Meet Mike Hardin, GOP candidate for Moore-Hoke DA
Moore County has had its own judicial district for the longest time. Now, we’re paired with Hoke County to the south of us. Maureen Krueger, Moore County’s incumbent prosecutor, is not seeking reelection. She’s hand-picked a potential successor and brought him onto her staff within the last few months. But the other choice in the race, Mike Hardin, has decades of experience prosecuting criminal cases in HALF of the new district.
“I’m not doing this because someone reached out to me and said ‘Hey, I think you ought to take a crack at this,” Hardin told us in an interview late last week. “I’m doing it because it’s what I’ve been doing. I know the area we’re talking about here. This job is what I know, and what I do best.”
Hardin is a Cumberland County native who got his undergraduate degree from UNC-Charlotte (where be became acquainted with now-congressman Richard Hudson) and his law degree from The University of Akron. He’s currently a senior assistant to Hoke & Scotland Counties’ current district attorney, while his wife Victoria has a private law practice. The Hardins are currently Southern Pines residents.
Mr. Hardin’s community involvement includes: Ducks Unlimited, Kiwanis of the Sandhills ( and Hope Mills prior to that), the board of Liberty Hospice, and the child advocacy board (covering Hoke, Cumberland, and Scotland Counties).
Hardin said he got his first job out of law school working in district court for then -Cumberland County prosecutor Ed Grannis. During that time, he met Jean Powell — then the first elected female district attorney in North Carolina — who recruited him to her operation in Hoke County. This new role allowed him more time in Superior Court — trying more complex and serious cases.
Jean Powell eventually retired and Kristy Newton, the current DA for Hoke and Scotland took her place. Hardin said Newton elevated him to a senior assistant role for Hoke County, and eventually a senior assistant role for the entire district.
“I’ve tried people for just about every serious crime out there — rape, robbery, murder, drugs,” said Hardin. “I’ve seen a lot more — and I’ve done a lot more — than anybody possibly could have during a few months long stint in the Moore County DA’s office. ”
Hardin says prosecutorial experience is more important than just plain ol’ courtroom experience when evaluating prosecutor candidates. “There’s a world of difference between building a case, like a prosecutor does,” he said. ” And tearing one down like a defense attorney does.”
Hardin’s name has hit the political gossip network pretty hard. I asked him to respond to, and possibly clarify, some of the things that are out there.
PARTY REGISTRATION: Hardin said that much of his time in Cumberland County was spent as a registered Democrat. “It’s a Democrat county,” he explained. “Registered Republicans have no say in local primary races, I wanted to have my say in those races. I never voted for any of the state or national candidates offered by the Democrats. I never gave a dime or a vote to Obama or Adam Schiff.”
Hardin said the party’s left turn forced him rightward in his registration. “I’m a Christian,” he said. “Many of the things the party was standing for were highly bothersome to me. ”
Hardin said he went unaffiliated and then all the way over to Republican. (The only other political race he’s run was a losing effort for a judgeship in Cumberland County — as a Republican.)
Hardin noted that a lot of prominent Republican leaders in the state were once Democrats. He also said he hoped voters will understand his predicament as a conservative living in a predominantly Democrat county.
LEGAL ISSUES. Hardin’s wife found herself in a predicament a few years back when she was representing a party in a divorce case. The opposing party took out a charge of cyber-stalking against Mrs. Hardin — alleging that she had placed a tracking device on the opposing party’s car. Hardin said his wife fought the charge and won. (The device had actually been placed by a private eye whose services had been secured by Mrs. Hardin’s client.)
Hardin found himself in a legal predicament while trying to secure his concealed carry permit. The background check came back noting someone also named “Michael Hardin” with drug charges from a county in western North Carolina. Hardin knew that was not him, and secured an attorney to help correct the matter. The matter was corrected and he got his permit.
It’s also being whispered that Hardin has had legal and ethical issues with the state bar and other regulatory agencies.
“As an attorney, you get people complaining about you,” Hardin said. ” I am in good standing to practice law in North Carolina and I possess a valid concealed carry permit. That ought to tell you right there how baseless those rumors and reports are.”
If elected, Mike will bring over 20 years of prosecutorial experience to the job.
Who do you want enforcing the law and protecting your family? I want experience! I’ll be voting Hardin for DA
The people of Moore County have a clear choice. Democrat socialist or Republican conservative and this election will decide which way they want to go. All I can say is, I HOPE the Republicans turn out in droves to prevent any more socialists from being elected. You have the power to do that, so DO IT!
Democrat? Republican? is the D.A.. a political office???
I left the Republican party because of the state level leadership (or lack thereof), tied to the fact that I could not separate the state leadership from the majority of county level power brokers. Some really good people at all levels in the Republican party, but no evidence that they were independent of the obviously corrupt national level and state level leadership.
I would vote for any prosecutor who is bulldog tough on criminals and a protector of the innocent.
I don’t expect to see any “local Trump type” candidates to go very far. I hope I am proved wrong.
Most people aren’t as tuned into local politics as the readers od this blog. Both Hardin and Donadio aee registered Republicans and most voters will have no idea about switching party affiliations and contributions to Democrat candidates. It’s going to come down to name recognition and placement on the ballot. Since our current DA has thrown her considerable weight behind Donadio, he probably has an edge, but I think it would benefit BOTH candidates to stop competing about who loves Trump more and start talking about issues and goals of the office. Otherwise, as both are Republicans, most voters are going to think six one way, half dozen the other.
His ex-wife used his debit card?? Doesn’t she have her own debit card? I wonder how painful it was for Donadio to make the Trump contribution in order to cover over the Obama/Schiff donations?
As far as Donadio, last time I made a donation, to a campaign, I had to fill out an info sheet. It listed my name, address, employer, and Body Mass Index.
Not buying the explanation there dude man. I’ll be sure to mention it to my friends.