The Laurie Story: Meet, Greet aaaaaaand — Deceit?

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The scrum for the GOP nomination in the First Congressional District is really revving up its entertainment value.  Much of the action (think *train-wreck*) is coming from the campaign of Laurie Buckhout – a recent arrival to the state — who was the GOP nominee in the district in 2024.

Buckhout has made some *unusual* offers to her opponents.  She claimed she got a shoutout from President Trump during a recent speech in Rocky Mount.  (Never mind that the whole speech was broadcast live on Fox News, and that no one — except her — heard even a mention of Buckhout by the president.)

Also, Buckhout’s campaign is still $1.5 million in the hole from her 2024 race. 

We’re pretty plugged in on the North Carolina Coast — specifically in the First and Third districts.  There are a lot of Haymaker fans there. As a result, we’ve got a lot of *moles* who deliver a lot of behind-the-scenes details for us on political goings-on in the area.

Case in point in regard to this latest Buckhout story.  Let’s start it all off with Exhibit A:

For those who don’t know, Southern Salt is a well-known, popular eatery in Morehead City. It’s a place people want to go when they are in town.  One of our moles fills us in with some important details behind Exhibit A:

”An unidentified man called the restaurant the day before and said he had at least ten to fifteen people who wanted to reserve a room at 3 o’clock.  The restaurant doesn’t open until 4 PM but the man was insistent that they could only attend at 3 PM.  
The owner began thinking a private party of fifteen or so might make it worth his while. So,  the owner graciously opened early and called in help an hour early as well. 
 
The unidentified man on the phone never identified himself or the fact that this was a political event.  
Shortly before 3 PM, some folks showed up with Buckhout campaign signs and put them in front of the restaurant for a photo op. The promised, alleged group of  *at least ten to fifteen people* turned out to be six.  Just six. 
The six stayed about a half hour, placed an order for one plate of chicken tenders, and no adult beverages, and went on their way.   The restaurant owner opened up an hour early for ONE order of chicken tenders.  The owner and staff lost money on all this.
You might think that the campaign or even multi-millionaire Laurie Buckhout might have made things right, but she was out the back door in a flash. Not even stopping to say thanks to the restaurant owner or the employees.”
Here’s a photo of the Southern Salt event:

Another interesting point — the phone number on Exhibit A is tied to a registered lobbyist well-known in North Carolina political circles.  The lobbyist – according to my moles – is also in a position of influence with the Buckhout campaign.  We’ve heard of lobbyists co-opting politicians after they arrive in Raleigh or DC and get sworn in. But this early in the campaign?

It appears the Buckhout campaign has learned from the turnout problem in Morehead City.  Now, they’re holding things called *Virtual* Meet & Greets.  Check out Exhibit B documenting one of those events:

The above was sent to specific people via a consultant tied to the Buckhout campaign.  You only get the link to participate if you RSVP to said consultant. So, is Buckhout really meeting people already known by her campaign?

So, after observing these events – and some others around the district – we’re starting to see a pattern.  Buckhout is having a hard time generating a respectable turnout.  So – post Morehead City – the plan appears to be *virtual* meetings with voters or very, very, very brief (10 or 15 minutes) personal appearances in front of actual people.  To the casual observer, this might appear to be a strategy to protect a candidate still struggling with health problems.