July 16, 2026/Content Package
Whatley’s Path, Teacher Raises, Rig & Resign
Here’s what we’re covering this week!👇
Weekend of Action
Y’all, we are nearing 100 days out from one of the most crucial elections for North Carolina. From protecting our courts to flipping NC’s Senate seat, the work we put in over this final stretch matters. Join us the weekend of July 25th & 26th as we launch 100 canvasses in 100 counties! The doors we knock next weekend are the votes we bank in November. Find your closest event here: ncdp.org/volunteer
Teacher Raises
Last week, North Carolina finally got a budget. That included Governor Josh Stein signing the largest starting teacher pay raise in nearly 50 years, jumping 17%! That’s real progress, but we’re still behind far too many other states. We’ve made improvements, but they are still out-competing us for talent, and the only way we close that gap for good is by electing legislators this November who’ll keep building on this instead of starting over. North Carolina used to have the best public education system in the country. There’s no reason we can’t return to that. Every teacher in North Carolina deserves it, and so do our kids.
Rig & Resign
Dallas Woodhouse resigned this week, but the damage he caused is already done.
New reporting shows Woodhouse and Auditor Dave Boliek’s office pressured far more counties to restrict voting access than we knew. What started as reports of pressure on Jackson County — where officials faced a fight over an early voting site on Western Carolina University’s campus — has now expanded to Anson, Columbus, Alamance, Granville, Randolph, Pasquotank, and McDowell counties, all pushed toward early voting plans that favored Republicans.
In Jackson County, Woodhouse texted the board chair not to even hold a vote he expected to lose, telling him plainly: “Don’t let them have a vote.” Further reporting shows that even Auditor Boliek has tried to pressure local boards of election.
Our Board of Elections is supposed to be non-partisan, but with Boliek at the wheel, it’s become a political operation instead.
Woodhouse is gone, but Boliek’s office hasn’t said a word about fixing what it broke. Until it does, North Carolinians can’t feel confident that our elections will be run fairly.
Whatley Has A Path
New polling from Public Policy Polling shows North Carolina’s Senate race is tightening, fast. Cooper’s up 48-44 on Whatley, the closest poll we’ve seen yet in this race. The pollsters themselves say that “Whatley has a path,” and it’d be a mistake to count Republicans out here.
Here’s the kicker: the voters still undecided broke for Trump by 72 points in 2024. If they show up for Whatley anywhere close to that margin, this race flips to Whatley 51-49.
Cooper isn’t unfamiliar with races like this. In 2016, his polling looked steady the whole way through, and while he won, it was only by 10,277 votes. That’s too close for comfort. National Journal called this the #1 Senate race in the country, and it’s not hard to see why, there’s no path to a Democratic Senate majority that doesn’t run through North Carolina.
Close isn’t comfortable. The work we do the next few months, the conversations we have, the money we raise, will be the defining moment Cooper and North Carolina needs.
That’s a wrap for this week’s messaging!
Now it’s your turn! Download the graphics below, copy our captions, and get the message out! Whether you’re lighting up the group chat or sharing it on your timeline, your voice is what actually moves the needle!
See y’all on the internet!
—NCDP Digital
Sample Caption:
100 canvasses. 100 counties. One weekend to show what North Carolina Democrats are all about! 🎉
Join NC Democrats across the state on July 25 and 26 as we knock doors, talk with voters, and build the people-powered campaign that will carry us to victory in November.
Reaching voters where they are is how we win. Sign up today 👉 ncdp.org/volunteer
Sample Caption:
The number one Senate race in the country is tightening! 🚨
Y’all the country is counting on us. No Roy, no Senate majority.
The work we do these next few months, the conversations we have, and the money we raise, will be the defining moment Cooper, North Carolina, and the country needs.
Sample Caption:
North Carolina’s elections belong to the voters. Not Dave Boliek.
Sample Caption:
Governor Stein just signed the largest starting teacher pay raise in nearly 50 years! It’s a huge win, but we’ve still got ground to make up.
This November, we need to elect legislators who’ll build on this so we can recruit and keep the best teachers in the country. 💙✏️
Post on or after Friday July 17th
Sample Caption:
Six years ago, we lost a champion of civil rights. John Lewis spent his whole life getting into good trouble, necessary trouble, so the rest of us could have a fair shot at this democracy.
Good trouble doesn’t die, it gets passed down. Get involved at goodtroubleliveson.org
Sample Caption:
Come party with the North Carolina Democrats!
We’re closing out the summer by kicking off election season in style. Join NCDP and Congresswoman Deborah Ross at Rebus Works for a good time with food, drinks, music, and fun for all!
🎟️ Sign up at ncdp.org/blockparty
Stories To Boost:
CNBC: America’s Top States for Business 2026: See the full rankings and where your state finished
Sample Caption:
North Carolina dropped to the second best state for business. Not because of the strength of our economy, but because NC Republicans refuse to focus on the cost of living for working families.
Candidate Support Office Hours | Tuesdays 12-1pm
Join the NCDP Team on Zoom our weekly Office Hours!
Office Hours is not formal training and there isn’t an agenda, but it’s a chance to ask questions, get campaign advice, and connect with departments and resources.
How to knock doors and use miniVAN | Multiple Days
Learn why one-on-one conversations with voters are so important, review door knocking best practices, and see how to use our canvassing tool, miniVAN!
Become an Anytime Canvasser for Anita Earls: Field Team Justice | Multiple Days
Field Team Justice is NCDP’s network of grassroots volunteers dedicated to electing Justice Anita Earls and our Court of Appeals candidates next year.
We’re launching our Anytime/Anywhere Canvassing program—an easy, flexible way to help voters learn about our judicial candidates. We’re putting powerful tools in your hands so you can grow this movement right from your own neighborhood.
Party Organizing Hybrid Phone Bank at NCDP HQ | Wednesdays 6-8 PM
Building power starts with engaging our neighbors. Join the Wake County Young Democrats, NCDP Regional Organizer Daniel Franch, and friendly neighbors on Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm at NCDP Headquarters in Raleigh or on Zoom to call friendly Democrats to talk about making a plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections and invite them to upcoming events. No experience necessary. You’ll get all the training you need when we meet. If you join us in-person, we have pizza, snacks, and refreshing beverages. Join us to create a closer community and a bluer North Carolina!