L/indyweek.com/news/politics/elections/allam-foushee-western-wake-congress
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The Road to Victory in NC-04 Runs Through Western Wake County 2026/02/27 16:12
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- URL: https://indyweek.com/news/politics/elections/allam-foushee-western-wake-congress/
- Posted: 2026-02-27T16:12:41+00:00 (date: 2026/02/27)
- Topics: Nida Allam Valerie Foushee US/NC/district/04/elec/2026 US/NC/redistricting Jobs and Democracy PAC
- Summary: «Valerie Foushee, the 69-year-old two-term incumbent, is the highest-profile member of an Orange County political dynasty, and has served the area at nearly every level of government over the last three decades. Her challenger, Durham County commissioner Nida Allam, has made herself a fixture of Durham politics and activism since her first election in 2020.»
- source: Independent Weekly
- authors: Chase Pellegrini de Paur (IW) and Chloe Courtney Bohl (IW)
Excerpt
The Anthropic-backed Jobs and Democracy PAC has, as of publishing, spent $280,000 on a television ad in support of Foushee. The spending is part of something of an intra-industry civil war between OpenAI and Anthropic, which is positioning itself as the more ethical AI company and calling for industry regulations as both companies simultaneously plan massive buildouts of data centers around the country.
Anthropic may be spending on Foushee thanks to her recent appointment as co-chair of the new House Democratic Commission on AI And the Innovation Economy. She told INDY that she plans to use her position “to ensure that data centers and big tech are held accountable for their energy expenditures, land use, and environmental impacts as Democrats retake the majority.”
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Allam has consistently criticized Foushee for benefiting from corporate PAC spending since their 2022 matchup became the most expensive congressional primary in state history, due to outside spending. This cycle, both candidates have benefitted from outside spending, as INDY reported earlier this month. A week before Election Day, outside PACs have spent nearly $1.6 million on mailers and advertisements to influence voters.