushing. Elaine is, bar none, our favorite public servant in North Carolina and has been for years. You get very few elected officials who are more service oriented, more forward thinking, or more imbued with granite integrity.
I still feel obliged to run through a few of Elaine’s achievements. She’s the first female elected to statewide executive office in NC. From the early 1970s, she was active in Young Democrats and eventually became National Secretary of the Young Democrats of America. In Harnett County, where she practiced law, Marshall served as President of Democratic Women and, in 1991, served as chair of the Harnet County Democratic Party. Marshall was first elected to public office in 1992 as a member of the North Carolina Senate representing the 15th Senate District. In 1996, she ran for the post of North Carolina Secretary of State against Republican challenger and former stock car racer Richard Petty. She won the election by a margin of 53% to 45%. “If I had known I wasn’t going to win,” Petty said, “I wouldn’t have run.”
Marshall comes closer than any other elected official in North Carolina to being a genuine “institution” in herself. She’s been Secretary of State since 1996, when she became the first woman elected to state-wide office, and she’s often the top vote-getter on the ballot, besting even presidential and senatorial candidates.
Marshall has proven herself a more than competent administrator with an eye toward reform. She has received national recognitions for modernizing the Secretary of State’s office by introducing up to date technology and reducing red tape. “The Secretary of State’s office today is a key law enforcement agency protecting consumers, investors, and charitable givers against fraud and scams. Elaine’s commitment to protecting investors has led to long prison terms for criminals and has refunded over $1 billion from major Wall Street firms for misrepresentation to North Carolina investors.”
Marshall has been credited with bringing the office of Secretary of State into the technological age by introducing e-commerce and providing online registration for lobbyists and businesses. Marshall has received numerous state and national awards for leadership in technology, government innovation, and women’s leadership..
Chad Brown (Republican)
https://www.facebook.com/chadbrownfornc
Brown attended North Greenville University, a private Baptist university in South Carolina, but left to play professional baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Later, he entered the world of sales, selling paint for around 15 years. He currently works for Pennsylvania Steel Company in Stanley. Brown ran for Secretary of State once before in 2020, but was beaten in the Republican primary that year.
Brown describes himself as “A christian, former professional baseball player, and life long conservative Republican who found my way into politics by being elected as the Mayor of Stanley, and then on to the County Commission. I’ve served 3 terms (12 years total), with the last 2 years as Chairman.”
In Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, Brown said his priorites if elected would be:
“Establishing conservative, common-sense leadership in the Secretary of State office is crucial. We need a leader who prioritizes transparency, accountability, and efficiency in government operations. Additionally, I will institute a robust economic development initiative to attract businesses, create jobs, and foster a thriving economy.” Brown also said he would work to eliminate wasteful spending, remove unnecessary burdens and red tape for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and foster a business-friendly community.”
Brown wraps himself around Trump and even more so around Mark Robinson. He has campaigned on the notion that once elected Secretary of State, he will petition the Republican General Assembly to move all election supervision to his office.
In Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, Brown said:
“Establishing conservative, common-sense leadership in the Secretary of State office is crucial. We need a leader who prioritizes transparency, accountability, and efficiency in government operations. Additionally, I will institute a robust economic development initiative to attract businesses, create jobs, and foster a thriving economy.” Brown also said he would work to eliminate wasteful spending, remove unnecessary burdens and red tape for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and foster a business-friendly community.”
On his campaign website, Brown saidanothe3r priority would be to “Protect our elections and ensure that every vote is counted.”
In an interview with Cardinal & Pine Marshall responded, “What my opponent is saying to the crowd he’s campaigning to is that if he gets elected, if there’s a Republican in the secretary of state’s office, then he will petition the General Assembly to move the election to him.” When asked if she believed the state legislature would attempt to change the powers of the office, Marshall said, “Absolutely. I feel very confident about that.”