CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - In the North Carolina delegation there is a sense of boundless pride. In the flock of the democratic faithful, near the podium, is Charlotte City Council member John Autrey.
He is beaming over what this event has brought.
"This is a great thing for the city," Autrey said." Not just democrats, but the entire city."
Center stage and in prime time was the place former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt.
Hunt was in the office during the 1980's and 1990's and holds the record for being in office longer than any other governor in the history of North Carolina.
He told the story about how North Carolina was a poor state just 50 years ago and through industry, trade and commerce had built itself into an economic powerhouse.
Hunt said it was all possible by building the education system across the state.
"Last year, students born nearly 20 years ago - in 1993 - finished high school with the highest graduation rate in our history," Hunt said. "Companies want to come here to hire them, that's what we did in North Carolina."
During his time as Governor, North Carolina had unprecedented growth across North Carolina, and Hunt known for fiery campaign speeches borrowed a page from his chapter on being pro business.
"We are doers in this state," he said. "We build for the future. The other crowd just doesn't get it. This is a time to drive education forward."
It is pride from the past that some delegates take to heart, and feeling a sense of kinship.
Delegates like Charlotte pastor Brenda Stevenson feel a sense of reverence to those who have impacted our states legacy.
"They've clearly set the pace for others to follow, she said.
Former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt was scheduled to speak, but was rescheduled for Thursday night.
The search is ongoing for two men who got away during a police pursuit in Perry County.
More >>The search is ongoing for two men who got away during a police pursuit in Perry County.
More >>Police say a 29-year-old man saved many lives when he confronted the gunman during the deadly mass shooting at Waffle House.
More >>Police say a 29-year-old man saved many lives when he confronted the gunman during the deadly mass shooting at Waffle House.
More >>The man being hailed as a hero for confronting the Waffle House gunman will be honored at the Tennessee Capitol on Tuesday.
More >>The man being hailed as a hero for confronting the Waffle House gunman will be honored at the Tennessee Capitol on Tuesday.
More >>The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Travis Reinking, was arrested Monday afternoon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
More >>The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Travis Reinking, was arrested Monday afternoon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
More >>Police have identified the four victims killed at the Waffle House on Murfreesboro Pike early Sunday morning, all of whom were under 30 years old: Taurean Sanderlin, Joe Perez, DeEbony Groves, and Akilah Dasilva.
More >>Police have identified the four victims killed at the Waffle House on Murfreesboro Pike early Sunday morning, all of whom were under 30 years old: Taurean Sanderlin, Joe Perez, DeEbony Groves, and Akilah Dasilva.
More >>The grandmother of Travis Reinking, charged in Sunday’s deadly Waffle House massacre, said the man the nation has seen is not the grandson she knows.
More >>The grandmother of Travis Reinking, charged in Sunday’s deadly Waffle House massacre, said the man the nation has seen is not the grandson she knows.
More >>News4 has learned accused Waffle House killer Travis Reinking checked into the Quality Inn in Franklin two days after the Secret Service arrested him at the White House in 2017. Reinking stayed at the hotel for one night on July 9th, paid with a Visa credit card, and checked out the next morning.
More >>News4 has learned accused Waffle House killer Travis Reinking checked into the Quality Inn in Franklin two days after the Secret Service arrested him at the White House in 2017. Reinking stayed at the hotel for one night on July 9th, paid with a Visa credit card, and checked out the next morning.
More >>Hours following the weekend mass shootings at a Nashville Waffle House that killed four people, Mayor David Briley didn't mince words about the AR-15, used by the accused gunman Travis Reinking, calling them “weapons of war.”
More >>Hours following the weekend mass shootings at a Nashville Waffle House that killed four people, Mayor David Briley didn't mince words about the AR-15, used by the accused gunman Travis Reinking, calling them “weapons of war.”
More >>Nashville firefighter Walter Demonbreun moved to Antioch 36 years ago to take in the peace and quiet.
More >>Nashville firefighter Walter Demonbreun moved to Antioch 36 years ago to take in the peace and quiet.
More >>The grandmother of Travis Reinking, charged in Sunday’s deadly Waffle House massacre, said the man the nation has seen is not the grandson she knows.
More >>The grandmother of Travis Reinking, charged in Sunday’s deadly Waffle House massacre, said the man the nation has seen is not the grandson she knows.
More >>The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Travis Reinking, was arrested Monday afternoon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
More >>The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Travis Reinking, was arrested Monday afternoon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
More >>News4 has learned accused Waffle House killer Travis Reinking checked into the Quality Inn in Franklin two days after the Secret Service arrested him at the White House in 2017. Reinking stayed at the hotel for one night on July 9th, paid with a Visa credit card, and checked out the next morning.
More >>News4 has learned accused Waffle House killer Travis Reinking checked into the Quality Inn in Franklin two days after the Secret Service arrested him at the White House in 2017. Reinking stayed at the hotel for one night on July 9th, paid with a Visa credit card, and checked out the next morning.
More >>A Colorado couple is facing animal cruelty charges after they allegedly had sex with their dog in a motorhome they converted into a sex chamber in their backyard.
More >>A Colorado couple is facing animal cruelty charges after they allegedly had sex with their dog in a motorhome they converted into a sex chamber in their backyard.
More >>Jiyayi Suleyman became Nashville's first Kurdish police officer in 2012. Now he's out of a job for alleged ties to a gang.
More >>Jiyayi Suleyman became Nashville's first Kurdish police officer in 2012. Now he's out of a job for alleged ties to a gang.
More >>On Sunday afternoon, law enforcement in Tazewell County, Illinois, held a press conference explaining their history with Reinking and his family.
More >>On Sunday afternoon, law enforcement in Tazewell County, Illinois, held a press conference explaining their history with Reinking and his family.
More >>Nashville firefighter Walter Demonbreun moved to Antioch 36 years ago to take in the peace and quiet.
More >>Nashville firefighter Walter Demonbreun moved to Antioch 36 years ago to take in the peace and quiet.
More >>Hours following the weekend mass shootings at a Nashville Waffle House that killed four people, Mayor David Briley didn't mince words about the AR-15, used by the accused gunman Travis Reinking, calling them “weapons of war.”
More >>Hours following the weekend mass shootings at a Nashville Waffle House that killed four people, Mayor David Briley didn't mince words about the AR-15, used by the accused gunman Travis Reinking, calling them “weapons of war.”
More >>Indiana health officials are advising residents to get vaccinated for hepatitis A if their summer plans include visits to Kentucky or Michigan.
More >>Indiana health officials are advising residents to get vaccinated for hepatitis A if their summer plans include visits to Kentucky or Michigan.
More >>Two victims of the Waffle House shooting on Sunday morning remain in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Monday.
More >>Two victims of the Waffle House shooting on Sunday morning remain in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Monday.
More >>