Team Whatley planning to install Simmons as party chairman? (Trump supposedly “WANTS” this.)
The reports we’re hearing from some influential NCGOP leaders around the state don’t sound good. RNC chairman-designee Michael Whatley has put out the word he plans to officially resign his state party post on March 26. An executive committee meeting is slated for that date, as well.
This is where the story gets interesting. Reports have been circulating that party vice-chairman Susan Mills and at least TWO of the party’s more conservative leaders were eyeing a campaign for the soon-to-be-vacant state chairman post. Originally, word was circulated that the selected candidate would be an interim leader until an election could be held at the next state convention (which would be this summer).
Today, we heard from one of the two potential conservative contenders for the chairman post. They reported to us that they received a call from Whatley himself. According to our source, Whatley attempted to discourage a run by our source. Reportedly, the plan is now to install NCGOP executive director Jason Simmons as the next NCGOP state chairman.
Our source tells us that Whatley described a Simmons chairmanship as “something Trump wants.”
Sources familiar with the workings of the NCGOP executive committee tell me there are no plans, as 
of yet, to hold any sort of multi-candidate election at this summer’s convention. So, if Simmons is installed, he could very well serve until the end of Whatley’s unexpired term — which is some time in June 2025.
If this comes to fruition, it would likely be seen as one more figurative kick-to-the-groin for North Carolina conservatives. Earlier “kicks” include the selection of Whatley for the RNC post, as well as primary endorsements of Tim Moore, Virginia Foxx, and lobbyist Addison McDowell.
It’s becoming apparent that the ‘drain the swamp’ slogan from 2016 and 2020 will not be in play for 2024. We’re seeing way too much love from Team Trump for some very swampy characters this go-around.
One note here. It would not be possible to have an election at this years state convention. The rules do not allow that. Only the Executive Committee can replace the vacating chair and it is for the remaining part of the term
You are correct sir.
Plus, do you really think we can do 5 elections at this convention (Chair, VC, RNC Man, RNC Woman, National Delegates)
Last year, it took 3 hours to do ONE Election.
Plus, ZERO TIME debating the POO & Platform.
The expensive unreliable APP Whatley chose to use for his election caused the three hour vote. For a group claiming election integrity, it was shameful to say the least! Hope they learned their lesson and us paper ballots from now on!
They have the numbers figured out and the commitments to make what they desire happen.
This is a Teachable moment to share with all of the republicans that have abandoned the party. You cannot “fix it” from the outside and they will make it stink just enough to maintain their control over the grass roots. You have to commit to the stench (and they have) and show up.
… I don’t know why Jason cannot be party Chair and ED…. After all, Whatley showed us both Chair and RNC Counselor are both part time jobs…
IF indeed it is Trump “who wants this” and it’s not some sweet sauce to hide the real flavor, He stands a good chance of souring all of NC with this bullshit.
Not only is Jason Simmons NOT a party worker other than when he is getting paid a salary for it, as he seems never to have held a party office of any sort, he also does not seem to put any of that salary toward supporting Republican candidates. An FEC search on Jason Simmons of Raleigh turns up a big fat ZERO on contributions, and a NCBOE report turns up a Jason Simmons in Brunswick County giving $100 in 1994 and a Jason Simmons of Mecklenburg giving $31 in 2012. Neither of those may be this Jason Simmons.
actually it only took 46 minutes for everyone to vote….it was the drama that lasted three hours.
“Drama” – such as making sure only delegates ON THE FLOOR OF THE CONVENTION were allowed to vote. Following rules is just “drama” to establishment pukes.
I am relatively new to North Carolina and having time to follow politics closely. One suggestion that I do have would be to title the Plan of Organization differently. Rightly or wrongly, the unfortunate abbreviation of ‘poo’ does not reflect well on the party. Yes, we are adults and can think around it but the unconscious reaction still manifests at times.
Can you tell us what ELECTED positions Simmons has ever held within the Republican Party in North Carolina? If the anwer is “none”, then he is not qualified to be chairman. None of the stuff promoting him mentions a single one, so I suspect there are none.
I keep hearing rumors of people boycotting the March 26 meeting to deny a quorum for this fast track cram down. That is not what we need. We need one or more qualified candidates to come forward and run.
Dallas that can happen at the convention to have the meeting and vote there! Give others a chance to campaign to the committee members. Plus on 3-26 the plan DOES NOT FOLLOW THE HOLY GRAIL known as the NCGOP POO! Read up on that Dallas
Dallas read the comment’s especially Jim Wolmack’s! What they are doing is wrong and you know it! POO says next Highest Officer will take over as Chairman! Our current Chairman is not following the NCGOP Holy Grail that is known as the POO! The ExComm members are who votes but it should not be on 3-26-24! This is for sure
hanky-panky. And you know it!
the last two Excom meetings that were held, we did not have quorum. Both held on the weekend.
They schedule a meeting almost on top of Christmas and you think they REALLY expect a quorum? Do you think ExCom members are THAT dense? Early January would have gotten a quorum if the powers that be had REALLY wanted one.
With people’s work obligations, a week night meeting makes things difficult for a lot of people, and again the powers that be know THAT. This is all an attempt at manipulation of who will be able to attend, and it is deliberate. If they install Simmons with this hardball, he will have no credibility at all. But all Whatley cares about is installing a puppet for this election, and all Simmons cares about is a title for his resume for a job in the next Trump administration. Neither really give a crap about what happens to the party and treating volunteer leaders like meaningless peons does not help build a party; in fact quite the opposite..
I agree on all counts. The only thing I’m up in the air about is whether these people disrespect we back woods peons or if they actually have outright distain for those of us making up the backbone of the NCGOP. In other words, screw them, too.
In swamp politics why even bother to elect a vice chairman?
I do not see anything showing that Simmons has EVER held ANY elected party office. Has he? If not, he is not really qualified. His only experience seems to be as a party bureaucrat or government bureaucrat. That is not the sort of background that our party needs. I want to see someone who has proven themselves as a successful county or district chairman.
Is Simmons proposing to be a PAID party chairman? If so, does he also want a paid party ED as well? That would be top heavy on administration and wasteful spending.
Apparently this guy Simmons showed up as a bureaucrat in the McCrory administration. McCrory was noted for NOT hiring GOP activists or strong conservatives. Indeed his administration seem to have shunned hiring experienced hands from the Jim Martin administration or people recommended by party leaders or legislators. Is Simmons at his core a McCrory Republican, a Trump Republican or an opportunist who goes whatever way the wind blows?
Whatley does not need to be interfering in this race. I am very disappointed in Ted Budd getting involved. The party ExCom does not need to be dictated to.
A longtime party bureaucrat looks at things differently than most in the organization, who are volunteer leaders do. This is a very very bad precedent. I hope someone with some REAL party leadership credentials steps up to run. We also do not need a Whatley yes-man.
I would like to know if Simmons, once installed, plans to deal with the Harvey West appointments? I’m guessing it will be business as usual..
Also, curious why the NCGOP has no Code of Conduct or Ethics (with teeth) for officers and committee members that would prevent rapists, pedophiles, or other such criminals from rising to the top of the ranks or serving in public office?
North Carolina is descending into East California under RINO Republican leadership. At first glance, I thought the NCGOP to be something of a clownshow, but have come to realize it is far more nefarious.
Calling all Constitutional Christian Conservatives to show up and help purge the party of the morally bankrupt RINOS at the helm.
TRUMP isn’t HEAD of NC’s GOP.
STOP that type of innuendo.
And, FTR, Trump is HORRID at picking, recommending hires/personnel/employees.
Trump has NO idea who in NC needs to head the NC GOP. ‘
When I first got invovled in Republican politics in the early 1970s, we used to pride ourselves in being a party that operated from the bottom up, instead of from the top down like the Democrats. Our leaders were NOT annointed from on high, and our leaders did not dictate who their successors would be.
Now the roles seem to be reversed. The Democrats just had a state convention where the grassroots flexed their muscles and decided who the leadership would be. In the GOP we seem to have a small group of insiders trying to dictate to our party from the top down. Trump was a great president, and our number one objective this year should be to put him back in the White House, but he has also demonstrated, beginning with his endorsement of Thom Tillis, that he is not always very good at making rcommendations within the party.
I well remember 1973 when Governor Holshouser decided he should name the NCGOP chairman and the grassroots said not just NO but HELL DAMN NO, and we had the most bitterly contested set of conventions from county all the way to state probably in the party’s entire history. Then came the 1974 primaries where Holshouser decided to try to get even with the many Republican legislators who had opposed his efforts to take over the party, and we had a whole series of bitter legislative primaries as a result. I remember verteran GOP legislators using the terms “Holsbastard” and “Outhouser” to refer to the governor. It tu;rned out that Holshouser had enough state jobs and board appointments to buy enough people to gain control of a devastated party structure, but it did not work in legislative primaries, where the grassroots soundly beat Holshouser. The upshot of a bitterly divided party from this top down approach was the 1974 general election disaster where we lost 2 of our 4 Congressmen, 14 of our 15 state senators, 26 of our 35 state representatives, and a host of other offices.
I also remember what some on the old Talking About Politics discussion board used to call the “Cobey dynasty”, where beginning with Chairman Bill Cobey, he and his immediate successors for a period dictated their successors. That led to a lot of grassroots resentment, and was damaging to the party.
Personally, as one member of the NCGOP state executive committee, I will do all I can to fight any attempt to impose a chairman from the top down. That is spitting in the eye of the party grassroots. In a year we all need to be pulling together to get rid of the Biden disaster, we do not need the divisivenness of top down dictatorship in our party. We do not need our grassroots being treated as meaningless peons. I hope that Chairman Whatley will have enough respect for proper party procedure and for the grassroots workers who make victory possible to not try to ram a successor down our throats.
After last year’s convention, this is sad. Jason is a nice guy BUT this is about having a thriving party AFTER this election… I support Trump…worked hard for him and will continue…that said the Chairman should NOT be handpicked by Whatley or Trump.
This smacks grassroots activists in the face. Didn’t Simmons come to NC to be ED? We have so many counties in turmoil and they get no help because noone at NCGOP understands the challenges they face. We have noone there that truly knows or cares to follow the POO.
I don’t understand how someone making six figures can go to no salary or did I miss something?
My speculation is if Trump is elected, Simmons doesn’t stay here and goes to work for the administration. So, once again we will be in turmoil.
It is way past time to stop the games who truly cares about the NC Republican Party and its candidates. Every statewide candidate should be worried because the focus isn’t on them and those races will be tough.
In the last budgets, the ED was given carte blanche to spend as he “needed” for elections.. We have received substantial infusions from RNC in the past to keep afloat…it’s going to be interesting to see what goes on behind the smoke & mirrors.
What ties does Simmons have to North Carolina other than his paid positions in politics or government? Where is he from? I want a genuine North Carolinian to head my party, not an outsider opporlunist looking for resume enhancement for a job in the next Trump administration.
After Trump’s terrible endorsements in our last primary, does he expect party activists to suddenly trust him on this endorsement? While I trust Trump on policy as president, his record of bad endorsements within the party makes me extremely wary of anyone he endorses..
Article VI.B.5.(a)i. of the State Plan of Organization reads: A vacancy in the office of State Chairman shall be filled by the next ranking Committee member until the State Executive Committee elects a successor. The order of rank shall be Vice-Chairman, Secretary. A meeting of the State Executive Committee shall be called within 60 days of the vacancy for the purpose of electing a State Chairman.
If Michael Whatley and the establishment wing of the NCGOP truly cared about the party and its unity, they would follow the spirit and intent of the State Plan.
Interestingly, Whatley is choosing March 26th to make his announcement- which is 61 days from the next scheduled ExCom meeting (Sunday of the State Convention). That is not a coincidence. By making his announcement on that day, the Acting Chairman (per the Plan- Susan Mills, the current Vice Chair) would necessarily need to call another ExCom meeting before Sunday of the annual state convention, May 24-26. Why not call the meeting on Thursday, May 23rd and save a ton of money and travel on the part of the ExCom? Or perhaps the morning of Friday, May 24th when MOST of the ExCom will already be headed to or attending the state convention? Or, why doesn’t Whatley elect to announce one day later (March 27th) so we can comply with the Plan by holding our election at the next scheduled ExCom meeting on March 26th?
Seriously, we ALL know why not. By orchestrating this installation, Whatley can name his successor, denying the ExCom the ability to conduct an election where “We the People” of the ExCom are free to elect the best leader for the NCGOP.
By sensibly delaying the vote until late May, prospective Chairman candidates would be able to formulate a campaign, attend some county conventions, and speak at all of the district conventions, making thier case to members of the ExCom. By calling for the election on March 26th, the leadership is essentially forcing a new Chairman down our throats. If instead, leadership delayed the election to late May, the party would avoid an unnecessary spring meeting, saving a significant amount of money and lost travel time
Those of us who truly care about the NCGOP, who respect and revere grass roots (conservative) Republicans and their values, who truly seek to follow the rules of the party, decry this manipulation, These are the behaviors normally associated with morally corrupt leftists, not Patriotic conservatives. Shame on Michael Whatley and Jason Simmons for corrupting our rightful election process.
One final thought- I know the state party is struggling to motivate donors and to raise funds to operate through this election cycle. It is no secret we are presently surviving on RNC financial supplements, which could be at risk under its new leadership. (Of course, the NCGOP hasn’t passed a budget for two years, so party rank and file may not be aware just how meager our resources are.)
Given our financial constraints, how will Mr. Simmons adjust to the non-paying Chairman’s job? Is he ready to forfeit his hefty salary as Executive Director to be a pro bono Chairman? Or does he plan to take on both roles to keep the salary flowing? Surely, he doesn’t expect to retain his salary, hire a new paid ED, and jam yet another six figure salary into our unapproved budget. These are questions that deserve an explanation before conducting any future election.
The budget meetings of the ExCom have deliberately been set at times when a quorum is going to be difficult. Without a budget in place, what is to stop just granting Simmons whatever salary they want? And who sets a salary for a paid chairman? The PoO is not clear on that. The budget is an item of business that is pending. Will it be on the agenda for this meeting? We need to put a lot more detail on salaries into the budget so that it is not just a slush fund. We also need to prohibit use of budget funds to pay for any type of convention voting by electronic means, something that is unreliable and potentially corrupt.
While dealing with the leadership of the Moore County GOP, I have learned that they will ignore, bend and violate their own Plan of Organization to suit whatever They The Swamp wants and the NC protects them.
It is clear that both the NC and Moore County GOP need an enema to flush out They The Swamp and corrupt leadership.
It is up to We The People to stand up and deliver that enema.
We passed a budget for the NCGOP during the Exe Comm meeting following the 2023 convention in June. I know because I was there and voted for it.
None of this surprises. Whatley has been breaking POO rules when they’re not convenient since at least 2020. NCGOP hasn’t had a popularly and legally elected State Chair since 2015. And lastly and most importantly, I don’t give a damn what J. Donald Trump wants.
Whatley breaking POO rules?
Who does he think he is, the leadership of the Moore County GOP?
And now Trump HAS publicly ENDORSED Simmons.
He has mighty bad handlers and/or listening to the wrong masses.
Is this a Lara influence?
I’m just about DONE with supporting NC republicans….
The “election” of Simmons would be Committee business that can only happen if a quorum is present, I believe that number is in the 115-125 range.
If fewer people show up for this meeting, on a Tuesday night, in the middle of nowhere, the Plan of Organization will prevail and Susan Mills will be elevated to Chair.
Driving to Selma from Winston-Salem is a 4+ hour endeavor, meaning I wouldn’t get home until between 11pm and midnight. That’s assuming there aren’t any “irregularities” in the vote. Unless there is a challenger to Simmons, I would certainly consider staying at home that night, encouraging other ExCom members to the same and letting the PoO do what it was designed to do!
I did not realize that this was a weeknight. For a statewide meeting, that is a shameless manipulation. They probably calculated how they can cobble together a quorum, but this makes it very very difficult for many committee members to participate. That has to be intentional. This is a blatant attempt to railroad the ExCom and should not be tolerated.. If they manage to install Simmons this way, he will have ZERO credibility. Anyone who would allow themselves to be muscled in this way also has ZERO integrity. We would then need to find some strategy at the state convention to neutralize Simmons. We need a chairman, not a Whatley sock puppet.
I support President Trump but this manipulation is unacceptable. Follow the POO…like the rest of us have. This type of nonsense is causing a flood of Republicans to switch to unaffiliated. Ronna Daniel’s lost major races…Michael losing Republican registrations. Grassroots ignores, belittled, and then forced to play hardball. We have to be a team…not a unity team singing kumbaya and begging people to play nice …but right after that sweet advise talking trash behind others backs. …we should act like FAMILY acting in each other’s best interest and the combined values of our community. We need to stand firm and fight this bull shit. Rant ended.
I just got the postcard notice of the meeting. It is postmarked March 11 for a meeting on March 26, exactly the 15 days notice required. It was actually received on March 14. It does not state that there is a vacancy for state chairman to be filled, something one would think would be an important piece of information to provide. It states the location is a farm somewhere near Selma, NC but provides no directions to that farm.
This has a really, really bad smell to it.
We need to tighten up our plan of organization on filling vacancies. We should require that meetings for that purpose be held on weekends, be called for that specific purpose and so noted in the call for the meeting, receive a longer notice period to allow prospective candidates time to campaign for the office, and require party HQ to provide all available contact info immediately to prospective candidates.
Use Waze. and the driving directions will come right up. The Farm at 95 is the name of an event center that has been used by the party for multiple events. The Sportsman’s Banquet was there last fall.
Dallas Woodhouse, like all establishment hacks, is full of Scheiße. The members of the State Executive Committee will be in Greensboro and could very easily cast their ballots in their own meeting on Friday or on Sunday. No one is suggesting the delegates should vote as that’s not in the State POO.
Donald Trump clearly doesn’t know jack about who represents the SWAMP in Raleigh, North Carolina.
https://www.wtpevents.org/so/eeOvHuSWR?languageTag=en
Unless the POO was changed since I served in the House, all members of the General Assembly are voting members of the ExCom. That is how they will get their boy elected by pushing legislators to show up! I proposed leaving legislators on the ExCom as non-voting members but could not get the support for that. Maybe that needs to be brought up again. Let’s see how many legislators show up for this meeting!
The word I hear is that this is what the Whatley mafia is working on, probably with Berger and Moore in tow. This is the swampy way to control the ExCom because most legislators never come to the meetings unless they are summonsed by the “leadership” to put muscle behind the establishment. You are spot on, Mike. If the PoO committee does not take the legislators off of being automatic voting members of the ExCom, that badly needs to be brought up from the floor at the convention. This railroading of the unqualifed puppet Simmons is disgusting. This is not the first time such a thing has been done, but the convention can make sure it is the LAST.
But legislators don’t count toward a quorum, and getting a quorum may be difficult. Lets hope the stinking Whatley mafia falls on their face on that part.
Removing the legislators as automatic (ex officio) voting members of the ExCom is not a new idea. In my first stint as a member of the Plan of Organization Committee for the state convention back in the early 1980s, we almost recommended it as part of our report. The proposal to remove the legislators only narrowly failed after an impassioned plea by State Rep. Reid Poovey (R-Catawba) who was a POO committee member, about the legislators being the “front line troops”.
We had a lot fewer legislators in those days, and they thus had less impact on ExCom majorities, and additionally legislators then were often people who had come up through the ranks in the party. Now we have a lot more legislators and they are less likely to have come up through party ranks. There is less and less justification to give them automatic voting seats.
I hope the current POO committee will revisit this issue. My own suggestion would be to reduce the number of legislators but not eliminate them entirely. Instead of all legislators automatically being members, I would suggest allowing those legislators attending their biennial congressional district GOP convention to caucus and choose two of their number as state and district ExCom members with vote. Allowing two legislators per congressional district would substantially cut their numbers on the ExCom and using this process would tend to put the ones who actually engage with the party organization in those seats.