This week, we take a closer look at Edgecombe County, home of Rep. Shelly Willingham, who joined two other Democrats last week in passing the House version of the 2024 Appropriations Act (HB 263). More on Edgecombe:

Located roughly one hour east of Raleigh, this rural county resides in the Coastal Plains region and was officially formed in 1741 after a nearly decade-long political battle. In 1732, Governor George Burrington – who served as a proprietary governor and as the first royal governor – granted a petition to form Edgecombe as a governmental precinct, named after the Lord of English Treasury Richard Edgcumbe (interestingly, Burrington was later killed in an apparent robbery in 1759 in London with his body being thrown in a canal.)

However, Governor Burrington’s petition was denied by the Colonial Assembly, beginning a contentious political and legislative fight to reach an agreement. Over the next 100 years, Edgecombe consistently had different boundaries until 1855.

Tarboro was established in 1760 and officially became the county seat in 1764. Tarboro is known for its historically important river ports, and its name stems from early settlers dubbing it “Tawboro,” with “Taw” being the Indian word for “river of health.” Tarboro is home to Edgecombe Community College, serving more than 5,500 individuals with more than 130 academic programs and certificates.

Today, Edgecombe County is the most economically distressed county in the state with the third highest rate of unemployment. Though peanut and tobacco farming have declined, agriculture remains the largest economic driver of the area. Edgecombe is also home to the largest industrial, shovel-ready mega-site in the Tar Heel State.

Politically, Edgecombe has remained a Democratic stronghold and has one of the highest percentages of registered Black voters at 56%. Despite the share of Unaffiliated voters climbing from 10% to 20% over the past 10 years, Democrats still enjoy a 60% to 19% registration advantage over Republicans.

While Edgecombe and surrounding Northeastern counties continue to support Democrats, their margins have shrunk over the past decade. President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden won Edgecombe County by 36%, 32% and 27%, respectively, while Democrat Council of State candidates have also won comfortably.