NCGOP groupie parachutes in to pursue retiring Larry Pittman’s House seat
Just three years ago, Catherine Whiteford was running as a Republican in a very Democrat NC House district in Raleigh against a seasoned incumbent. (She got her clock cleaned. Also, she campaigned while on the NCGOP payroll.)
Back to the present. Conservative stalwart Larry Pittman of Cabarrus County has announced his retirement. Suddenly, Catherine was so in love with Cabarrus County she had to move there. The word IS that state Rep. John Bradford — aka Tillis-lite — fixed her up with a, um, “job” there.
It’s all shades of Richard Hudson creating a whole new identity for himself to run for Congress.
NCGOP operatives will tell you about the “wonderful” work she has done for the party. Here are a few examples: lining up her Young Republican friends to march with Black Lives Matter in Raleigh, publicly declaring that the NCGOP needs to be more open to “progressives,” suggesting publicly that the NCGOP needs to have a presence at gay community events across the state, and — last but not least — advocating for more NCGOP cooperation with Democrats.
Can you imagine? House District 83 voters going from the conservative Pittman to THIS?
Conservatives are nearly extinct in the North Carolina House — thanks to the work of Thom Tillis and his little buddy Timmy. Conservatism is what gave the NCGOP their legislative majorities in 1994 and 2010. It’s what helped them dominate the congressional delegation. The pols now see it as mealy-mouthed crap to spout at the voters. (Do another thing while out of their sight in Raleigh and DC.)
If Cabarrus County voters fall for this, it will mean one more sycophantic minion for Team Timmy and Team Tillis. And another huge loss for North Carolina conservatives.
At a NCGOP State Convention a few years ago, she made a motion to remove GOP support for traditional marriage (one man and one woman) out of the state Party Platform! She is not conservative, she is a liberal! I hope the folks in Cabarrus County are smart enough to not vote for a liberal who moved into the district just to run for office!
Thus, WHY was she in GOP. Who supported her being in the GOP?
Not enough real conservatives willing to stand up to people with terrible values and tell them that we will not allow them to destroy the party. Real Republicans should push the ones with degenerate values out of the party. I know I at least got one of them out of the party now others need to do their share
The big question is whether there is a substantial conservative candidate to take on this supporter of the Marxist BLM. If one does not emerge soon, Larry Pittman should reconsider his retirement rather than let this far left trollop have his seat. To encourage that, it would be helpful if the Cabarrus County tea party would pass a resolution relieving him of his term limit pledge and asking him to run again to keep the seat out of far left hands.
Hi Mike – my name is Christina Williams of Wake County. I made that motion, and I stand behind that motion. We can debate the merit all you want, but please don’t misattribute one of my proudest moments where I stood up for my beliefs to someone else. Thank you!
She supported it and debated for it, and that is the issue. She is not a conservative. Believing that there is nothing wrong with same sex marriage is nothing to be proud of.
She did not debate in favor of that amendment on the floor. Catherine and I happen to look a lot alike. Your accusations and disdain of a young Republican woman running for office are grossly are misdirected.
My pride is my own and does not require your validation.
I don’t care what your thoughts are, or your positions, but don’t play me. I was within a few feet of her and she supported the amendment! End of discussion!
“Your accusations and disdain of a young Republican woman running for office are grossly are (sic) misdirected.”
Registering as a Republican does not mean you have conservative values or support the Republican platform. It can mean you’re an opportunist. Even liberals, like Catherine Whiteford, can register as Republicans.
It’s interesting to see some new names posting in this thread. Catherine is good at rallying the troops. That’s why her candidacy is not to be taken lightly.
Because of an emergency appendectomy, I missed the business session of the GOP Convention in Hickory. Former House Member Speciale’s remarks confirm what Wake County friends told me and who participated. My friends were in close proximity to those making and debating the proposal.
This woman makes Lisa Murkowski look conservative. She is a far left infiltrator into the GOP. Whitehead carpetbagged into North Carolina to infiltrate our politics and now is carpetbagging into Cabarrus County. Does Cabarrus County have a strong conservative to take her down in the primary? We need to help contribute to defeat Whitehead. I have also heard that she is big into the Green New Deal with the wind and solar grifters. One race she had the YR’s concentrate on last cycle was supporting the most obnoxious green energy flunky in the House, Rep. Szoka of Cumberland County.
This kind of thing happens way too much all over North Carolina. Most of the time the members of the party infrastructure do little to discourage the practice and many times contribute to it. I wonder about the motives of people working within organizations (including parties) with different beliefs than their own. Let’s hope a conservative native of Cabarrus County will step up and oppose her in the Republican Primary.
Most of this information has been well known in insider circles for years. There was a mutiny planned for the YR’s last year, but they chickened out. She takes full credit for the growth of the YR’s when most of us know that it was the Trump Effect, not the Catherine Effect. We are fortunate to finally get this information out in the open. However, don’t underestimate Catherine. She is a tireless worker and has a lot of young people who like and support her. The problem is that she works tirelessly as a community organizer for the wrong things. The most dangerous place to be standing on earth is between Catherine and a camera.
Considering the lackluster races that most Republicans in the western part of the state run, she has a good shot at winning the seat. If she does, it will be a sad day for North Carolina. She deserves respect as a person, but as a politician, she is bad news all the way. Don’t be surprised when you learn that Michael Whatley has his hands on this race. She’s a Whatleyite 24/7. Anything goes to get rid of conservatives in the legislature.
wow. Everything is starting to make sense. Giving the GOP a makeover but not in a good way.
I observed her to be one of Dallas Woodhouse’s most useful personnel assets.
That should be all that conservatives need to know.
Beating her in a primary should not be that difficult with a decent conservative candidate and adequate funding. Her record on issues is what in the military would be called a “target rich environment”. A decent consultant could work wonders with the material available. Hopefully a qualified conservative consultant will give a discount rate to her conservative primary opponent.
Does any of the people that comment on here have any scruples to fact-check anything they say? We already see Speciale called out for misattributing an action done by another in order to shame this young lady. AND her name is Whiteford, not Whitehead. If you truly had any level of relevant complaints against her instead of sheer unbridled hatred then maybe, perhaps this article and comments could be taken seriously. Trump affects or not, she is the head of the state NCYRs. I too do not agree with everything she stands for however, perhaps she is the new breed of Republicans that we need to capture better the youth of our state. I am surrounded by old white guys who think their ways are the best ways. Do you think Whatley is in cahoots with her? Statements like that show your true lack of credibility. Did you see what she did when to them when the chairman and the pedophile came after her?
I have met the woman in person one time. There were some strange angles to her side of the conversation, but her big spiel was how great it was that the YR’s had gone to help Representative Szoka and she praised his stands on solar energy. That was a huge turn off for me, as it showed she was into the solar goons and the green new deal. She also hit a few other liberal notes in the conversation but no conservative ones, and, of course she blew her own horn loudly about what “she” had accomplished in the YR’s..
I hear a lot about her from YR’s in my area, none of it good. Not only are they turned off by her flagrant liberalism but also by her power plays within the YR’s. In fact, she has caused some of them to question whether they should even stay in the YR’s.
Her leftwing ideology is NOT what most YR’s believe. Most of them are good conservatives, at least in my part of the state. If we are going to promote young people in the party, it should be those who share Republican beliefs, not closet Democrats like Whiteford. (sorry, “Whitehead” was a brain fart from someone I had dealt with recently in a business context)..
As to “hating” Whiteford, I don’t think anything expressed here is of a personal nature. Politics should be about policy, not personality, and this woman represents policies that we as conservatives do not want to see in the General Assembly. Some of us might actually find her quite charming dealing with her on a social level, although I don’t know her well enough to state that for a fact, but based on her stances on key policy issues, we do not want to see her leftist ideology in the GOP caucus in the General Assembly and therefore on a political level, we oppose her. There are old white guys who have gone off the reservation on policy who are incumbents who we also need to primary and get out of the General Assembly, solar goon flunky Szoka being one of them.
As to “fact checking” that term is part of the Orwellian “Newspeak” of the woke left and it translates in plain English to “spinning”.
I did not misattribute, you actually did. You thought I, and the folks standing with me, did not hear what we heard, or that we don’t remember. I remember those that claim conservative but support progressivism.
Michael is correct. Catherine is a liberal. She doesn’t even hide under sheep’s clothing. She is bad news. So she has consistently pushed a liberal agenda and tried to drag the GOP to the left.
The only takeaway from what everyone has written is the sheer hatred for this woman. Boy, if you people actually focused on things that mattered, like maybe helping Dan Forest win the governorship you wouldn’t have all this time on your hands to bash a fellow Republican. I am sure if we dug deep enough we could find dirt on you all too. Yet no outcry for those around us who actually broke the law but it is ok to tear apart this woman.
Nobody stated they hate her. She is a young lady trying to make her way up the political ladder, and that is fine. Having said that, if she is going to run for public office, her closet will be on display! Regarding support for Dan Forest, he had the support of the Republicans who knew who he was, but his terrible campaigning, or lack thereof, caused too many Republicans to ask “who is running on the Republican ticket for Governor”. There were too many who didn’t know him, and he picked a losing theme (Covid)! He lost due to his own arrogance!
I was within eyeball distance of NCGOP HQ during that time…..agree that Forest didn’t run a good campaign despite the fact that Governor Covid was running against him, but I could tell that his election was a priority somewhere between last to not at all, with Chairman K Street and his staff.
You don’t actually have to say, “I hate Catherine” to show you hate Catherine. I think the abundance of hate is written pretty clearly. Why not focus on the opposition like a Beasley instead of one of our own?
Frankly, y’all are pathetic and should be the ones to examine yourselves as Republicans.
simple leftist republicans are leftists they are not conservative they are the same enemy of the people
your logic is a complete failure
It is not at all personal. It is about her ideology. Conservatives are tired of liberals trying to pull our party to the left, and Whiteford is very far to the left. We do not want to see an AOC in the GOP. And carpetbagging into a conservative seat just rubs salt into the wound. Most of us here feel the same way about Burr, Tillis, and McCrory, although none of them are quite as far to the left as Whiteford. Most of us want a party that represents the philosophy of Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Jesse Helms, Dan Bishop, and similar conservatives. We do not want to see any Mitt Romneys, Lisa Murkowskis, or Liz Cheneys, or worse.
Agree totally, Reaganite!
You do realize Pat McCrory endorsed against Catherine in 2019 (still beyond me why a former Governor cared so much about a YR race) and Catherine has been one of Dan Bishop’s stronger grassroots supporters – both in 2019 and 2020 and I expect the same in 2022?
I stand behind Catherine! She is bringing good and needed change to the Republican Party that we need to be more welcoming!
Oh? Is that Obama change, Biden change, or AOC change? Or maybe BLM / Antifa change? Catherine seems to want to be the AOC of the GOP.
What changes would that be? Rank and file members who care about their Party and it’s stated values deserve specifics. Despite having witnessed CW in various situations and places over the years, her values are not particularly clear to me and to the extent that they are, they’re disturbing. Her actions on the other hand, raise reasonable questions. Carpetbaggers running for office always do. And this is the office of one of the few and most trusted conservatives in the statehouse.
Here we get to the crux of the issue. I suppose all this hinges on whose perspective matters. Rather than trying to change an existing political party into something you believe in, wouldn’t it be better to just join a party you agree with? From my perspective, I’m already having big issues with the present pack of RINOs, crooks, charlatans, and self promoters existing in the Party. It wouldn’t take much more to send me and others on to something more credible. I know plenty of people that have already moved on.
A party by definition is a group of people working together to establish or promote particular theories or principles of government which they hold in common. I’m trying to decide if some of the people in question here should be considered reformers or saboteurs. Having seen similar processes happening in churches makes me think sabotage. I’m getting real tired of Trojan horses being parked within everything that matters to me.
You MUST have brown eyes.?
There was a mutiny planned for the YRs? Seriously? Who are you?
I’m Hershel Patel. This is all public record. I had maxed out $5600 to Catherine and asked for a refund because a person by the name of Holly Grimsley was in the race.
I thought Mrs. Grimsley was a conservative. After all, she had and has a great platform as chairwoman of the school board. So I told Mrs. Grimsley, I would like to support her.
While Mrs. Grimsley is a nice person, I was wrong about her politics. She reintroduced the mask mandate after they said it was not going to be instituted, and she expressed faux outrage when her vice chair reasonably mentioned that illegal migration may contribute to the rise of COVID-19 cases.
The only candidate that stood up to what was going on the Cabarrus school board was Ms. Whiteford.
The only candidate that is taking an official stand right now on Critical Race Theory is Ms. Whiteford.
Therefore, I’ll let less than a handful of anonymous people comment randomly here.
However, I’ve already maxed out in 3 Congressional races to take back the United States House of Representatives (this is also public record). Now, I’m going to max out again to Catherine and quite frankly I think my $5600 is going to have much more of an impact than a couple anonymous posters.
So, which do you believe? When she was marching with Marxist BLM or when she claims to be against CRT? Sorry, but candidates who try to reinvent themselves as something else are simply not to be trusted.
Dude these people are not anonymous posters they have been active or had been active in the NCGOP probably longer than you have been alive
I just took a look at the FEC, Open Secrets, and SBOE sites. I presume you are the Hershel Patel from Charlotte rather than the one from New York. The only Congressional candidate I see that you have contributed to during this cycle is Dan Bishop (and he IS a great Congressman) and you gave him a large contribution. I do see some rather hefty contributions over the last few years to the NC Federation of Young Republicans, so your financial connection with Catherine seems to predate her running for this seat. On the legislative side, I see that you have contributed a very modest amount to a state senate race in 2018 and then hefty contributions to Whiteford this cycle.
As to school board members running for higher office, in the political climate today, I would not count on any of them unless they have a strong record opposing the liberal curriculum changes, mask mandates, and CRT. There are way too many school board members who are little more than pathetic rubber stamps for liberal superintendents.
I lived in both Charlotte and New York. Same person, although I don’t remember donating heavily when I lived in New York. I may have though.
Of course, I’ve donated in several cycles to Dan Bishop. I’ve also double maxed to Mariannette Miller-Meeks from Iowa – who won by 6 votes – and Nancy Pelosi tried to steal that election. I also max donated to Jake Evans primary campaign in GA-6 after President Trump gave him an honorable mention.
Some of those donations may be released publicly in Q4 2021 reports, so your research is accurate, but those donations have already been made by me. I’ve also donated to the NRCC and may do so again this cycle.
Does saying “I maxed out” make you feel special or important? It’s not unusual, and many of us do the same. Because of your post, I think I’ll max out to Freeman.
How did Catherine feel when you took back your donation?
I have no idea who you are, Yond. However, I have put my money where my mouth in many races and including with the YRs. Thus, I don’t need to post anonymously that I was planning “a mutiny” in the YRs but people “chickened out”.
And so yeah, I do feel special about my financial support of strong conservative politicians statewide and federally 🙂
I also eagerly await the next financial disclosures for Mr. Freeman to find out who you actually are, Yond, when you max out. The suspense is killing me 🙂
My earlier statement explaining the financial disclosure (including the return and why I asked for it) along with my current intentions were meant for public consumption and the civic discourse here on Haymaker. They should speak for themselves.
Sounds like a repeat of that young chick that ran for Sec of Ag…..recall that disaster of a candidate…It’s ALL ABOUT changing NC. Seems NC can’t ‘find’ any REAL conservatives and everyone in the dem party and far too many in the so-called republican party lean left. Just know as a conservative, I fully repudiate Tillis and Burr, duped by McRory as well and find Lt Gov Robinson the sole person that will speak truth, stand behind it and take the heat from all those with their hair on fire (including MANY republicans…). DID the GOP come out strongly OR at all last wk, when Cooper asked Lt Gov to RESIGN????????? IF so, I missed it…!!!
Look for my statement on Facebook on a post I shared in support of Mark Robinson, saying he is doing a great job and we should make him Governor. I guess you have missed something somewhere if you don’t know that I stay in trouble with RINO’s for speaking the truth. The funny thing is, leadership can’t figure out that my strong stand for the rights of our citizens and to uphold our Constitutions is exactly why they haven’t been able to get rid of me, in spite of all their efforts to do so.
I guess I will have to chime in here. A former member asked me about having a conservative friend of his, who he said was like me, move from his county to my district to replace me. I told him conservatives in Cabarrus County would not appreciate ANYONE moving here just to run for office, and that I would discourage anyone from trying it, conservative or not.
Then, along comes Catherine from Wake County. There was also a Cabarrus County RINO was going to try it, but she has switched over to run for County Commissioner.
Meanwhile, I just about begged Robert M. Freeman for about three months to run to replace me, and he has started his campaign. A number of people who helped me are going to help him, and I will do all I can to get him elected. Robert is a great public servant and a true brother in Christ. As Chairman of our County Commission in 2001-2004, he got our property tax rate down to 53 cents, kept it there as long as he was in office, and got everything done that needed to be done. He has served on the Board of Rowan Cabarrus Community College and other important boards in our area. I got him appointed to the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, where he has done a great job and is in his second term. He is a Cabarrus County native, a skillful businessman and a true conservative Republican, unlike Whiteford.
As for me running again, I can’t this time. I promised to serve only five full terms. If I can’t keep my word about that, why would you trust me for anything else? Besides all that, I am ready, after 45 years away, to go home to the New Bern area where I was raised. We are looking now for a home in Craven County, near Michael and Hazel Speciale. Mike was my best buddy on the House, and he has a great group of conservative activists down there. I look forward to working with them. I make no promises about ever running again or not, but I will be 70 in 2024, so my age will be a factor.
I urge everyone who has supported me to support Robert M. Freeman for NC House, District 83.
Someone in this series of comments said something about getting the TEA Party group in Cabarrus County to release me from my promise to serve on five full terms. I appreciate that, but (1 ) there is no TEA Pary group in Cabarrus County anymore, and (2) I did not make the promise to any particular group, but to the citizens in general, so they would know I was not going to be another “professional politician.”
I meant only five full terms, not on five.
Not a bad surname with which to run for public office. 😉
Larry, thank you for your service. You have always been a dedicated and principled conservative, such as being one of only 8 or 9 House Republicans to reject the dreadful Berger / Cooper / Moore Green New Deal HB951 that will cost our electric ratepayers out the wazoo. You will be missed.
Also, thank you for assuring that a worthy conservative is there to take your place. Robert Freeman seems to have the same strength of character to be able to step into the big shoes you are leaving. My suggestion of rethinking your retirement was only if there was not a formidable conservative there poised to. take up your mantle, but from what you told us, he sure seems to fit the bill. Does he have a website yet where we can contribute? This is a key seat where we need to beat the RINOs.