RALEIGH, N.C. — Voters can expect a crowded field in the Democratic primary for U.S. Rep. David Price's seat, after the longtime North Carolina congressman announced he'll retire instead of running again in the 2022 election.
The primary is March 8, and candidates will file for office in December.
State lawmakers haven't yet drawn districts for the election, but Price's 4th Congressional District leans heavily Democratic.
Here's who's running, who's not and who hasn't decided:
WHO'S RUNNING FOR CONGRESS
—State Sen. Wiley Nickel, a Cary Democrat:
Nickel, who had been expected to run for a congressional seat in 2022, announced his campaign for District 4 at the same time Price announced he wouldn't seek reelection.
Nickel lives in Cary, and his current Wake County Senate district also includes Northwest Raleigh. He is a lawyer who previously worked in President Barack Obama's administration.
As a senator, Nickel has pushed for increased wages for state employees, adding school nurses and overturning the 1959 ban on collective bargaining for public sector employees.
Anticipating a run, Nickel has already raised about $253,000, he told The News & Observer.
"If we're going to deliver quality education and child care to all, protect reproductive health rights and combat the climate crisis, we'll need a proven fighter for North Carolina," he said. Nickel said he's fought for those issues as a state senator and is "ready to take that fight to Washington, D.C."
Nickel is in his second term in the state Senate.
WHO'S THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR DISTRICT 4
—Former state Sen. Floyd McKissick Jr., a Durham Democrat:
He told The N&O on Oct. 18 that he would be "seriously interested in running for the position. The biggest question is what the district will look like."
While congressional candidates do not have to live in their districts, McKissick wants to wait on the redistricting process to finish up in the next month. He has been interested in running for Congress for many years, he said, after serving on Durham City Council and in the state Senate. McKissick left the Senate in early 2020 to take an appointment to the North Carolina Utilities Commission.
McKissick is also first vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
—Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, a Democrat:
Allam was elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 2020, becoming the first Muslim woman elected to office in North Carolina.
She told The N&O on Oct. 18 that she is "strongly considering it."
She said the 4th District needs to continue Price's legacy with "a bold progressive who fights tooth and nail for our community."
—State Sen. Mike Woodard, a Durham Democrat:
Woodard said he is "thinking about it seriously." He is in his fifth term in the state Senate, and previously served on Durham City Council.
—State Sen. Natalie Murdock, a Durham Democrat:
Murdock said that Price is such a workhorse and so well respected that no matter who seeks his seat, they will have "huge, huge, huge shoes to fill."
She said Monday she hasn't decided if she will run for Price's seat.
"I think like everyone else we'll have to wait and see what the maps look like, but I definitely know it will be a very, very crowded field," she said.
Murdock said right now she is focused on her work as a state senator.
—Former Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes, a Democrat:
Holmes, who served as chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, unsuccessfully ran for state commissioner of labor in 2020.
Holmes told The N&O that "running for Price's seat is a consideration."
"It was an honor to work alongside him on issues from affordable housing, public transportation, health care, and food insecurity as a county commissioner. He has accomplished a lot and has big shoes to fill but there is still so much work to be done," Holmes said.
—Hillsborough Town Commissioner Matt Hughes, a Democrat:
Hughes, who is also second vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said Price has been a friend and mentor. Hughes said he is "seriously considering" the open seat.
"The issues we face on climate change, housing, health care and our democracy are steep and we need a congressperson that is committed to working with President Biden to help us all build back better," he said.
WHO'S NOT RUNNING
—State Rep. Zack Hawkins, a Durham Democrat:
Hawkins is in his second term in the state House, one of the reasons he said "no."
"I'm just in round two of the House. I want to do some good work there," Hawkins told The N&O on Oct. 18. "It's not even on my radar right now."
He said that Price has set "a pretty high bar for integrity and public service," and that a lot of potential candidates are just waiting for redistricting lines to be drawn.
"I think it's going to be an interesting race," Hawkins said.
—State Rep. Graig Meyer, a Hillsborough Democrat:
Meyer said he is not interested in running for the seat.
"I feel quite confident that there will be a lot of qualified people who would want to run. I think it's an opportunity for us to elect someone who is a woman or person of color and expand the diversity of who Democrats are as a whole and who represents us in Washington, D.C. It's also a generational passing of the baton," Meyer told The N&O on Oct. 18.
A NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
One of the reasons candidates are waiting on maps is that North Carolina is getting a 14th Congressional District because of population growth. The state's growth is centered in the Wake County and Charlotte areas. If a new district is drawn during redistricting for Wake County, there's already at least one candidate from the Triangle region.
—Nathan Click of Morrisville said he is running for the 14th District because he thinks "we need more leadership in the ranks of government, and leaders that represent the average person."
Click, a Democrat, is a commercial real estate finance broker and runs a consulting practice. An Air Force veteran and a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, he's working on his doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte now.
"Everybody's kind of in this waiting game," Click told The N&O on Oct. 18 about redistricting. "Voters and candidates alike are waiting."
