MORE primary-meddling fallout: NC’s RNC reps targeted by internal complaint
It’s beginning to look like the GOP establishment’s aggressive program to fix the US Senate race for their boy Michael Whatley may be leading to an NCGOP implosion ahead of the key 2026 mid-term elections.
We told you about the announcement by the Republican National Committee that they would be making the unusual, historic move of meddling in a contested primary election for North Carolina’s soon-to-be-vacant US Senate seat. Career party hack Michael Whatley – the favorite of DC, Raleigh, and Thom Tillis – will face at least one Republican opponent, Charlotte-area attorney Don Brown, in the March primary.
The two major parties have long been governed by rules forbidding party leaders to take sides in primary elections. 
A group of NCGOP activists and leaders are circulating a “Petition for a Disciplinary Hearing” targeting the state party’s three top leaders: state chairman Jason Simmons, and RNC committee members Ed Broyhill and Kyssia Brassington.
Lee County GOP chairman Jim Womack issued the following statement in the wake of the petition’s unveiling:
[…] Fellow GOP Patriots:
It seems our party is running amok in prematurely supporting select candidates for office. If we are to be the party that respects the rules and rule of law, then we need to hold ourselves accountable for so doing.Recently, NC-03 stepped up and petitioned for discipline of Senator Berger for his blatant violation of party rules. Now, our NCGOP Chairman, National Committeeman and Committeewoman have violated party rules under Article IX F. by granting authority to the RNC to provide pre-primary support of one of several declared candidates for U.S. Senate.RNC Rule 11 could NOT have been invoked had any of these three officers of the party refused to grant the RNC that authority. All used their positions as senior officers of the party to allow the RNC to invoke Rule 11 and throw early support to Michael Whatley, long before the primary.Uniform justice demands these three appear before a hearing of the NCGOP Executive Committee and explain their behavior, then be subject to party discipline.I pray you Chairs will agree with this petition and assist in gathering the signatures necessary for the ExCom to gather for a hearing.Thanks in advance for your consideration. […]
Action, action.
Precisely what is needed and required.
Time to fight and stand up.
Courage folks. Get some courage and let’s act!
The fact that Whatley needs this kind of “hand-holding” to even be competitive in the primary speaks volumes as to his weakness as a candidate. Even if the RNC, NCGOP, Simmons, Broyhill, and Brassington can pull this bozo over the finish line in the primary, he’s likely to get his head handed to him by Cooper in the general election. DON BROWN IS OUR ONLY HOPE TO KEEP THIS SEAT! (And BTW, Ed and Kyshia, didn’t you do enough damage to the GOP with your slavish support of Ronna Romney McDaniel during her “Reign of Error” as RNC Chair? It’s a miracle we survived her! Get the heck out of this primary, and stay out!)
When you are trying to run a candidate who has never before run for public office, it would make sense to get him some campaign seasoning in a primary before going into the big fight with the Dems. Trying t make the primary go away does not strengthen such a candidate, but makes him weaker in the general election.
When former NCGOP state chairman Bill Cobey resigned that office to run in the primary for governor, he did not try to use his influence and position to force others out of the race. Decisions on who our nominees will be should be made by the Republican voters in the primary, not in backrooms in Washington or Raleigh. NC Republicans used to pride ourselves that our party operated from the bottom up instead of from the top down like the Democrats. Lately, it has gotten hard to tell the difference as too much control is passing to insiders.
This whole situation was avoidable, but now it will have an impact on our nominee whoever it turns out to be. Power plays off blow up on those pulling them, but the impact goes farther up and down the line. Our party should not be facing this mess. If we are going to let some party organizations and leaders get involved in primaries, the rules should apply evenly. Either everyone stays out or everyone can get in. In the past, I have always favored keeping party officials and organizations out of primaries but it looks like that just does not work any more.
I have never met Mr. Womack but I’m always impressed with his thoughtful responses in time of party need. I sincerely hope this petition has legs. The party needs to be held accountable. Mr. Brown deserves much better than what we have.
The NC GOP is a disgrace.
Let me state at the outset that I am NOT a member of the Republican Party, never have been, I am an Independent. In my time living in NC first in Dare and now Cherokee counties, I have watched with disdain as the NCGOP have forced through candidates who were obviously flawed (to put it nicely) but, the Raleigh cabal seem unable to help themselves. Do they not listen to local precincts outside of the Piedmont. Now while it is unlikely I will vote for a Democrat, I will most certainly not vote for Whatley whom I regard as one of the architects of all that is bad about the NCGOP.
It is OK for party leaders to make personal endorsements of primary candidates, but for them to use the machinery and resources of the party is something else entirely. I think Whatley would have bagged this nomination ($$$!) without their illicit help, even if he is weak on charisma, but this effort to steamroll the party is simply out of bounds. It has been going on for a long time, so thank you, Third District and Jim Womack for putting these issues out front and center.
You make a very solid point. Because of $$ and influence (both state-wide and nationally, w/ Trump and Congress), Whatley would likely have been the candidate out of the primary.
Fine, let it play out and be.
But THIS showing of the state party, national party and Trump (who has NEVER to my knowledge made a sound recommendation and has constantly fired people he’s hired in his admin) has left many turned off and away.
BUILD UP; not tear down. IF Whatley wanted (and he will desperately NEED every vote) support from all conservatives he should have stepped up and said, I don’t want this type primary campaign. Man-to-man, let the best man win. Then we have unity and FORCE to defeat coop. As is, he walks in unscathed from ALL the poor history as AG, Gov, DOT scandal, SBI scandal, BLM, high crime, COVID (with lawsuits pending), darling Mandy.
Jim Womack should be the one leading this party. I wholeheartedly agree with his statement. The thing is, I have no confidence in the Excom. They are the reason we are in the positions we’re in. The majority blindly follow Whatley and handed the reins over to Simmons. Two major mistakes. So I highly doubt anything will be done to our wayward RNC CM and CW. Both need to be replaced. I pray someone of actual substance and morals steps up to run against them…and NCGOP chair.
The RNC made sure twice that someone like him would never be State Chair. As for Whatley, as a former County Chairman, I totally despised him for the duration of his term as State Chair and I imagine he had no use for me as well. If the powers-that-be recognized that Tillis was un-reelectable, they should have done their homework on Whatley as well.
I wouldn’t vote for Whatley if someone was holding a gun to my head.
Love ya, President Trump, but you totally got it wrong on this endorsement.
I’m with Carol. Sorry, if the ncgop meddles in a primary in collusion with the national party, then I’ll sit that race out on the ballot. Whatley=Tillis= Burr= Dole.
fred
The vote to invoke Rule 11, IMO, was in response to the blow back on the fundraising invitation many of us, including this site, questioned.
A President Trump endorsement does not allow for circumvention of the Plan of Organization. This issue is much bigger than Rule 11.
The Yancey County GOP Chair spoke at the Whatley announcement with a full endorsement and his official title was used. He should be removed, yet his reward was Simmons appointing him CHAIR of the NCGOP Platform Committee. The NC14 District Chair was photographed at the same event holding Whatley Senate campaign signs and sitting next to Mrs. Whatley. Another blatant violation of the PoO. His reward – Simmons appointed him CHAIR of the NCGOP PoO Committee.
Please let that sink in – the committees on what we believe as Republicans and the rules we are to follow as a party are chaired by 2 people that have violated said rules.
We are going to find a way to snatch defeat from the mouth of victory!
Having served several years recently on Platform, the committee chairman for the past several years was a solid conservative and it was my understanding she wanted to serve again. I am sorry to see her pushed aside.
Simmons appointed him CHAIR of the NCGOP PoO Committee………!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF????
Is this also some kind of Retribution?
This party is going to the toilet.
Im seeing resurgence due to unfortunate events and these fresh faces are NOT going to last long if the team colors are crap on their noses.
Here is yet another twist on that. Simmons has been stalling on setting a hearing on the charges of party disloyalty against Phil Berger. When I raised the issue at the only ExCom meeting held so far this year, his defense was a gross misinterpretation of the Plan of Organization. When I pointed out to him the circumstances under which those Plan provisions, which I wrote, were adopted, he said he would send it to the new General Counsel as his first item of business. Instead it got shunted to the in-house staff counsel, with no action taken in the ensuing months.
Now, I have learned that Simmons told the Central Committee yesterday that he was forwarding all of that to the PoO committee instead. One wonders if this new committee chairman was given marching orders on that.
The coverup of Berger’s blatant party disloyalty by party officials is just appalling.
Primaries often produce the strongest candidate for the General Election as well as produce/expose new talented candidates for the job. We need to encourage more participation in the primary elections. That is what democracy is all about. Adios Senator Tillis !