United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2022 (May 17 Democratic primary)

Bring unity to our divided country.

Secure liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

Faith in We The People.

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A Senator should have experiences with diverse cultures to know the needs of all people. International travels alone to lean on other nations to determine their treatment of strangers and their own people are key to lawmaking with ethics.

Our businesses are drained of funds being in the midst of a pandemic. A new Senator walks in with answers to the problems of her state and nation. I have the solutions we need and already engaging in procedures to prep students and business owners to build with quality and compete internationally.

We are not engaging citizens in the systems of law. We are violating laws on every level of government and our foundations of ethics and morality are deteriorating. Without a sound and solid foundation of fairness, due process, honesty, and integrity our currency will erode and we will destroy our leadership role around the world. Our products will lose value and we will lose our wealth and health.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

This US Senate Race is the most critical in our 233-year old democracy. As Republican state legislatures erode our right to self-govern through gerrymandering, voter suppression laws, and partisan election committees, passing Voting Rights legislation should be the number one priority for all Democrats this election cycle. I am the candidate with the right mix of experience, determination, and demeanor to win this race and get Voting Rights legislation passed to ensure our continued democracy.

North Carolina is an actual battleground state. Though we won the governor’s seat in 2020, we lost statewide races for Lt. Governor, Senate, and even NC Supreme Court Chief justice. It will take determination to win this seat, and I have it.

Democrats are sick of Republican lies and cheating. We’re also tired of other democratic candidates’ not directly challenging them and fighting for Democracy. We need bold leaders like myself who will give vocal support to our Democratic values and put needed pressure on Congressional Democrats who don’t understand the importance of the Democratic agenda for the American people.

1. Taking personal liberty off the table as a bargaining chip.

2. Decoupling our benefits from employment. 3. Building an educational system that prepares our kids and our adults for an ever changing work landscape. 3. Building out infrastructure to take full advantage of our human capital.

Agency Development and sub-agency development. Our Oversight Committees do an average job at monitoring the effectiveness and ethics of our Departments, but the work of an Oversight Committee is also to determine if all applied solutions are scholarly and effective to advise alternative plans. Our present committees are not enforcing the agencies, but dialoguing to criticize political parties.

My plan is to enforce the proper systems of governance to follow regulations to ensure the improvements needed to best serve our nation and citizens. We are hacking, stealing intellectual properties, omitting wealth from Black, Brown, Yellow, and Beige people through tactical budgeting, and hiring by party.

We need a systematic governance that bathes in the Constitution for the sake of a dirt free infrastructure. We have the most powerful and effective government system in the world. We have to get back to using it.

US Senate Candidate Constance Lov Johnson

ConstanceLovJohnson.com

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The three priorities I'm passionate about are passing Voting Rights legislation, enacting legislation to resolve Racial inequality, and helping strengthen Small businesses.

Getting Voting Rights legislation passed is essential not only for Democrats but also for unaffiliated voters who may not vote consistently with one party. It even affects some Republicans, who may disagree with the more radical elements of their party. Not getting Voting Rights legislation passed means a government dominated by the most extreme elements of the Republican party, with other voices locked out of the decision-making process. Resolving Racial Inequality should matter to all Americans because many of the most critical issues facing our country today, affecting Americans of every color, stem from not adequately resolving our history of systemic racism. Finally, Small Business is the lifeblood of the American economy. However, for more than 40 years government has created competitive disadvantages for small business owners against Large Corporations, whether intentionally or not. By repealing these obstacles for small businesses and creating new legislation that will level the playing field, we can make a more dynamic economy for America and begin to minimize the growing wealth gap.

My Parents. They showed me that a person with a vision builds up faith in themselves, in their beliefs, and in the goodness of others.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Jesus Christ, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Maxine Waters, Karen Bass, Cory Booker, and Joyce Beatty.

Joyce Waddell, Dianna David, Harvey Gantt, Mel Watt, Velma Speight, Pat Cannon, Claude Alexander, Felicia and Herb Gray, Carlos Gladden, Kenneth Muhammad, Leon Gatewood, Spurgeon Webber, Paul Hoggard, Earl Graves Jr., Blanche Penn, and Dan Blue

The Johnson Family Reunion

The Partee Family Reunion

The Bible

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

100 Days of Prayer for Leaders

By Constance Lov Johnson

Awaken the Giant Within (audio) Anthony Robbins

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Journey of Man (film) By Stephen Wells

Lincoln (film)

The Promised Land Barack Obama

The Bible (Gen-Rev, NSRV)

The Constitution

The Narrative By Frederick Douglass

Faith in the goodness of people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The most important characteristics and principles of an elected official are …

Honesty Truthfulness Civility Scholarly Empathetic Direct Global Courageous Builder Innovative Eclectic Multicultural Historic Systematic Constitutional Adaptive Conversational International

Faithful

I have faith in myself, faith in my beliefs, and faith in the goodness of others.

The qualities I have that would make me a successful officeholder are …

I have built six to seven figure businesses and organizations from $500 startups.

I am a government and business scholar in Public Administration, which is a field that theorizes and applies effective solutions and profitable operations.

I have worked with officials on all levels of government on their campaigns and projects.

I am a political publisher of news magazines and have cited the successful and failed legislation.

I have written bills that were ratified and utilized by local to federal government as a publishing politician and candidate.

I have built projects (CotyPolitical) and organizations (BLAC) that were effective in increasing the participation in the political process and saving businesses and churches in urgent times.

I have toured the shelters of the nation’s Capitol and consulted on mayoral committees and redesigned plans to sustain homes for housing authorities.

I have developed business organizations and concepts that provide opportunities for small businesses to be partnered by corporations and contracted by government agencies.

I am fiercely honest. I run a church that provides sermons and prayer for our nation’s leaders. I am a supporter of farmers and organized a plan for grocery store corporations to cut gas consumption by contractors local farmers.

I am highly creative and complete every project I propose. I am loved deeply by Jesus Christ.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I think I would be a successful officeholder due to my determination and integrity. My life has not been a straight path, with many obstacles in the way, but my determination has always been the key to my success. Many things can build discouragement but having a goal, and faith in your purpose, allows me to persist even when the outcome I desire is most bleak. I also know that if I do fail, I gave it my best, which doesn't prevent me from pursuing goals when facing similar future outcomes. This determination also ties into my integrity. Integrity isn't just about doing what is "right" in the face of temptation. Integrity also means staying true to yourself, your goals, your morals, and your ethics. Making the right choice when the wrong one is more accessible. Not giving in when faced with obstacles because you understand what failure means. Speaking truths even when there may be backlash. Integrity is the key characteristic needed when one begins to assume power and when it starts to wane.

1. Willingness to invest in the people.

2. Respect for individual rights.

The core responsibilities for someone elected to the US Senate are …

… to serve humbly. … to be willing to give one’s life. … to care for one’s world. … to work for the common man and woman. … bring happiness and music. … to distract the people through events and activities. … to improve and stabilize the United States. … to promote the ideals of the Constitution. … to gather the citizenry around the law.

… to grow faith and love of each and every one.

What legacy would you like to leave?

While not unique to the Senate, I think Senators hold a responsibility to 3 separate entities- their constituents, their party, and their country. The hope is that all three align. However, sometimes they do not, and the decisions need to be made on which holds higher priority. Senators are responsible for hearing the concerns of their constituents and seeking to understand how they came to that viewpoint. They also have a responsibility to incorporate those concerns into their decision-making. However, a Senator is also responsible for telling their Constituents when they disagree and why, including telling them when unpopular solutions are actually beneficial to them despite being counter to their desires. A Senators obligation to their party is letting the party know where they stand on legislation and informing them precisely why, especially if they do not support it. In addition, they are responsible to their party to suggest changes or alterations to their platform if the Senator feels it would not be beneficial for the party or its base of support. Finally, a Senator has a responsibility to this country. While this seems like it should be objectively true, what is suitable for the country can be subjective based on who is in charge. An unethical President committing illegal acts should be vocally opposed, even if they are supported by many Americans who feel the President is doing what is best for the country. What's best for the country will always follow a moral and ethical path based upon our guiding principles of government, even if it runs contrary to the current political environment.

Reminding America that our unity is based on ensuring liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

The legacy I would like to leave is … We have yet to scratch the surface and are presently scratching the wrong holes. I seek to bring the nation and the world to a realistic understanding of where we need to scratch to build our foundations. We have much to do because we were given so much. It has to be based on the goals of the ethical, moral, and successful ancestors that brought us to this technological, space exploring, and constitutional successful civility. Let us March on …

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Since a young age, I've struggled with the inequality I see in America; gender, financial, and racial. I genuinely believe we are all created equal and thus should have equal treatment, but I struggle knowing that isn't the case. The current huge wealth gap in America wasn't created due to a massive difference in people's value; it's been created by laws, or a lack of laws, that have advantaged some or disadvantaged others, disproportionately. This is especially evident in the treatment of racial minorities. Our history books hide all the circumstances and details of those injustices, leading many to believe that the wealth or opportunity of everyone is based on circumstances within their control. This awareness of inequality and lack of ability to change it up to this point in my life weighs heavy on my shoulders and is a critical reason I'm seeking this office. It's a burden I don't want my children to feel. The legacy I'd like to leave is knowing that I tried my best to minimize that gap and strip away those advantages so people in the future that face those obstacles, who may not have the same resolve as me, don't give up or feel helpless. In addition, to inspire and help others who can carry on this same goal once I can no longer.

Nixon Having to Resign

I remember the day that John Kennedy was killed. My father, his sisters, mother, and father were all crying bitterly. I was only two. When I was awakened by the crying I went in to find out why. I joined them and started crying. My aunt said, “She doesn’t even know why she’s crying.” She was wrong. I was listening to the television broadcast along with them.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

While not the first, the most significant historical event growing up was the Iran-Contra scandal when I was 11. Because of my age, I'd never known another US president other than Reagan. Being a child during the early parts of his administration, I'd fallen for the veneer of an honest, warm grandfather and that government was doing what they felt was best for the entire nation. So when Iran-Contra broke out, I watched Reagan on TV and wanted to believe he was sincere in his justifications and denials. However, as I watched parts of the trial that followed, it became my first lesson that sometimes the people who are supposed to be the most ethical aren't and that "the ends justify the means" shouldn't be an American principle. From that one event, I became more questioning of government, and its role can be both positive and negative in our lives. It also led me later in life to analyze the efforts of his administration( and the Republican party) and understand how responsible he was in creating most of the major issues our country currently faces and how he planted the seeds for the ultra-national, radical right-wing party that is the modern-day Republican party.

Dixie Furniture

What is your favorite book? Why?

My first job was as a waitress with Shoney’s. I started the job when I was 15 years old and left the job to go to college when I was 18 years of age. Every summer I worked at a camp for the mentally disabled.

The Bible. It has truly given me the strength to approach life with confidence.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

The Narrative by Frederick Douglass

Batman

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Superwoman

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

“You Say” by Lauren Daigle

My life’s struggles have been internal. My parents were teenagers, my aunts that compete with me were teenagers when I was child, envious of my father’s love and attention. So my battles have been mostly with my father’s sisters that would stop at nothing to cause me to fail. So they influence good people to harm me and my siblings still today.

I am from a smart father, an educator, that taught me to compete with Whites, men, and enemies for what I need to achieve and to experience other cultures and nations as equals. My grandparents and older family members helped him take care of me and my siblings until he was old enough. He dedicated himself to us and we sometimes struggled, but we are greatly blessed and ordered by God, so all but one made it this far. My mother left us to find better lives for us in New York and was not strong enough to survive it. She turned to hard narcotics and lost her mind by the age of 35. We spent her last years together enjoying each other’s company. She died at age 60.

I believe my varied and eclectic family experiences added to my natural talents I gained from the Johnson’s (advanced Black farmers and entrepreneurs), Partee’s and Henderson’s (Entrepreneurs in housing, rail innovators, US Senate and US House Officials, Lawyers, and Pastors).

My siblings and I are fighters. We will follow Jesus anywhere and everywhere He goes.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

One of the biggest struggles I have in life is letting others fail. As someone who strives for achievement and wants to help others, I struggle with understanding my limits in helping others. There is learning in failure. In addition, what I may consider failure may not be the same for others, so it can be hard to understand someone's perspective of success if it doesn't match your own. Ultimately, it's understanding that failure for me isn't necessarily failure for others, and people only want the help that they ask for.

Lack of faith in each other.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

The nation’s greatest challenges over the next decade are …

Economic Growth Unity Advancements in Technology Environmental Innovations Educational Scholarliness International Alliances Global Markets Transportation Efficiencies Effective Health Plans Border Nations Sanctuaries and Reconciliation Social Relations

There should be no term limits. It's up to the people to decide who will represent them.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Term limits have proven viable for the Presidency and keeps the nation actively pursuing talent. However, our US House Representatives and Senators of the Congress start projects that require multiple terms. Term limits are not to be applied to any other office except the presidency. Let the people decide who returns as incumbents. We simply need a more structured evaluation for determining their effectiveness.

Because of the 6 year term and the fact that the office holder is supposed to represent the diverse interest of their states, it should be the one institution that America trust. the most.

The US Senate is the favored chamber that has an ally to the United States President, that is the Vice-President, that holds a dual title as President of the Senate. It is the most pivotal assembly of leaders in the world. The bills passed by the Senate are filtered and enforced prior to enactment and those bills shape and mold our nation.

I plan to marry the Senate for six or more years, and will dedicate myself to the Constitution to align the bills I sponsor and committees I serve on to build the economies of the United States to uplift all America’s people where we are purposed. God has blessed America and has promised America it’s pursuits. It is through my work on the US Senate that will charge the Congress to focus on those pursuits.

US Senate Candidate Constance Lov Johnson

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

The most significant quality that makes the US Senate unique is that it is intentionally structured to be undemocratic at the voter level. Every state gets 2 Senators, regardless of size. It was a compromise given to smaller states at the founding of our democracy, but the relative unbalance of the structure has been exacerbated immensely in modern times. In 1787, Virginia had roughly ten times the population of Rhode Island. Today, California has a population approximately 70 times the population of Wyoming. This means, in effect, that citizens in Wyoming have 70 votes for every one voter in California, which directly contradicts Americans' belief in "One person, One vote." This undemocratic imbalance is further amplified by using the current filibuster rules, allowing current Republican Senators, who represent only 44% of the country, to block all legislation by Democratic Senators representing 56% of the country. Smaller states have always been weighted heavier in the US Senate structure. Still, with the growing urban/rural divide in population coupled with the current filibuster rules, we have the inverse of what the Founding Fathers intended- minority rule over the majority versus the intention of protecting the minority from majority rule.

No because this typically makes them conformist as opposed to leaders.

What do you think of the filibuster?

Yes. However, some enter with titles as former elected officials that have less experience and knowledge than others that were Public Administrators. As a publisher CityPolitical and Legislative Today I have studied the bills and work of State and Judicial candidates and found them to lack peer support and scholarliness. When a candidate already in elected office has failed to capture my attention as a reporter, it is commonplace to find incompetence in governance.

I think it should be done away with as it's a way to stop democracy without responsibility.

The filibuster is a cowards method of avoiding the testimony to oppose a bill that would deem a Senator racist, biased, and/or a socially unacceptable. The filibuster must be removed to hold officials obedient to their oaths.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

The original concept and implementation of the filibuster made sense, but changes since its inception have made it counterproductive and unconstitutional. Regardless of the original intent, the filibuster prevented slim majorities in the Senate from passing radical legislation that could impact the country with lasting effects. However, it took immense effort by those in the minority to stop legislation, so it was used sparingly. Today's filibuster resembles nothing like that, with a dashed-off email based on a whim from a Senator grinding legislation to a halt. The current filibuster needs to be changed. Many Democrats today have called for the elimination of the filibuster as a quick fix to get legislation (though in some cases critical) passed. However, these people either don't know or have short memories of the last time Democrats tinkered with the filibuster. In 2012, Senate Democrats eliminated the filibuster for federal judicial appointments due to unprecedented blockage by the scoundrel McConnell. While it allowed that Democratic Senate to fill the backlog of appointments, it also gave McConnell the excuse, once in power a few years later, to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court Justice nominations, creating the first 3 Justices in US history to be appointed by Senators representing a minority of the population. Since the US Senate is currently advantaged to Republicans due to the urban-rural divide, eliminating the filibuster would only hurt Democrats in the long run by allowing Republicans to implement their radical agenda in the future. There have been several recommendations for changing the filibuster, including the return of a talking filibuster or eliminating it for only the most critical legislation, but my goal would be to implement a population-based filibuster that applies the 60% threshold to the population, not Senators, meaning the current 56% population represented by Democrats would only need 1-2 Republicans for bipartisan passage.

Are they qualified to do the job.

If you are not a current senator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Work history, public administration, writings, affiliations, independent projects, ability to build effective projects that move a population, love of education, love of environment, infrastructures built and improved, empathy of the poor and neglected.

Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I would like the leader to consider me for the following committees …

Education Business Development and Entrepreneurs Budgetary Defense Policing Technology Arts and History

no

Maxine Waters

Tell us your favorite joke.

For several reasons, the Senator I would like to model myself most after was also a President, Lyndon Baines Johnson. When Johnson first came to power, he was the Minority Leader in the Senate, and his time in that role was very effective. He was able to work with the Republican Majority leader, getting key legislation he wanted to be passed and influencing much of the agenda of the Senate during that period. Once Democrats came into power two years later, he displayed his understanding of the importance of information gathering about the members in his caucus. Hence, he knew exactly where they stood regarding crucial legislation, which helped him get the votes necessary for his preferred legislation to pass. He also showed a willingness to change, as much of the bills he championed and signed during his Presidency, including critical civil rights legislation, he had previously opposed during his time in the Senate. Finally, his personal style of getting people to come around to his viewpoint, called "the Johnson Treatment," showed extensive knowledge of how people can be convinced through verbal persuasion and physical presence. All these factors are why many historians consider him the greatest majority leader and why I hope to model myself after him.

There were three Senators writing a bill on voting. One wrote, “You’ll need to own a house.” The second one wrote, “You’ll need to be White.” The third one had just walked in, homeless and Black as the ace of spade, and he said, “I was just elected Senator of the new state of Promised Land, here to serve on your Voting Lefts Committee.” (Just made this up. ~CLJ)

How would you evaluate a judicial nominee?

Two elephants are sitting in a bathtub. One elephant turns to the other and says, "Can you please pass the soap?" and the other elephant replies, "No soap, radio."

Are they qualified to do the job.

What kind of relationships would you build with other senators?

By verdicts, statements, and records.

One of respect.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I already love them, so I believe our debates will feel like family meetings. I enjoy debates, but will add a coffee, tea, and events throughout the year to remind us that we strive to fulfill the same goals. We will know when the goals to deliver on our oaths are being thwarted through these common events.

Yes