Opinion Roundup: Editorial endorsements galore -- governor, senator, council of state, the courts and more

We’re Not Endorsing Pat McCrory For The First Time In 25 Years (Charlotte Observer) -- The Charlotte Observer’s editorial board has endorsed Republican Pat McCrory in every one of his bids for office since 1991. That includes twice for City Council, seven times for mayor and twice for governor. That streak comes to an end today.

A Change Of Direction Needed In Raleigh (Asheville Citizen-Times) -- With Roy Cooper, we expect a return to the tried-and-true formula that built North Carolina’s reputation: Focus on a world-class public education system and build a well-trained workforce. And stay out of the culture wars.

Back Cooper, Restore Responsibility To The Governor's Office (Winston-Salem Journal) -- Four years ago in this space, we endorsed Pat McCrory for governor. We’d heard good things about him from our friends in Charlotte, where he’d been the centrist, pro-business mayor for several terms. We hoped he would follow in the big footsteps of Republican governors Jim Holshouser and Jim Martin in providing a fresh break from the Democratic governors who’d long ruled the state. McCrory came into office in January 2013 with both chambers of the legislature ruled by his party. He had it all.

Cooper Needs To Take Charge For NC To Recover (Daily Tar Heel) -- Attorney General Roy Cooper should be our next governor. Cooper has a history of standing for what is right.

Our Choice In U.S. Senate Race (Charlotte Observer) -- Charlotte Observer editorial board is endorsing Democrat Deborah Ross for Senate over incumbent Republican Richard Burr

Decision 2016: Our Endorsements For Congress (Winston-Salem Journal) -- A big part of the one of the most contentious election years in modern history is the fight for control of Congress. While Democrats stand little chance of regaining control of the House of Representatives, they could retake the Senate. In the battleground state of North Carolina, the Senate race is definitely the hottest. Incumbent Republican Sen. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem and his Democratic challenger, Deborah Ross of Raleigh, have been locked in a fierce battle. It’s a classic face-off between Burr’s conservative stances and Ross’s progressive ones.

Stein For Attorney General (Greensboro News & Record) -- North Carolina voters will choose a new attorney general for the first time in 16 years. Josh Stein is an excellent choice.

3 Crucial Races You Don’t Know Much About – But Should (Charlotte Observer) -- Josh Stein, Dale Folwell and Charles Meeker are the strongest candidates for attorney general, state treasurer and labor commissioner, respectively.

Decision 2016: Our Endorsements For Council Of State (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The elections for council of state seats give voters a big say on how our state should proceed. We begin with a race that doesn’t receive the hot glare of attention, but should, that for state treasurer. This office handles the state’s underfunded pension, as well as the underfunded state health plan for hundreds of thousands of teachers, former teachers and state employees.

Our Picks For Lt. Governor, Auditor, And Secretary Of State (Charlotte Observer) – Lieutenant Governor – Democrat Linda Coleman; State Auditor – Democrat B0eth Wood; Secretary of State – Democrat Elaine Marshall.

Our Picks For 3 Council Of State Races (Charlotte Observer) -- Council of State offices oversee critical areas in state government. Here are our recommendations for Commissioner of Insurance – incumbent Democrat Wayne Goodwin, Commissioner of Agriculture – incumbent Republican Steve Troxler and Superintendent of Public Instruction – incumbent Democrat June Atkinson.

Our Choices For Council Of State (Southern Pines Pilot) -- No matter how hard it may be to get excited about either presidential candidate, that’s no reason to boycott the voting booth. There are too many important races farther down the ballot. – Lieutenant Governor -- Democrat Linda Coleman; Auditor – Democrat Beth Woods; Attorney General – Democrat Josh Stein; Agriculture Commissioner – Republican Steve Troxler; Insurance Commissioners – Democrat Wayne Goodwin; Labor Commissioners – Democrat Charles Meeker; Secretary of State – Democrat Elaine Marshall; Superintendent of Public Instruction – Democrat June Atkinson; State Treasurer – Democrat Dan Blue III.

For Council Of State (Greensboro News & Record) -- Nine statewide offices on the ballot may be less familiar to most voters but are no less important.

Council Of State, Judicial Endorsements (Asheville Citizen-Times) -- The race for lieutenant governor is a rematch between Democrat Linda Coleman and Republican incumbent Dan Forest. We back Coleman; for Attorney General, we back Democrat Josh Stein; for state Auditor, we back Democrat Beth Woods; Agriculture Commissioner, Republican Steve Troxler; Insurance Commissioner, Democrat Wayne Goodwin; Labor Commissioner, Republican Cherie Berry; Secretary of State Democrat Eliane Marshall; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Democrat June Atkinson; State Treasurer, Democrat Dan Blue III; N.C. Supreme Court, Robert Edmunds;

Judicial And Register Of Deeds Races (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The judicial races aren’t the glamorous, high-attention races. But they are just as important, ranging from the local court system, which handles everything from traffic tickets to murder cases, to the state’s high court system, which rules on appeals from local courts and deals with huge issues ranging from voting districts to public access to our beaches.

The Appellate Courts (Greensboro News & Record) – Endorsements for N.C. Courts: N.C. Supreme Court -- Robert Edmunds; Court of Appeals – Democrat Linda Stephens; Republican Richard Dietz, Democrat Rickye McKoy-Mitchell; Republican Robert Hunter; Democrat Margaret Eagles.

Endorsements In Judicial Races (Southern Pines Pilot) – Supreme Court – Robert Edmunds; Court of Appeals – Republican Richard Dietz, Republican Valarie Zachary, Democrat Linda Stephen, Republican Bob Hunter Margaret Eagles.

Richard Hudson For U.S. House (Southern Pines Pilot) -- As for our current District 8 race, we’ve met a few times with incumbent Republican Richard Hudson and Democratic challenger Thomas Mills and find Hudson the best choice.

Walker In 6th District (Greensboro News & Record) -- Nearing the end of his first term in Congress, Mark Walker is still a bit of a puzzle.

Bruce Davis In 13th (Greensboro News & Record) -- Newcomer Ted Budd bills himself as an outsider who will “take on the establishment.”

Our Endorsements In N.C.’S 9th And 12th Cong. Districts (Charlotte Observer) -- Voters on Nov. 8 will decide if two U.S. House members from Charlotte return to Washington representing districts redrawn under court orders striking down illegal gerrymandering. Democrat Christian Cano in the 9th and incumbent Democrat Alma Adams in the 12th.

Observer Editorial Board’s 2016 Endorsements (Charlotte Observer) -- The Charlotte Observer recaps all its endorsements for the 2016 election.