Keith Kidwell: Mr. Sensitive
There was another interesting sub-plot going on at the state convention today. Sources told me they saw some heated conversation between chairman candidate John Kane and state Rep. Keith Kidwell. That was unusual, my sources thought, because Kidwell was known as a John Kane supporter.
We found a source close to Kane to shed some light on all this drama. Apparently, Kidwell came across an email newsletter published by some activists who happened to be John Kane supporters. In one particular issue, they wrote an item about Kane, and then went on to another item criticizing Kidwell over “vaccine mandates.”
Apparently, according to this source, Kidwell interpreted the newsletter as a John Kane publication and blamed Kane for the criticism itself. I was told Kane attempted to explain to Kidwell that he had NO CONTROL over the content of that newsletter or its writers.
That apparently did not sink in for the legislator. Kidwell, from what sources told me, made his way through the convention bad-mouthing Kane and advertising he was switching his support FROM Kane and TO Whatley.
You may have read recently about Kidwell and Rep. Jeff McNeely being removed from their caucus leadership posts. Whatley’s friends were the forces behind those removals.
So, Kidwell — in his misplaced anger — stabbed John Kane in the back to benefit the folks who had previously embarrassed him and McNeely in the media.
only fools support “vaccine mandates” lets just be clear on that issue
We saw Kidwell walking towards our group on Thursday night at the convention. I said – Keith Kidwell!
He came over offering a joke – I didn’t do it. .blah blah blah.
Lady in our group points out his Michael Whatley sticker.
Yep, You bite me, I bite you back. He posted my picture next to some complaint about masks and mandates.
I said: John Kane didn’t post that article, darlin. I did. That was our publication, not his.
Doesn’t matter, says Kidwell. It came from his supporters.
Then he walks away like a scared little girl.
Retaliation. That’s Keith Kidwell’s MO. Doesn’t matter who would be best to lead the party. Doesn’t matter who’s conservative or who’s a slimeball establishment cheater who runs an insecure election.
What matters to Keith Kidwell is payback.
In the fifty plus years I have been involved in Republican politics, I have always stressed that policy and principle are what is important, and personality factors should not get in the way of that. It is silly to be fighting over personality issues among conservatives instead of battling the evils of liberals, progressives, or the establishment. All of us should remember who the real adversaries are and not get ourselves into circular firing squads.
While I think John Kane had clean hands here because he was not involved in this and tried to smooth over what others did with Keith, I have real questions, Carol about why your organization would take a swing at one of the most conservative legislators in the General Assembly on the eve of the state convention in an email that mostly dealt with that convention. It was an unforced error that ended up costing John Kane votes. Kidwell’s picture was very inappropriate to be placed where it was in that email.
On Covid, Kidwell was one of the legislators who did the most to counter government Covid overreach, not only in offering legislation to rein in Cooper’s powers but also in raising money and recruiting lawyers and plaintiffs to sue Cooper over Cooper’s lockdowns, some of which lawsuits were successful. When the NC Board of Pharmacy moved to ban drug stores in North Carolina from dispensing hydrochloraquin and ivermectin to treat Covid, Kidwell called them and jerked their chains, threatening a legislative investigation if they went through with it. They backed off. Yes, the top NC legislative leadership may well have been asleep at the switch on government Covid overreach, but Kidwell was one of those leading some of the key battles against that overreach. On a personal note, when my mother-in-law came down with Covid, Kidwell was the one who told us which doctor to see to get hydrochloraquin and ivermectin prescribed and which local pharmacy would dispense it.
Everyone in Beaufort Co does not agree with you. And IF you are DEFENDING these petty acts, you have lost your credibility.
You need to talk to Mindy and Tara with 2 Citizen Moms to hear everything that Keith Kidwell said and did (or did not do) in 2020 to help get the word out about the vaccines.
The number of issues affecting the outcome of this “election” are too many to count. I regret if that email did cost John any votes at all, but I also realize Keith Kidwell did not hand the election to Whatley. He might think he has a following, but he does not.
Keith Kidwell is a pompous bully who cares more about misplaced retribution than what’s best for the NCGOP. He needs to be Primaried and sent home.
Ms. Snow, welcome to what Beaufort County conservatives have been a dealing with for years. There’s some local conservatives that just have nothin to do with him. Most folks in that conservative camp appreciate a lot of what ole Kief does but at the same time keep a weather eye out for that sharp or dull knife aimed at the back. Alot of conservatives have felt the blade that bein mostly native ones. That finally got spotlighted on the big stage at the Repub convention over the weekend.
Mr. Kane, just wanted you to know you had a lot of support from Beaufort County conservatives and a lot of enemies from Beaufort County RINOs. On balance it was more on the support side. Conservatives in our neck of the woods didn’t look at your opponent as our leader before that phony a$$ election – even less so now.
Mr. Rader, conservatives locally and all over the state have a lot of respect for you. You are looking out for the best for our cause and have a tough job savin Kief from his self.
Yep Kief has a mostly good record, but that can be overrode at any moment by his childishness, vindictiveness, arrogance, personal ambition, jealousy, or that humongous ego.
I’m sending out apologies from eastern conservatives. Sorry the rest of you had to experience some of what we have already gone through. The ole hound is just too shamed to even say anything.
“I’ve seen people be smart, and childish, at the same time.
This is not one of those times.”
Kidwell said on several occasions that a private employer’s requiring “a covid shot is no different than requiring an employee to wear a tie.” If the employee doesn’t want the shot or the tie, he can look elsewhere for employment. To wit: Kidwell was not mandated by his private employers, the People of North Carolina, to take a covid shot or to wear a tie.
Thick Skin to be a legislator?
Me thinks not…
He’s my rep. Disappointment after disappointment. And he can be a jerk. Y’all seeing his true colors.
Numerous times contacted him, always a disappointing response.
My old hound raised is eye and said, ‘Now everbody knows what us folks back home ave known fo years ’bout Kief.’
At least you got a response. I reached out to him about a bill he co-sponsors and never got any kind of response.
When he and I were both county chairs, I thought he was a standup guy. But he wouldn’t be the first person I’ve seen transition from an Ok dude to a complete jerk, as soon as he/she became an elected public official.
yes seems like no one is trustworthy anymore in 2023
He sure didn’t mind feeding at the trough of the House Caucus fund. And one of the largest donors to that? John Kane. I am sure his primary opponent will be thrilled for the support & probably won’t expect us all to get the jab!
I hate to be piling on with more, but Kidwell didn’t just make “his way through the convention bad-mouthing Kane.” He also seconded the Whatley nomination motion and spoke for Whatley on the floor. I just don’t understand such an abrupt and drastic turnaround.
As a former colleague in the NC House, and one who considers myself a friend of Keith Kidwell, I was very disappointed at this incomprehensible behavior from him in this instance. I tried to reason with him about it, having learned that John Kane had nothing to do with the insult to Keith, but, unfortunately, he would not listen. Sometimes I wonder if Keith thinks he doesn’t have to listen to what he doesn’t want to hear just because he is so big. I am a devoted supporter of Donald Trump, but I am often disappointed with some of his childish rhetoric. I guess it is the same with Keith. We were on the same side in most battles in the House, and I appreciated him, in balance, as an ally. I was disappointed when he didn’t give me full support of my bill, HB 558 in 2021, which would have prohibited vaccine mandates by government or by businesses; but we were on the same side on most things. I was very sad we could not agree on the chairman’s race last weekend. I was proud to second the nomination of John Kane, and I hope he will not disappear. Maybe we can get him in next time. Meanwhile, I love Keith Kidwell like a brother, but I agree that he does need to do better at listening to reasonable arguments and putting what is best for everyone above his ruffled feathers, and make sure who was actually responsible for ruffling them.
You’ve said a lot in this post. Keith/Trump…same bullying tactics, my way, the highway, NO reasoning, arrogant and condescending. WHEN pols get to that point, it’s time to elect a representative and turn out those that have lost their way. As with Trump, he can never determine why so many despise him so….
We need to reflect on the Kidwell conundrum, which is to consider that we need something other than the special interest prostitutes like Tim Moore and Phil Berger leading the GOP in the legislature, and it looks like Tim Moore will be drawing himself a Congressional district to run in. That opens the House speakership, but the next in line is John Bell, an even worse special interest whore than Moore. There are other establishment types like Jason Saine also waiting in the wings.
The only name that seems to be floating that would turn the course rightward is Keith Kidwell. Bell seems to see Kidwell as the major rival on the right from his trying to throw Kidwell under the bus over the far left getting its panties in a twist over a Kidwell remark lately. Kidwell was at the coffee machine off the House floor when a Democrat legislator was speaking and saying her church had suggested she have an abortion. Kidwell, who is strongly pro-life, muttered to himself “must be Church of Satan” but far left News and Observer propagandist Laura Leslie was close enough she heard it and started making a big deal about it. Bell saw it as a chance to bust Kidwell’s chops and knock him down a notch as a future competitor for the speakership, so he and Saine and a couple of others demanded Kidwell resign as Assistant Minority Whip, which he did.
Kidwell has demonstrated on issue after issue, from opposing Obamacare Medicaid expansion to opposing the special interest bill for Blue Cross to opposing gambling and “medical” marijuana that he votes conservative and is not under the sway of the special interest lobbyists. I do not know of any other legislator who has been mentioned as a possible Speaker candidate who has demonstrated that type of record. If I have missed that, perhaps someone here can name one.
Yes, personal reactions to things are a concern, and Kidwell’s moving over to Whatley over a reaction to what an independent group supporting Kane did in what he saw as an attack on himself does not help him with grassroots conservatives. But the conundrum is simply this, other than Kidwell is there anyone on the conservative side who has a shot at the Speakership?
Then there are nuances over Covid policy. While Kidwell was heavily engaged on fighting government Covid mandates whether masks or lockdowns or vaccines or denial of access to drugs like ivermectin and such, he ruffled some feathers by taking the position that if government should not tell businesses to close or require masks or require vaccines, then government should also interfere with other business decisions by the businesses themselves on those issues. The special instance of a business rather than a government requiring vaccination seems to be the big point of contention. Kidwell was so focused on government not telling people and businesses what they had to do, that he did not end up on the same wavelength as some others on that aspect of the Covid issue. But is that any reason not to consider him if the only other game in town is a John Bell or someone like him? That is what conservatives will have to wrestle with unless another conservative potential for Speaker comes along.
It is absolutely hilarious that you really believe Keith Kidwell has a shot at being Speaker. When are you guys going to realize the Republican Party is made up of many different Republicans? We aren’t all from small town North Carolina. The comments about things like medical marijuana and gambling show how out of touch you are with Republicans. The House caucus has polling data indicating that 80% of North Carolinians want Medical Marijuana approved. I heard it is even higher than that in Beaufort County! I have already commented on sports betting on here, so I will leave that one alone….You guys need to get a grip on things like freedom and liberty and what that really means. While you are at it, go read Article II. of the NC Republican platform. Number 2 clearly states “We support an INDIVIDUALS ABILITY TO CHOOSE market-based solutions …. HEALTHCARE….or ANY goods and services.” You have forgotten personal responsibility and you want to weaponize government to make people live as you want them to do…Taliban anyone?
You are soooo wrong. Bell has been good to Kidwell. He is the guy who CREATED the Freedom caucus and tried to help Kidwell – but Kidwell can’t help himself. Personally, I think Bell needs be tougher on members. Bell’s staff says he actually likes Kidwell – and I don’t know why. Jason Saine is one of the most helpful guys in the General Assembly. He takes time to talk to us and help us learn what is going on around here.
Kidwell has absolutely zero shot at being Speaker. The guy is not respected, regardless of what he wants you to believe. His loud, arrogant yankee roots bubble to the surface. He can’t work with others and he cares more about a headline that getting something done.