N.C. Democrats Rebuke Member Over Email On Black Death Toll

A longtime member of the North Carolina Democratic Party’s state executive committee has been rebuked after he accused a U.S. Senate candidate of exaggerating the number of Black people killed in American history. Former state Sen. Erica Smith is a Democrat who is seeking to become North Carolina’s first Black U.S. senator. She sent an email to supporters after the murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. She referred to “literal millions of Black men and women who've been murdered.” Michael Schaul sent Smith’s campaign an email questioning her math. Schaul declined interview requests from The News & Observer, saying he was still considering his response.