This story originally published online at NC Newsline.
Wake Democrats voted to recommend Phil Rubin to replace former Rep. Joe John, who died last week.
Rubin is a former assistant U.S. attorney and NC Justice Department lawyer who now works for Meta.
Members of the Wake Democratic Party County Executive Committee selected Rubin over two other candidates on Tuesday night.
Rubin said he sought the House District 40 seat because he wanted to “help share our visions for a better North Carolina – one where our people’s votes matter, their views matter and their families matter.”
After he won, Rubin said John “embodied public service.”
John died shortly after he resigned his seat with the announcement that he had received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. He was a former judge who served four full terms in the House. He was elected to a fifth term in November. “I recognize that it’s an impossible task to fill his shoes, but promise that I will give every bit of my effort to try and to listen as well as to be heard and to represent you in a way that would make you and him proud,” Rubin said.
Under state law, members of county political parties recommend a candidate to fill an unexpired term in the legislature. Gov. Josh Stein must appoint the person the local party committee chooses.
The candidates spoke about the district as a likely target for Republicans next year, and promised to fight hard to keep it in Democratic hands.
The legislature begins meeting regularly on Wednesday. Wake Democratic Party Chair Kevyn Creech said the hope was to have John’s successor sworn in and seated before the end of the week.
Executive Committee members selected Safiyah Jackson, chief strategy officer at the NC Partnership for Children/Smart Start Network, to fill Matt Calabria’s seat on the Wake County Board of Commissioners.
Jackson, who ran for a House seat last year, was chosen over four other candidates.
Calabria resigned after Stein appointed him director of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina.
The party’s choice goes to the Wake Board of Commissioners, whose members will vote on Calabria’s successor.
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