ELECTIONS: Three Democrats, including incumbent’s husband, compete in District 71 State House primary

Featured photo: Kanika Brown, David Moore, Frederick Terry

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this piece noted that David Moore had dropped out of the race. That is incorrect and we have edited the piece to reflect Moore’s candidacy. We regret the error.

Three candidates, including the incumbent’s husband, are set to run in the Democratic primary for the District 71 NC House seat on May 17. As there are no Republicans running, the winner of the primary will win the seat.

Democrat Evelyn Terry, Fredrick Terry’s wife, currently holds the seat. She will not be running for re-election.

District 71 spans central Forsyth County and includes the southern and eastern portions of Winston-Salem.

Kanika Brown

“Building Winston-Salem for the people and with the people”

Kanika Brown was appointed and currently serves as the community liaison for the Southside community through Experiment in Self Reliance. In this position, she works on various projects throughout Winston-Salem, mostly in schools and recreation centers. She launched an unsuccessful challenge to unseat Evelyn Terry in the 2020 Democratic primary.

“I’m running for office to be an advocate for ‘We The People’,” Brown said. “I’m also running for office to bring resources, opportunities, funding and so much more to District 71 that’s well overdue.”

When asked about her stance on education she said, “my thought on public education is that the state of North Carolina can do a lot better with reading literacy, financial literacy, and implementing a pet therapy program for youth.”

Regarding healthcare she said that “healthcare should be affordable for all people.”

“I believe no one should choose between eating and paying for medication or cutting pills in half to stretch because their prescription cost is high,” she continued.

She says she also plans to address affordable housing, the environment, financial literacy and the minimum wage.

On police reform she said she doesn’t support defunding the police but that “funding should be allocated to communities that are living in poverty and high violence crimes areas.”

And although she may be a Democrat, Brown said that working in the state legislature and aiming to bring about change requires working across the political aisle

 “I will work with any Democrat, Republican, and Independent to bring resources, opportunities, and more to the people,” she said. “I believe elected officials must come together to hear problems and have solutions for the people’s problems.”

David Moore

“It’s all about trying to build a better community, and letting these young folks know that’s a cool thing.”

Born in Winston-Salem, David Moore believes helping convicts in the rehabilitation process and helping others see they are changed individuals is one of his biggest accomplishments, according to his website. This is an important issue for Moore as an ex-convict himself and served a two-year sentence for marijuana trafficking.

In 2004, he opened an auto body shop in Winston-Salem and the following year filed the business as a non-profit. Currently, his business serves as a community service work spot for the Winston-Salem court system. He also collaborates with the Winston-Salem Police Department in their gang prevention initiative to help at-risk youth.

Frederick Terry

“Fighting for equal representation in state government”

Frederick Terry resides in Winston-Salem with his wife Evelyn Terry who has held the District 71 House seat for five terms. Terry is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University.

He is currently retired but has served as the legislative assistant to his wife Evelyn. His community involvement includes previously serving as chair for the Forsyth County Democratic Party. Additionally, he served as part of United Way, Experiment in Self Reliance, Inc. (ESR) and MUSE Winston-Salem.

His goal for running is to fight against the inequalities he continues to see when it comes to limitations of equal representation in state government. 

If he wins the seat, Terry aims to focus on education and healthcare, specifically women’s healthcare and expanding Medicaid.

Terry also expressed concerns about how he feels there is more censorship in schools and how private institutions don’t face the same challenges as public schools.

“Accountability for non-public institutions is not as stringent as those for public schools,” he said. “Funding and opportunities for teacher development needs improvement.”

When asked about police reform, Terry said, “we need to provide police resources to protect the community. This includes access to mental health services, housing, and education. It does not include funds to military grade armaments.”

Regarding working with various political parties if elected, Terry said, “issues such as healthcare, the environment, and education are important to all North Carolinians. Overcoming false assumptions is difficult but must be pursued actively.”