Lately, it seems that all of Walter Jones’s campaigns are raucous affairs. DC-based groups dumped millions into his primary race in 2014. Well, it looks like his 2014 opponent is back for more in 2016 — and is being joined by another challenger.
Taylor Griffin has had a lot of success as a politico in DC. He’s very well-connected in GOPe circles there. Groups spearheaded by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol helped him raise all kinds of money last time around, and are likely to do so again this time. It appears that Team Griffin is running with the same misleading spin that served them so well last time:
[…] “In the 20 years Walter Jones has been in Congress, his voting record too often strays from conservative principles. He votes with liberal California Democrat Nancy Pelosi more than any other North Carolina Republican. He refused to support the Republican nominee for President in each of the last three elections and just this year he voted against a defense funding bill critical for eastern North Carolina’s military. Walter Jones is a good man, he’s just not a good conservative.” […]
These days, voting with the Republican leadership is not always synonymous with voting conservatively. We’ve got GOP leaders in DC pushing
for more spending and debt, refusing to fight ObamaCare, rolling over to play dead on amnesty, and granting Barry Obama all kinds of fun, new powers on trade that we can’t be told about.
Walter Jones is consistently ranked as either tied as the most conservative or ranked as the second most conservative member of the North Carolina congressional delegation. Jones is consistently ranked as more conservative than Reps. Patrick McHenry and Virginia Foxx, two North Carolinians who are part of John Boehner’s leadership team and regularly vote with House GOP leadership. 
It sounds like that dead horse will be beaten some more — even though the facts in no way or shape support it.
Philip Law is also in the race. Though, he is not going after Jones personally like Griffin is.
Hey Brant, I spoke with Mr. Griffin this week after he announced. You can hear the interview here: http://www.wwnc.com/media/podcast-the-pete-kaliner-show-ThePeteKalinerShow/the-south-holding-the-us-back-26185271/
Congressman Jones is EASILY the best Congressman in NC if not the state!
Griffin and Law need to sit down and shut up.
Taylor Griffin is a reverse Dave Brat. He is a Washington beltway guy going against a grassroots oriented conservative, Walter Jones.
There are only two North Carolinians in our entire Congressional delegation worth keeping – Mark Meadows and Walter Jones. They vote for the positions of the conservative voters back home, and do not let themselves get bossed around by Republican ”leaders” who seem more interested in pleasing Obama than in pleasing the Republican base.
On the most respected Congressional rating, the one by Heritage Action, Walter Jones and Mark Meadows rank more than 40 points more conservative than Richard Burr and more than 30 points more conservative than Renee Ellmers. The two GOP politicians who most need to be replaced are Burr and Ellmers.
I do not think it is possible to loathe the GOP establishment any more than I already do. They think Jones is the problem??!!! And yet we STILL have no one to run against McCrory, Burr, all the NC and NC house sell-outs. We will again reap what we sow. Really pathetic.
Kim,
You are right on the money here. The NCGOP is ineffective. They depend on outdated methods to go after voters and it’s too bad they just won’t learn new habits. So they deserve what they are about to get in the 2016 election. I do think that in the presidential race NC will vote Republican, but all bets are off for any intra races. Face it Republicans in the legislative branch act more like Democrats then the Democrats do most times.
One bright spot Pat McCrory will be a one termer who will be going back to Charlotte with brief memories of imagined grandeur.
Word is the Jones Campaign is gearing up to really fight back against the lies and smears of the Griffin Group. 2016 will be much more of an organized effort than 2014 when many supporters couldn’t even get Jones’ signs for their area. Watch out for the Jones campaign, its going to blow everyone away.
I just wish Walter would consider a statewide run, the time is ripe for that. But of course, I wouldn’t deny him to the folks in the 3rd district. But it would be nice to see the phony conservative representing my district get a stiff challenge,
Walter Jones is one of the best we have in North Carolina. It is so sad but it’s come down to conservative vs. Rino. If we can’t elect conservatives our only option is to not vote. These Rino’$ have got to be removed. There is no other solution. To hold your nose and vote for someone like BurrEllmers just prolongs their power and influence and further distruction of the party. If Democrats were to gain these seats atleast the Rino’$ would lose their bully pulpit. Let’s pray it does not come down to that.
Walter Jones is one of the few true conservatives we have left and his voting record proves it!
Taylor Griffin is terribly out of touch with GOP voters. He seems to think we want someone to support Boehner and be one of the sheeple in the caucus who always does so.
GOP voters want Congressmen who put principles ahead of self absorbed political bosses. That is what Walter Jones does.
When Boehner consistently refuses to fight Obama on major policy issues and passes legislation that enables Obama’s liberal programs instead, conservative Cpmgressmen simply have to stand up to Boehner in order to stand up to Obama. Unlike so many of Washington’s pathetic Milquetoasts, Walter Jones has shown he has the backbone to do that when so many others are meekly caving in.
About fifty conservative Republican Congressmen have organized the House Freedom Caucus to push to advance conservative legislation and defeat liberal legislation. They often go against Boehner’s position when Boehner is just carrying water for Obama. Walter Jones votes consistently with the Freedom Caucus positions, something Taylor Griffin clearly does not like.
How Republican voters really feel about Boehner has been shown in a number of polls. One, just before Boehner’s reelection as Speaker, showed that Republican voters by more than three to one margin wanted Boehner a to be replaced by a different Republican Speaker. Since then, other polls have shown Republican voters confidence in Boehner and the leadership to be the lowest ever found in such polls.
Republican voters want more Dave Brats, more Mark Meadows, and more Walter Jones, and fewer John Boehners, Renee Ellmers, and Taylor Griffins.
Principle over party bosses.