Deborah K. Ross

Deborah Ross
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 34th district
In office January 9, 2013 – June 1, 2013
Preceded by	Grier Martin
Succeeded by	Grier Martin
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 38th district
In office January 29, 2003 – January 9, 2013
Preceded by	Bob Hensley
Succeeded by	Yvonne Lewis Holley
Personal details
Born	June 20, 1963 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Steve Wrinn
Alma mater	Brown University University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Deborah K. Ross (born June 20, 1963) is a former member of the North Carolina General Assembly who represented the state's thirty-eighth and then thirty-fourth House district, including constituents in Wake County. An attorney from Raleigh, North Carolina, Ross served five full terms and one partial term in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Ross is a Democrat and is running for US Senator in the 2016 election against incumbent Richard Burr.

Personal life and education

Ross was raised by her parents, Barbara and Marvin, in a small town. Her father served as a doctor in the US Air Force during the Vietnam era and her mom taught preschool. With parents who had devoted their lives to helping others, Ross was taught from a young age that the opportunities she had came with the responsibility to help others.

Ross attended public schools and in junior high met a teacher, Mrs. Pass, whose emphasis on the importance of the US Constitution first inspired Ross to pursue public service.

Ross earned her B.A. from Brown University in 1985 and a J.D. at UNC Chapel Hill in 1990.

Deborah has practiced law in North Carolina for 25 years, including civil rights, constitutional law, infrastructure, and renewable energy law. She also taught at Duke Law School as a senior lecturing fellow.^[1]

Prior to her career in elected office, Ross managed the ACLU of North Carolina for over seven years.

Ross and her husband, Steve Wrinn, live in a home they restored in Boylan Heights, a historic neighborhood near downtown Raleigh.

North Carolina Legislature

Ross was first elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2002 and defeated Wake County Commissioner Phil Jeffreys in 2004 to win a second term. She faced no opposition in the 2006 general election, and in 2007, Ross was first elected as one of the House Democratic Whips.

As a Democratic Whip, Ross fought to protect North Carolina workers, improve access to a college education for all North Carolinians, and ensure women received the equal pay they had earned.^[2]

Known for her ability to work across the aisle, Ross partnered with her Republican colleagues to protect victims of domestic violence and passed a landmark bill to improve government ethics and accountability. With a Democratic majority, Ross chaired the powerful Judiciary and Ethics Committees. Ross’s strong voice for North Carolina’s students, teachers, and women earned her a reputation as a fighter as well as praise from her polar opposite in the House, Republican Representative Skip Stam. When asked for his opinion of Ross, Stam said that while ‘a lot of people will talk about something, she’s good at actually accomplishing something she says she’ll do."^[3]

GoTriangle

On May 1, 2013, Ross announced she would resign from the legislature in June and return to the private sector to serve as legal counsel for GoTriangle, the triangle area’s regional transit agency.^[4] On June 1, 2013, Grier Martin was appointed to succeed her.^[5]

At GoTriangle, Ross was influential in developing better mass transportation infrastructure to connect Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill to outlying counties. Specifically, Ross’s connections within the business, university, and public sector communities made her a crucial element in building consensus around the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project.

U.S. Senate Campaign

In 2015, Ross resigned from her position as legal counsel at GoTriangle to run for the U.S. Senate in 2016.^[6] The seat is currently held by Republican Richard Burr.

After beginning her campaign with a strong fundraising showing, Ross earned endorsements from Emily's List, Planned Parenthood, the North Carolina Association of Educators, the NC AFL-CIO, American Association for Justice, End Citizens United, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, and the League of Conservation Voters.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]}

Ross won the N.C. Senate Democratic primary with 62.4% of the vote from a field of four candidates.^[16]

References

1. "Deborah K. Ross". Indy Week. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
2. WRAL. "NC Equal Pay Act faces long odds :: WRAL.com". WRAL.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
3. "News and Observer". 8/29/2005. Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. WRAL. "Rep. Deborah Ross stepping down :: WRAL.com". WRAL.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
5. Press, Associated. "Democrats pick Grier Martin to replace Ross in House". www.wect.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
6. "Deborah Ross, mulling a Senate run, resigns from GoTriangle". newsobserver. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
7. "Christensen: Senate primary is quiet, but you can hear Ross stirring". newsobserver. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
8. "Deborah Ross". www.emilyslist.org. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
9. "Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorses Deborah Ross for U.S. Senate - Planned Parenthood Action". plannedparenthoodaction.org. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
10. "NCAE – North Carolina Association of Educators | NCAE Endorses Deborah Ross for United States Senate". www.ncae.org. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
11. "AFL-CIO endorsements include Cooper, Ross, Meeker". newsobserver. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
12. "Deborah Ross Endorsed by End Citizens United PAC - End Citizens United". End Citizens United. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
13. "DSCC Endorses Deborah Ross in North Carolina". Roll Call. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
14. "Democracy for America : Democracy for America Endorses Tammy Duckworth and Deborah Ross for U.S. Senate". www.democracyforamerica.com. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
15. "LCV Action Fund Endorses Deborah Ross for U.S. Senate". www.lcv.org. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
16. "North Carolina Primary Election Results". Retrieved 2016-03-29.

External links

• Official Ross campaign site