The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters releases an annual scorecard ranking legislators’ environmental voting records.
Dan Crawford, the nonprofit’s senior director of public affairs, said Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Mecklenburg Democrat, is one of the organization’s “adversaries.”
“[Her] environmental record says she does not care about the environment of her constituents,” Crawford said.
Cunningham and Democrats Nasif Majeed, also from Mecklenburg County, and Shelly Willingham, from Edgecombe County, voted to remove North Carolina’s 2030 carbon emissions reduction target. The bill also allows utilities such as Duke Energy to more quickly recover costs from ongoing power plant construction.
Gov. Stein originally vetoed the bill, saying it sends “the wrong signal to businesses that want to be a part of our clean energy economy.” He said the bill would ultimately raise rates by increasing the state’s reliance on natural gas and its “volatile fuel markets.” Cuningham, Majeed and Willingham joined Republicans in overturning the veto in July.
All three are running in contested primaries on March 3.
In another contentious primary for the environment, Warren County Democrat Rodney Pierce, who received a perfect score from the League, will rematch former representative Michael Ray, who was unseated in 2024.
