A new GOP entry waiting in the wings for the 2022 US Senate race?
Conservatives have been moping over their choices thus far: Pat McCrory, George Holding, and Mark Walker. (Walker is the only one of the three who has said something publicly about running.).
Mark Meadows – conservative hero – is busy assisting former president Trump with his out-of-office plans (and possible return to DC). So, who will conservatives in North Carolina have to rally around?
I’ve been talking with some elected types of the conservative Republican persuasion in Raleigh and DC. They’re all assuring me that “a really good conservative is getting ready to jump into that thing.”
(I know. I know. “Conservative” is a very relative term. Everyone has a different idea of what that word means.)
A really good conservative — with statewide ID and significant fundraising capabilities? Lt. Gov. Robinson is a possibility. But he just got to Raleigh, and needs to put in some time there. I see Meadows as a very slim possibility.
A campaign consultant — and veteran of decades of political battles in our state — offered his two cents to me: “If Laura Trump runs, everybody else — and I do mean EVERYBODY — is wasting their time.”
The campaign consultant has exercised correct reasoning IMO.
Lara Trump would be a breath of fresh air. We need a conservative in the mold of Jesse Helms, Lauch Faircloth, and John East. We do NOT need another Burr or Tillis, who are not much different from Mitt Romney.
Mark Walker is a loser and not a worthwhile choice. He is tied to one of the state’s biggest recent political scandals which would make him road kill for Democrat attack ads. He lied through his teeth to voters in his first Congressional primary as to where he would stand in the GOP caucus. He claimed he would be with the conservatives, but as soon as he got to DC, he became a knee jerk supporter of the establishment. Walker caves in to the cancel culture like a wimp. He has no backbone. Walker would just be another Richard Burr, and that we do not need. That endorsement by the RINO or RINOs, Paul Ryan sure showed where Walker really fits within the party, and that is on its left. No thanks.
Pat McCrory? Another weak sister who would be another Richard Burr. He has a very poor statewide campaign track record. McCrory ran three statewide races, all of which he should have won, but he managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory in two of them. Unlike previous Republican governors, he made no effort to staff the high ranks of his administration with Republicans, much less conservatives. Indeed, even at the cabinet level, half of his cabinet secretaries were not even Republicans. Then there is McCrory’s flip flopping on issues like allowing men in womens restrooms and locker rooms. No thanks!
George Holding? Only slightly better than Walker or McCrory, and another wimp in front of the far left “cancel culture”.
Lara Trump is the one we need, and she see to get out on the hustings at the first opportunity.
Ted Budd might be the best we have, if he elects to run…
We do not need two conservatives in the Senate primary. Ted is great where he is, and I am not certain that a replacement in the House would be as conservative. He would make a very good Senator, though, and would not have electability baggage like Walker.
If Lara Trump does not run, my thought would be State Treasurer Dale Folwell. He would not have to give up his current office to run, but would after he got elected to the Senate. But the important thing is that conservatives need to unite behind one candidate. We do NOT need another Burr or Tillis. If conservatives are divided, we could get stuck with a real dud like Walker or McCrory, who have electability problems as well as swamp problems.
You’ve got he right idea. The only reason I would vote for Lara Trump whom I don’t know anything about, is because I’d prefer the devil I don’t know to the devils I do know (walker, Holding, McCrory, Moore). But Dale Folwell is the only person we can trust that has name recognition, money raising ability, respect from people across the political spectrum, and the ability to unite the Party 100% behind him.
I’ve been really impressed with Ted Budd. I heard from reliable sources that he’s planning to run. The only real drawback is his lack of statewide name recognition, which I think he’s working on now.
I really like Lara Trump, but fear she’d be considered another Carpetbagger like Liddy Dole. While I loved and admired her, she had long left NC and failed to truly represent us. The fact that Lara Trump does not live here and hasn’t for quite a while, is a real disadvantage.
Right now, I don’t like many of the choices and truly fear that we’re going to have a huge slate of candidates like we did in 2012 (?) when Tillis was elected. That’s a sure fire way of getting a stupid RINO instead of a solid conservative.
I think the State GOP needs to restrict the amount of candidates in the Primary to avoid diluting it.
Pat McCrory’s political life died the same day Bill Lee died.