Democratic primary winner is ex-chair of Jewish Federations

Kathy Manning of North Carolina is part of a surge of women running for office since Trump’s election to presidency

By JTA 10 May 2018, 7:52 am

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Kathy Manning, second from left, attending a fund-raiser in Palm Beach, Florida, as chair of Jewish Federations of North America, March 8, 2010. (Courtesy of Hillel via JTA)

WASHINGTON — Kathy Manning, the first woman to be chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, handily won a Democratic primary and will face a right-wing Republican congressman in a district encompassing her hometown, Greensboro, North Carolina.

Manning defeated her rival in Tuesday’s primary, Adam Coker, by a 70-30 margin, local media reported.

She now faces freshman incumbent Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina’s 13th district, a once reliable Democratic district that trends Republican after recent redistricting.

Manning, 60, a former immigration lawyer who is well known in her district for her philanthropy, has been feted multiple times for her firsts. In addition to chairing JFNA in 2009-2012, she was the founding chairwoman of Prizmah, the umbrella body for Jewish day schools of all denominations.

There has been a surge of women running for office since Donald Trump’s 2016 election to the presidency, with many voicing concerns about the perception that he will roll back women’s rights. A number of the candidates are Jewish.