North Carolina Democratic Party

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The North Carolina Democratic Party is the North Carolina affiliate of the national Democratic Party. The current chair is Jerry Meek [1], a Fayetteville attorney. The chair is elected by and leads the state Executive Committee, a body of more than 700 Democratic Party leaders and activists from all 100 counties, which governs the party.[2]

Meek has used his position in the organization to rework the party's operations in the state from the ground up. He has emphasized "precinct-based activism," in which precincts would have a great deal of autonomy and financial support from the state party.

North Carolina Democrats scored impressive victories in the 2006 general elections, increasing their majorities in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly and defeating incumbent Republican Congressman Charles Taylor. In addition, most candidates backed by Democrats in the non-partisan races for the North Carolina Supreme Court and the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected.

These victories came despite controversies surrounding Jim Black, a Democrat and former Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives. The State Board of Elections ruled that Black's campaign illegally accepted corporate contributions and checks with the payee line left blank. He pleaded guilty to a federal corruption charge, after denying charges through the November 2006 election. He won re-election by just seven votes in a heavily Democratic district, but resigned from office in 2007.[3] [4]