Early voting for the May 17 primary opens on Thursday April 28, and one group that always weighs in on those who it thinks people should vote for is the Dr. George C Simkins Jr. Memorial Political Action Committee.

The group bills itself as “Greensboro’s Black Pac,” but is often simply referred to as “The PAC” and it’s well known for backing African-American candidates and very liberal ones.

Well, now, the PAC is back for the next round of voting, and the group of prominent local black leaders has put out its endorsements.

For US Senate, this year the PAC is backing Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and, in the US House of Representatives 6th District race, 6th District Congresswoman Kathy Manning got the nod from the PAC to hold on to that seat.

The Simpkins PAC, of course, weighs in on local races as well and, when it comes to Guilford County candidates, the PAC is supporting Guilford County District Attorney Avery Michelle Crump to keep her job and for Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court Lisa Johnson-Tonkins to stay in her position.

Both Crump and Johnson-Tonkins win another four-year term if they win the primary because there are no Republicans filed to run for either office.

In the Guilford County Board of Commissioners at-large race, the PAC is supporting longtime Commissioner Kay Cashion, and, in the District 7 commissioners race, it has endorsed, Frankie T. Jones Jr.

Jones was selected by the county’s Democratic Party earlier this year to take the place of former District 7 Commissioner Carolyn Coleman, who passed away.

The PAC is also supporting Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers.  The PAC’s backing certainly helped Rogers win that seat four years ago when he ousted longtime Sheriff BJ Barnes – who essentially owned that spot easily for a quarter of a century.

The Simkins PAC did not endorse candidates in the nonpartisan Greensboro City Council primary.

The PAC’s endorsements came with the following message: “To our community, the Simkins Pac has researched as well as interviewed the below listed endorsed candidates,”

It adds that all of the endorsed incumbents deserve an additional term due to their past performance. According to the PAC’s statement, “We always have focused on the community, that will never change.”