This episode breaks down the Democratic primary for North Carolina House District 37, where Winn Decker, Ralph Clements, and Marcus Gadson are competing to face Republican incumbent Erin Paré in November.

Decker leans on his bipartisan policy experience and coordinated planning, focusing on housing, infrastructure, and schools to keep pace with Wake County’s growth. Clements emphasizes consumer protections, fair utilities, and stronger public investments, including competitive teacher pay and universal school meals. Gadson centers on direct tax relief, expanding housing supply, and broader structural reforms, including changes to judicial elections.

We also explore how each candidate approaches healthcare, climate resilience, public safety, and democratic safeguards like redistricting. Whether your priority is school funding, affordability, or systemic reform, this episode helps you understand which candidate’s approach aligns with your values.

NC House of Representatives District 37 Candidates

Winn Decker: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/Winn.Decker@Winn4NC.com

Ralph Clements: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/Bluesky/Ralph@RalphClements.com

Marcus Gadson: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/X/Marcus.A.Gadson@gmail.com

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

In this episode we zoom into the District 17 NC Senate race that will be on the Republican Ballot. Sarah Al-Baghdadi positions herself as a community-focused contender with experience in law enforcement, substitute teaching, and small business. She centers mental health, promises high accessibility, and raises concerns about proposed data centers, though her public record is light—no campaign website yet and minimal filings beyond committee paperwork.

Shirley Johnson offers a detailed platform anchored in public safety, parental rights, school choice, and fiscal responsibility. With a decade on a state senate staff, leadership at a Child Advocacy Center and CASA, and service on an FBI Human Trafficking Task Force, she connects policy to family outcomes. She argues for strengthening penalties for violent crime, auditing education spending to fund teacher pay without raising taxes, and expanding housing supply by curbing overly restrictive local zoning. On hot-button issues, she supports tighter abortion limits with narrow exceptions, legislative control of redistricting, and clear standards for data center incentives tied to energy, water, and community impact. She also outlines climate resilience through research-driven infrastructure and better disaster preparedness.

If you want a policy blueprint with line-by-line positions on safety, schools, and growth, Johnson gives you a lot to evaluate. If you want a neighbor-first representative who promises responsiveness and district-led priorities, Al-Baghdadi makes a service-forward case.

Find this helpful? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a neighbor who’s voting in District 17. Your voice moves North Carolina—what will you choose?

Republican Ballot: NC Senate District 17 Candidates

Sarah Al-Baghdadi: Sarahayyadlmc@gmail.com (no website or campaign finance reports filed)

Shirley Johnson: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/TikTok/ShirleyJ007@gmail.com

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!

Wake County’s next District Attorney will shape how justice works every day; and this year, the Democratic primary effectively decides the office. There is no Republican challenger, so the primary winner will take the seat in November.

This episode breaks down the three-way race — Sherita Walton, Melanie Shekita, and Wiley Nickel — and translates their platforms into real stakes: which cases get prosecuted, who gets a second chance, and what builds public safety.

We explain how the primary works, outline the DA’s powers, then compare each candidate’s approach. Walton brings cross-jurisdiction prosecutorial experience and advisory work with Raleigh PD, focusing on transparency, specialized units, and youth engagement. Shekita brings 27 years in Wake courtrooms, leads the Special Victims Unit, and promises hands-on prosecution of violent felonies with targeted diversion. Nickel focuses on fixing understaffing, launching a mental health court, and restoring the office’s public corruption role.

We highlight contrasts on bail, mental health, and low-level marijuana cases — while noting shared ground: firm lines on violent and sexual offenses and expanded diversion for appropriate first-time and youth cases.

This episode unpacks what’s at stake as Wake County chooses its next District Attorney.

Wake County District Attorney Candidates

Sherita Walton: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/YouTube/Sherita@WaltonForWake.com

Melanie Shekita: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/Info@ShekitaForWake.com

Wiley Nickel: Campaign Finance Report

Facebook/Instagram/X/Bluesky/TikTok

2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

February 12-28: Closest Early Voting Locations

WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs

Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Support the show

As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Now, let's dive in!