#ncpol: Paul Shumaker’s “dog” enters the AG “fight”
We told you it was coming. Granted, there were a few false starts, stutters and missteps. But the guy who tried to stick us with subsidies for hemp and solar power is teaming with the Democrat lobbyist / consultant who works out of Charles Jeter’s trucking company to bring you their very own Attorney General. 
Paul Shumaker and Neal Orr are the driving forces behind the just-announced candidacy of Forsyth district attorney Jim O’Neill for the GOP primary for North Carolina attorney general. The word I hear is that these guys found O’Neill, encouraged him to run — promising they would handle the fundraising, marketing and other rigamarole.
O’Neill makes for an interesting GOP candidate. After all, he got his job thanks to an appointment — and endorsement — from then-Gov. Bev Perdue:
[…] “Jim O’Neill has the respect and confidence of the public, law enforcement and attorneys in the Twenty-First District,” Perdue said. “The citizens of Forsyth County should have every confidence that justice will be administered fairly by District Attorney O’Neill.” […]
The current attorney general Roy Cooper is apparently also very impressed with O’Neill. Cooper invited O’Neill to speak at a press conference bashing the GOP -controlled legislature’s efforts to move the state crime lab out from underneath the AG office’s purview.
Orr and Shumaker have gotten off to an interesting start promoting O’Neill’s campaign. They apparently obtained a list of attorneys from Mecklenburg DA Andrew Murray — also a Shumaker client — to troll for cash. Here’s ONE we had passed to us from a Charlotte-area attorney:
From: Jim O’Neill [mailto:jim@electjimoneill.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Subject: Mutual friend Andrew Murray
To: Name Deleted, (Mecklenburg Attorney)
This is Neal Orr and I am contacting you on behalf of Jim O’Neill, the District Attorney of Forsyth County. Jim’s friend, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray, suggested that Jim get in touch with you and provided him your name.
In the very near future, Jim will be making a public announcement that he will be running as a Republican candidate for Attorney General of the State of North Carolina in 2016. Jim first began serving and protecting the public as a prosecutor back in 1997. In 2009, Jim was appointed to serve as the District Attorney of Forsyth, where he has continued to work towards keeping our communities safe.
Prior to that public announcement, Jim wanted me to see if you had a few minutes to schedule some time so that he could speak with you directly. Do you have any time this week or next, preferably in the afternoon, for Jim to give you a call? If so, please reply to this email and we can work out the details.
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.
Neal Orr for Jim O’Neill
Of course, as is the Shumaker style — lobbyists are being sent a clear message that they better pony up: 
On Oct 8, 2015, Jim O’Neill <jim@electjimoneill.com> wrote:
Name Deleted, (lobbyist)
We probably have not had opportunity to meet yet, but this is Jim O’Neill, the District Attorney of Forsyth County. Realizing how busy you’ve been with the General Assembly the past couple of months I wanted to wait before reaching out to you.
In the coming days, I will be making a public announcement as a Republican candidate for Attorney General of the State of North Carolina in 2016. As you are well aware, the first portion of that race got expedited with the primaries being moved to March.
I would like an opportunity to speak with you about this race. Ultimately, I want to meet with you but in the interim if your schedule allowed can we set up a time to chat on the phone? If so, either reply to this email or contact Neal Orr directly at 704-655-1999 and he will set things up for us.
For the last 18 years of my life, I have fought hard to protect and serve the citizens of North Carolina, first as an Assistant District Attorney and now as the elected District Attorney for Forsyth County. During this time, I have tried numerous death penalty cases and instituted prosecutorial programs designed at targeting sex offenders and chronic criminal offenders.
Forsyth County under my watch, started an Elder Abuse Task Force to protect our senior citizens from those that would prey on some of our more vulnerable citizens. Forsyth County continues to remain at the forefront of reducing and eliminating domestic violence as we continue to take an aggressive approach toward prosecuting abusers.
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration and I look forward to speaking with you.
Jim O’Neill
Candidate for North Carolina Attorney General
P.O. Box 10745
Raleigh, NC 27605
Campaign Adviser: Neal Orr, 704-655-1999
In March, O’Neill and state senator Buck Newton will face off for the right to tackle likely-Democrat nominee (and current state senator) Josh Stein in November.
No doubt this will be a hard decision for AG.
Establishment’s Newton vs. Shumaker’s ONeill
Please someone give me some insight! Help?
There is this. In 2013, I introduced bold gun bills, which Speaker Tillis would not allow a hearing because they were “too controversial and the Senate would never go for them.” A group of House freshmen met with Tillis and insisted they wanted a gun bill and they wanted me on on it. When they held a subsequent meeting to which I was invited, leadership chose to ignore all the input I offered, but wanted me to put my name on their weak, watered-down bill. I refused. So we passed an anemic HB 937 and sent it over to the Senate. What do you think they did? They took some of those things that were in my bills that Tillis said they wouldn’t consider, and them into HB 937, making it a much stronger bill. Buck Newton made that happen. I think that’s a point worth considering in his favor.
Sorry for all the typo’s. I guess you can figure out what I mean.
Why would he insert himself into the state crime lab issue, particularly on the side of Cooper, at the same time he is planning a run for AG.
One has to remember why the legislature took the Crime Lab away from Cooper. Under Cooper’s reign, there was scandal after scandal, with tainted evidence freeing quite a few criminals. With this proven record of incompetent management by Roy Cooper, the legislature moved the Crime Lab to an agency they hoped would run it properly, and so far they have.
Why would a DA back such incompetent management of this critical prosecution resource? Only partisan politics. O’Neill played Democrat partisan politics on this issue. That fits with his appointment by a highly partisan Democrat governor. And it fits with his hiring one openly Democrat consultant and another one who is nominally a Republican but took far left money to advance Obama’s agenda in the General Assembly on one of Obama’s signature issues..
This guy doesn’t have a chance in hell, Buck Newton is the man.
Shumaker running his campaign may assure that. Remember Richard Petty running for Secretary of State? Shumaker ran his campaign. He raised lots of money, but Shumaker spent lots of it on constant polls (which are very profitable to a consultant) and not a single TV ad! Naturally, he lost.
Kinda makes me glad I can’t afford a consultant. I’ve done fine without paying one so far.
It isn’t hard to figure out that this guy is the definition of a RINO.
1) Watch the video linked in the story where O’Neill says he supports Cooper against the Republican legislature. Email the link to your entire address book. Every Republican primary voter should be required to watch it. We want the exact opposite of Cooper, not someone who supports him and goes against his own Party.
2) He was appointed by Bev Perdue. A friend of Bev is no friend of conservatives.
3) The email address says “Jim O’Neill”, jim@electjimoneill.com. Yet it is from Neal Orr. So Jim O’Neill doesn’t speak for himself and if you email him you are actually emailing Neal Orr. Scary.
This guy should not get a single conservative vote!!!
We need Buck Newton. True blue conservative.
The hardest task for everyone is separating the phonies from the real conservatives. A friend of mine says forget what’s coming out of their mouths THIS election cycle, instead, look at their past words/actions. (a good idea for you Trump fans by the way). I’ve heard that Buck Newton has one of the more conservative records in the NC Senate. Anyone have info to the contrary?
Governor Purdue appointed Jim because he was the best person for the job and best for the citizens of Forsyth Co. She could of put one of her democratic buddies in there, but he/she would have gotten their tail handed to them the following year.
Buck Newton, another career politician seeking the job of Attorney General. That is just what we need. We’ve tried that for the last two decades, it didn’t work. Jim is the best candidate for the job. A career prosecutor from one of the best DA’s offices in the State.
Governor Purdue was a highly partisan Democrat hack who NEVER appointed anyone because they were the best person for the job. Not this guy, not anyone.
It would appear that Newton and O’Neill have held elective public office for about the same period of time. It is utter nonsense to say that one is any more a ”career politician” than the other.
Since you call O’Neill by his first name, clearly he is a friend of yours, but those of us who are GOP activists look at more objective factors. Who his consultants are speaks volumes, and not in a good way. So does his backing Roy Cooper on the crime lab and an appointment from Dumplin’.