#NCGOP: Leadership races starting to get crowded
What WAS looking like a coronation of two establishment placeholders this summer is now looking like a real-life bona fide competition.
The retirement of state GOP chairman Claude Pope created an opening at the top of the food chain. The boys in the smoke-filled back room told us a while back that they had the situation under control. Current vice chairman Carolyn Justice would be running for reelection, and SOMEBODY named Craig Collins would be running for state chairman.
Hasan Harnett — a close ally of Charlotte-area Tea Party favorite Vince Coakley –– threw his hat in the ring for chairman as an outsider. Today, we’ve received word that Lenoir County GOP chairman and Kinston resident Michelle Nix is jumping in to the vice-chairman’s race. Nix has a lot of street cred with Tea Party and Liberty activists in the NCGOP.
A.J. Daoud is still floating around out there as a possible, last-minute surprise candidate for chairman. The 6th district GOP chairman — and unsuccessful 2012 candidate for Secretary of State — has also piqued the interests of a lot of grassroots activists across the state. Daoud has been quiet about the state-level race. He’s given indications that he is only seeking reelection to the 6th district post. But he has been running radio ads in markets outside the 6th congressional district, and a “Draft A.J.” Facebook page has popped up.
Michelle Nix would be a huge improvement over the Richard Morgan ally who now is occupying the vice chairmanship. Nix has actually worked in the party organization, something that her opponent never did before being annointed vice chairman.
Simply not true. Carolyn Justice has long been active in the party which is what got her elected to the Legislature to begin with. If anyone bothers to ask her about the episode with Morgan, she readily admits she was taken advantage of by leadership when she was a freshman in the Legislature and learned valuable lessons from that experience. I know them both very well and believe the party would be well served with either in the position, but to promote Michele by disparaging Carolyn only hurts Michele.
Maybe you could enlighten us on what positions in the party organization that you contend Justice has held? She has never put forward any herself, I can see that she would be embarrassed about going MIA for ten whole years on that state GOP executive committee seat she held by virtue of being a legislator, so it is clear why she ignores that one. Oh, and don’t try to slip in elected public office or positions in auxilliary organizations.
I am not promoting a specific candidate by pointing out Justice’s flaws. I have opposed Justice since I first heard she was running. back the first time. The stench of Richard Morgan does not wash off, and I do not support Morganites for any position in the party. Saying your sorry and making excuses does not cut it.
I think Michelle would be an excellent VC. I also think that the current VC has done a great job and must correct Raphael. Carolyn has been active in SE NC for years, both in the Pender GOP and also the LCFRWC. She was 2 term president of the LCFRWC and has been active for years in the area. Perhaps you don’t live in SE NC Raphael so you’re ignorant of Carolyn’s involvement.
When I say active in the party organization, I mean the party organization, not elected public office or auxilliary organizations like the YR’s. CR’s, or RW. Nothing that Justice has put out has ever indicated she held any office of any sort in the party structure. Auxillaries are a different animal, as is public elective office.
One party post that Justice conveniently overlooks is that she was a voting member of the state GOP executive committee for ten years by virtue of being a legislator. Every legislator automatically gets a seat (something that should be changed BTW). In that entire ten years, Justice failed to attend a single meeting. That speaks volumes about her attitude toward the party structure and to the grassroots activists who make the party work.
Oh yes we all remember her well. She is a team player and has always been loyal Always willing to lend a hand jump in and get the Democrats what they want. What could possibly be the problem with her leadership of the state party. She running for the state Democrat or Republican leadership position?
How is the Pender County GOP and helping out at Pender and Wilmington headquarters during elections, holding fundraisers for candidates and moderating candidate forums not helping out the local and state GOP? And by the way, the women’s clubs are not “auxiliary”, they are an integral part of the GOP. Before becoming president of the LCFRWC Carolyn also emceed the bi-annual auction where we raised money for candidates. Maybe attending state meetings conflicted with her schedule for representing her constituents or running her business.
The Young Republicans, College Republicans, Republican Women and Republican Men have always been classified as auxilliary organizations to the party. Holding a local office in one of them is a good credential for running for a state leadership position in that auxilliary, but not so much for a state leadership position in the party.
Party leadership positions would be as precinct chairman, county party executive committee member, county party committee chairman, county party officer, district party executive committee member, district party officer, state party executive committee member, state party officer, or state party central committee member.
AWOL for TEN YEARS?????? That would take a heck of a lot of excuses. It really shows where her priorities were, and it was not with the state GOP organization.
But the biggest disqualification is her allegiance to the Richard Morgan renegades in the House who allied with the corrupt Democrat Jim Black. Richard Morgan himself was thrown out of the party for party disloyalty and all of his henchmen (and henchwomen) should have been, too.
Yeah Michele Nix. A true blue, dyed in the wool, hard working, grassroots, boots on the ground conservative. What a refreshing breath of fresh air she would be for the stagnant, “sit down and shut up” dwindling membership AKA the GOPe. Do they still have a pulse? #GoMichele
They won’t have a pulse soon, if we don’t elect Party leaders willing to back the likes of Moore and McCrory into a corner and read them the riot act. Which, of course, is why our RINO guv intends for his personal choice to be the next State Chair.
AJ and Carolyn are going to work well together!
My question on raising money.
Since the state party got the leg. To do away with the state funding the parties the leadership has had to raise money like never before. Years past the chair would raise a few hundred thousands over the check off funds. Today they need to raise a million bucks min. So which candidate for ncgop chair has the ear of the large donors? This is what matters most. Otherwise we go the way of the state Democrat party.
The fundraising position in the party leadership is the Finance Chairman, who is appointed by the state chairman and approved by the central committee. The state chairman needs to have lots of other political skills, but helping raise money does not hurt.
However, if you think Collins can raise money, go pull the campaign finance reports of the 10th district while he has been chairman. Neither he, nor his Finance Chairman have demonstrated much ability to raise money.