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I suppose people have noticed that I periodically ask questions in my comments. Obviously, they are never answered. The silence is the answer. I'll keep asking those rhetorical questions.

On this thread Mr. Leary is asking some VERY relevant questions that need an answer. A lot of us have a very good idea what the answer is to those questions. The silence along with the extremely petty insults directed at many of us provide those answers also.

On the Repub Executive Committee Mr. Richardson is attempting to ask those same type questions of leadership. We've seen the flagrant over the top reactions from party leadership to those attempts. They've called the police and brought bogus court actions against him to avoid any consequences to their own actions. They will do ANYTHING to avoid those questions, and they will shut down meetings entirely to not have those legitimate questions before them.

Commented: Friday, July 10th, 2026 @ 9:47 am By: Van Zant

To start with let's take a look at the process of electing a U.S. Senator in North Carolina. Mr. Richardson is right. The process is increasingly being dominated by state party bosses. We've made it easier for them by allowing our primary threshold to be changed over the years from 50 percent to 40 percent to 30 percent. Every one of those changes should have been met with a public outcry that would have forced them to back down. But we didn't. Some of us muttered about it and many others of us just ignored it and weakly allowed it without complaint. People that respect democratic principles do not do or allow things like that.

The other matters mentioned in this article concerning party politics in the NC GOP at all levels are related and are equally important. The common theme in all of this is abuse of power. When institutions (made up of people) do not do their duty by protecting their own legitimate powers, we are allowing abuse. Where there is a vacuum, it will be filled. A healthy party would address this huge problem.

The marginalization and exclusion of grassroots rolls in the NC GOP corresponds with the lack of leadership icons being produced in our elections. I remember when we didn't have to hope for the best in many of our key races and settle for the better of the uninspired choices we are left with. That's certainly true in our U.S. Senate situation and some other situations. As things are now in our state, is another Jesse Helms or John East even possible in our party?

With the Democrats charging more and more into Democratic Socialism, this is not the time for a corrupt, bickering, and ineffective GOP.

Commented: Thursday, July 9th, 2026 @ 11:23 pm By: Charles Hickman

Me and my ilk? LOL.

I'll reveal who I am (though it ought to be obvious to anyone that actually set foot in a school in the past 20 years) when you insist John Valley, Van Zant, Washingtonian, and RINO Hunter reveal their names as well.

All you do is smear good people in your pursuit of unbridled power and control. I do agree with you the computer system is archaic. But since you are archaic I would think it shoild be a good fit for you.

You are the poster child for term limits.

Commented: Thursday, July 9th, 2026 @ 9:18 am By: Rational Observer

Here is another Orwell quote... "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever."
This is accurate because people on the right are too busy fighting each other and too cowardly to fight the left. We have made our bed, now we deserve to lie in it. It's your fault this is happening. It's my fault this is happening. It will continue. It will get worse.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 11:28 pm By: Sangrail

Ray, there is way too much personal attack in local Republican politics, and there has been too much of it on both sides. Politics should be about policy, principles, and issues, not personal grievances with other Republicans. The Democrats undoubtably are left grinning from ear to ear when these personality conflicts within the GOP go hyper.

At every meeting of the Victory Committee I attended, all Facebook advertising was focused on electing the five Republicans running, not attacking Republicans or conservatives. I have seen the nastygrams you mention, and I suspect whoever did it left as little a paper trail as possible. Internal party wars only help Democrats.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 10:36 pm By: Steven P. Rader

JV, the flood of illegal aliens into western countries, both in North America and in Europe, orchestrated and supported by the globalists, which in the US means the Democrats is a huge threat. Anyone who denies that is little more than a tool of the globalists. Biden opened our borders and let these illegal invaders into our country. Some of them are criminals and many others are welfare deadbeats. Some are even on terrorist watch lists, but no real vetting is done.

What happened in the past was President Eisenhour's Operation Wetback that rounded up and deported illegal aliens on a mass basis. What also happened was the Biden team waiving just about every illegal alien who showed up into the US interior. Biden made a mockery of our lawful immigration process where prospective immigrants apply before they just show up and are properly vetted before they are invited to come.

Anyone who fails to see the illegal invasion flood into the US and Europe is willfully blind.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 6:55 pm By: borderhawk

Who authorized the Facebook ads denigrating Adam Oneal in October 2025? Who authorized the Facebook ads with caricatures of Hood Richardson and Joe Davis in October 2025? If these were not paid for by the BC GOP, who did?

The Beaufort REC (Republican Executive Committee) campaign report on the NC State Board of Elections website for 2025 year-end report shows a $2,389 donation received from the Elect Keith Kidwell Committee dated 8/19/2025 on page 27 in this report. Is this an erroneous report?

The 2026 NC GOP State Convention adopted a revised State Plan of Organization. In this plan, the Executive Committees are required to approve or reject the chair of subcommittees appointed by the state or county chairs. It will be interesting to witness what changes are made to the Beaufort County Plan of Organization to comply with the new state plan.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 6:19 pm By: Ray Leary

Hood, the paid campaign materials approved by the Victory Committee such as radio ads and mailers promoted all 5 Republicans running for city council. If one or more individuals who may have had party positions said anything disparaging of any Republican candidate, I am not aware of it but if they did it would be highly inappropriate. Such things should not even be done privately.

The Conservative Club's slate and the Republican Party slate differed on only one seat, with the club backing Joe Davis, a conservative independent, and the party backing Wiley Woolard, a Republican. If both of them had lost, there would have been a good argument that backing different candidates for that seat helped elect a Democrat by dividing the vote on that one seat. But that is NOT what happened. Joe Davis, with the support of two blocks, the Conservative Club and the Brabo for mayor campaign, predictably came in second and won a seat.

As to the two Republicans who ran close but not quite enough, that split in support did not impact them. They were both on the county GOP slate and on the Conservative Club slate. Those who voted either slate already voted for them once and could not do it a second time.

Where the real blunder came was that both the Beaufort GOP and the Conservative Club failed to check the box to endorse Brabo for mayor. Yes, she was an Unaffiliated and presented herself as a moderate, but her opponent was a Democrat, so endorsing her would not have presented party loyalty problems for the GOP since she was not running against a Republican. The important impact of that endorsement would have been that it would have pulled more Brabo supporters to vote for the two Republicans who ran close but lost.

There was a Victory Committee meeting where that was decided which got rescheduled and I was not available for it as I was in Asheville for the NC School Boards Association Law Conference. I had talked to another committee member beforehand and thought I had that issue resolved but it did not turn out that way. The key to the endorsement of Brabo was its impact on the council races more than on the mayor's race. Both the party and the club screwed up on the one thing that could have pushed those two conservative Republicans over the top.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 3:24 pm By: Steven P. Rader

Steve Rader, Members of the Republican leadership went to the poles during municipal elections and told voters that Wiley Woolard is a true Republican and most of the the Tax Cut Five list were not true Republicans. The Beaufort County Republican Party elected two Democrats to the City Council and defeated two conservative Republicans.

The Executive Committee never approved this behavior. But, the secret Victory Committee did.

The Republican Party can get involved in non partisan elections. Not the secret Victory Committee. They do not support conservative Republicans. A vote by the Executive Committee is required. Not a vote of the secret Victory Committee.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 10:34 am By: Hood Richardson

Judge Sparkle is absolutely unethical. She is foreign born and was using her power to let foreign born persons vote when they were not legally entitled to vote. She had a massive conflict of interest in handling this case, and she failed to recuse herself. She needs to be r3emoved from her judgeship, and while they are at it, stripping her of her citizenship and sending her back wherever she came from would also be appropriate. America does not need kangaroo court judges like Sparkle.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 9:17 am By: borderhawk

This police state garbage is worse than anything King George III ever thought about doing. We need political leaders who will outlaw it.

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 7:24 am By: Bubba

Three questions:
1. Did the Beaufort County Republican Party Executive Committee have any role in the creation of the Victory Committee?
2. Has the Victory Committee ever reported to the Republican Party Executive Committee?
3. When does the Executive Committee get to see those finance reports? Ever?

Commented: Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 @ 7:43 am By: Van Zant