Editing Durham, North Carolina (section)

===Politics===
The area is predominantly [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]], and has voted for the Democratic Party's presidential candidate in every election since the city's founding in 1869. Durham County is the most liberal-leaning county in North Carolina, with over 80% of the county voting for Democratic candidate [[Joe Biden]] in the [[2020 United States presidential election in North Carolina|2020 presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vale |first=Andrea |date=2023-06-14 |title=Most liberal county in conservative states |url=https://theeagle.com/news/most-liberal-county-in-conservative-states/collection_1e8fea4d-b51a-5f20-947a-707fa7536dcc.html |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=The Eagle |language=en}}</ref> The city's politics have long been dominated by the activities of two local [[political action committee]]s, the [[The People's Alliance (Durham, NC)|People's Alliance]] (PA) and the [[Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People]] (DCABP). PA is a mostly-white progressive organization, while the DCABP is a black moderate group.<ref name= Hartman>{{cite news| last = Hartman| first = Matt| title = Ahead of Municipal Elections This Fall, Durham Grapples With What's Next for a Scandal-Plagued City Council| newspaper = INDY Week| date = August 9, 2023| url = https://indyweek.com/news/durham/ahead-of-municipal-elections-this-fall-durham-grapples-with-whats-next-for-a-scandal-plagued-city-council/| access-date = August 9, 2023}}</ref>

Key political issues have been the redevelopment of Downtown Durham and revival of other historic neighborhoods and commercial districts, ending cash bail, ending mandatory sentencing minimums, decriminalization of marijuana, raising minimum wage for city employees to $15, the fluoridation of public drinking water, a 45% reduction of crime, a 10-year plan to end homelessness, initiatives to reduce truancy, and growth and development. A merger of Durham City Schools (several [[inner city]] neighborhoods) and Durham County Schools in the early 1990s ignited controversy. More recently, the Durham City Council's 2018 statement opposing militarized policing that mentioned Israel has drawn its third lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web  |url= https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article228418349.html | date = March 26, 2019 | title = Durham faces 3rd lawsuit over police-training statement and Israel | first = DAWN | last = BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN | work = News Observer}}</ref> In 2018, Durham appointed its first [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]] council member [[Javiera Caballero]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://durhamnc.gov/3286/Javiera-Caballero | title = Javiera Caballero | work = durhamnc.gov}}</ref> In 2023, Durham elected Nate Baker to the city council, its first candidate endorsed by the Triangle chapter of the [[Democratic Socialists of America]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nate Baker |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Nate_Baker |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref>