Oct 23, 2017
Equality NC Action Fund Pac Announced Sole Endorsement For Mayor Nancy McFarlane in the Raleigh Mayoral Runoff
Today, Equality NC Action Fund Pac announced a singular endorsement in the Raleigh Mayoral runoff for Mayor Nancy McFarlane. In the lead-up to the October 10 election, two candidates had received the organization's endorsement. Initially, both Mayor Nancy McFarlane and Charles Francis submitted questionnaires that were supportive of the organization’s policy platform. However, we now believe that it is time for us to give our supporters clear guidance given the new information that we have obtained since then.
“Equality NC Action Fund is proud to endorse Mayor Nancy McFarlane in her re-election for Mayor of Raleigh,” said Matt Hirschy, Interim Executive Director of Equality NC. “A proven ally - Mayor McFarlane spoke out against the deeply discriminatory HB2 and used it as an opportunity to address transgender-specific issues in Raleigh. Furthermore, Mayor McFarlane has a strong connection to the LGBTQ community in Raleigh and was awarded for her work by the LGBT Center of Raleigh with the 2017 Ally of the Year Award. Her long record on LGBTQ issues and her strong leadership in moving Raleigh forward and inclusive for all, make Mayor McFarlane the clear choice for voters.”
In contrast, while we recognize that Mr. Francis has spent less time in public office, we find no record of advocacy or allyship in the spaces where he has been able to exercise leadership. Leading up to and following the October 10 election, we received a number of concerns from our supporters about the time Mr. Francis spent campaigning for an anti-LGBTQ candidate, former Senator and gubernatorial candidate Fred Smith. Further research has led us to be concerned by the number and amount of Mr. Francis' anti-LGBTQ donors, his time spent campaigning for a prominent sponsors of Amendment One, his donation to pro-HB2 and anti Affordable Care Act state senator George Holding, and his courting of the Wake County GOP leadership that was instrumental in pushing HB2 in North Carolina.
We are proud to support a Mayor who has always supported us, and who seeks not only a Raleigh for all but who also shares our values of inclusivity and unity ahead of 2018.
