The Laurie Story: Anybody have a map? (Where’s, um, NEW Bern?)
If there’s one thing Laurie Buckhout is good at — it’s giving me stuff to write about.
The runner-up (and GOP nominee) in 2024’s First Congressional District race is trying again in 2026. This time, she’s part of a five-person primary field.
SO far, we’e heard about some unusual offers she’s pitched to at least two primary foes. We’ve heard about an alleged shoutout to her from President Trump that no one but her actually heard. We’ve also heard about a runaround she gave a prominent restaurant owner in the district. You have to wonder: What’s next?
Well, wait no longer.
We understand – thanks to some of our many coastal moles / fans / loyal readers — that Buckhout and some other candidates were slated to speak Monday night at the God & Country Christian Alliance meeting at Moore’s BBQ in New Bern.
As the meeting went on, Buckhout was conspicuously absent. Buckhout contacted the meeting organizers and offered an apology. She explained that she had “accidentally” gone to the Moore’s location in Morehead City.
The God & Country folks have been meeting in that same restaurant in New Bern for about ten years.
Remember, this is a woman described by one of her campaign consultants as “deeply rooted in Eastern North Carolina communities.”
My sources tell me that the God & Country folks told Buckhout the meeting was running late and there was still time for her to show up and speak. (The Moore’s in Morehead City – where Buckhout was — is about a thirty minute drive from the one in New Bern — where the meeting was actually happening.)
She never showed, I’m told.
In her defense #LauriesVodka had already scheduled a meeting with her at that time.
There was an event last week in Nash County. Friend of mine told me one sign out of 100 people were taken. She’s not doing well and trying to hide her like Joe Biden.
She’s doing everything just like Joe Biden. She’s doing virtual meetings so she can’t meet people. It’s ok. And now she’s trying to buy the seat. Wow.
It’s becoming a pattern we’ve seen before: hiding out and running a campaign from a basement because you’re either unable or unwilling to face the actual voters. Laurie is clearly struggling, and frankly, she’s just not well enough to lead. We’ve watched this movie before, and we know how it ends.
If the plan is to keep running the same play, then don’t be surprised when she loses to Don Davis all over again. Davis is beatable, but not with a candidate who is MIA or operating on a loop of old ideas. We are effectively handing the seat away by sticking with someone who isn’t up to the task.
The people in this district deserve a representative who is actually present, high-energy, and ready to fight—not someone being shielded from the public eye. It is time to stop being stubborn and get behind someone who actually has the stamina and the platform to win. If we don’t find a fresh face and a real fighter now, we’re just setting ourselves up for another “I told you so” moment on election night.