Greensboro, North Carolina — GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The No. 2 Democratic leader in the North Carolina House of Representatives announced Tuesday he will leave the N.C. Legislature next month to take a new position within the University of North Carolina System.
Rep. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons of Guilford County is a former elementary school teacher and school system administrator who joined the House of Representatives in 2019 and became the House minority's leading voice on education issues. She later became vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus. She also worked on bills to raise the minimum marriage age and improve conditions for prisoners who become pregnant or give birth.
House Minority Leader Robert Reeves said in a statement that Clemons “came to the Capitol for the right reason – to help the people of our state,” and that she “stayed true to that mission, making our delegation and our state stronger.”
She will become the UNC System's vice chancellor for K-12 education strategy and policy.
Clemons is currently the Democratic candidate facing Republican Janice Davis in House District 57. Democratic activists in Guilford County must choose a replacement candidate and someone to fill the remainder of Clemons' term at the end of the year.
Clemons did not give a specific date for his resignation in August. He said Tuesday he would wait to step down until a successor had been selected.
Jason Thayne, a Lincoln County Republican and ranking co-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, announced Monday that he will step down from his position in the House on Aug. 12.
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