A few months ago Mike Nifong's reelection as Durham district attorney appeared to be guaranteed, but now some local residents and Duke students are organizing to support his opponent-Lewis Cheek.
The political action committee Recall Nifong-Vote Cheek, which is not affiliated with any particular party, has begun to rally support for the challenger.
Since its formation Aug. 9, the grassroot group has grown to include between 50 and 100 members, said Spokesperson Beth Brewer.
The committee is also attempting to set up voter registration drives at both Duke and North Carolina Central University to encourage out-of-state students to register to vote in the election.
"The lacrosse incident got students rallied and excited to vote," she said.
At Duke, juniors Christiane Regelbrugge and Emily Wygod have started Duke Students for an Ethical Durham. Regelbrugge stressed that Duke Students for an Ethical Durham is neither explicitly in support of the lacrosse team nor targeting Nifong.
It is only passing out voter registration forms to students-members of the group are not telling students who to vote for, Regelbrugge said.
"We want students to be politically involved--after all, we are Durham residents for four years," Wygod said. She noted that the group's goal is to have 2,000 students voting in the next election.
"Students feel passionately about this election so it might help kick things off," Regelbrugge said.
Although the group is not instructing students who to vote for, its leaders said they personally would like to see Nifong defeated.
"Hopefully, Nifong will lose this election," Wygod said. "If not, at least he will know that Duke students are also part of Durham."
She added that the removal of Nifong from office will be beneficial to Durham residents because of Nifong's "history of unethical behaviors."
Brewer, who has been in contact with Regelbrugge and Wygod, said that Nifong's handling of the recent lacrosse case has exacerbated racial tension in Durham and tarnished Durham's image in the nation.
"This is a unifying campaign," she said. "We don't think that Nifong is good for anyone regardless of race," Brewer added.
Brewer noted that the majority of the group's donations are coming from the legal community. "This tells me that they are also upset with Nifong," she added.
Off-cycle elections typically attract between 40,000 and 50,000 voters and Recall Nifong is looking to add approximately 6,000 students to the rolls, Brewer said.
"How the students vote is up to them," she noted. Although Cheek, Democrat and current Durham county commissioner, has said he will not accept the position if elected, his name will still appear on the ballot in November.
If Cheek wins the election, Gov. Mike Easley will appoint the next district attorney.
The Recall Nifong committee has been making calls to local lawyers and judges, compiling a list of qualified candidates, Brewer said.
"Who is picked next is very important-we don't want the decision to be made based on seniority but on qualification," she said.
Easley has the option, however, to re-appoint Nifong as district attorney even if Nifong loses the election. Brewer said she believes that scenario is unlikely to happen.
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