Democratic Party leaders in Guilford County will meet next week to select a replacement for Rep. Cecil Brockman. The state House seat representing the High Point area is vacant after Brockman resigned Friday, citing his recent criminal charges.
Brockman stepped down shortly after House Speaker Destin Hall announced plans to begin the process of removing him from office, including the formation of a bipartisan committee to investigate his actions. The High Point Democrat has been in jail for weeks since his arrest on charges he'd had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old.
The Guilford County Democratic Party has scheduled a forum and meeting for Nov. 15 to pick someone to complete Brockman's term.
Several Democrats have expressed an interest in serving, according to Kathy Kirkpatrick, chair of the Guilford County Democratic Party. Some of them were already running for Brockman's seat next year.
They include High Point City Councilwoman Amanda Cook, former Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis, former Guilford County Democratic Party chairman Joseph Alston and educator Angie Williams-McMichael.
Kirkpatrick says there's no formal application process, and others could nominate themselves from the floor during the Nov. 15 meeting. Only Democratic Party leaders who live within Brockman's district will be eligible to vote on the appointment, including elected officials as well as chairs and vice chairs of organized Democratic Party precinct organizations.
House District 60 includes most of the city of High Point, as well as portions of Jamestown and southwestern Greensboro.
Once local Democrats make their choice, Gov. Josh Stein will formally appoint the nominee to the House seat. That person could be sworn in before the next scheduled legislative session on Nov. 17.
A speedy replacement will likely give Democrats in the House a better shot at upholding Gov. Josh Stein's vetoes. Prior to his arrest, Brockman had a history of voting with Republicans on some veto overrides, including bills this year on donor privacy and charter school regulations. And Brockman's absence while in jail meant House Republicans would need only one additional Democrat to be absent to achieve the necessary three-fifths majority for an override vote.
Brockman's district leans heavily Democratic, but an effort to unseat him in the 2024 Democratic primary over his votes with the GOP fell short.
