As many of you know, I cover a lot of races. In fact, some times I cover so many stories that some fall through the cracks. This is one of them that deserves some spotlight:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
North Carolina Senate candidate Greg Brannon (R) cosponsored and delivered a speech at an event sponsored by the secessionist League of the South.
According to a new Mother Jones report on Monday, Brannon, who is running in the GOP primary to defeat Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), spoke at rally which supported nullification (the argument that states are able to invalidate federal laws) in October.
Brannon, furthermore, has also repeatedly said that if elected he would model his tenure as a senator after former Sen. Jesse Helms (R), the longtime North Carolina senator who supported racial segregation. Brannon also said at an event sponsored by RedState.com that he decided to move to North Carolina because Helms was his hero. - TPM, 12/16/13
Here's some more info from Mother Jones:
http://www.motherjones.com/...
Of all the tea partiers running for Senate in 2014, Greg Brannon, a GOP primary candidate hoping to topple vulnerable North Carolina Democrat Kay Hagan, is one of the most extreme. He opposes public education, claiming it "does nothing but dehumanize" students. He doesn't believe that states have to follow Supreme Court decisions. He contends bipartisan compromises in Washington "enslave" Americans. He hails the the late Sen. Jesse Helms—who died in 2008 without ever renouncing his support for racial segregation—as a "modern hero." He claims that "all ten of [Karl] Marx's planks of Communism"—including the abolition of private property—"are law in our land today." In October, Brannon cosponsored and spoke at a rally supporting nullification—the notion that states can invalidate federal laws at will—that was cosponsored by the League of the South, a secessionist group seeking "a free and independent Southern republic." And Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has endorsed him.
Brannon says he is eager to join Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz in the "wacko bird caucus." And he has a role model in mind: Helms. He has promised, if elected, to emulate Helms, who represented the state in the Senate from 1973 to 2003. In November, Brannon told the RedState crowd that he even asked his wife to move to North Carolina because "Senator No"—Helms's nickname—was his hero. Helms, by the way, earned that sobriquet for obstructing disability rights legislation, funding for HIV prevention, and a bill to establish a national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., among many other things. He entered politics fighting interracial marriage, bullied black Senators, and considered gay people "morally sick wretches."
Brannon is a fervent advocate of right-wing positions. He has derided public education as Marxist and he decries all things bipartisan. In November, he dismissed the role of the Supreme Court in the American system: "Just because nine people in black robes, seven of them voted that abortion is in the Constitution, it does not make that law." The nullification rally he cosponsored and addressed was designed to make the case that nullification is "the path forward for those who love liberty"—and not only a tool that historically was used to support slavery and racial segregation.
But the issue closest to Brannon's heart is abortion. Brannon runs a pro-life OB-GYN practice—meaning he doesn't advise women on contraception or refer for abortions—and occasionally shows up for interviews or political events fresh off delivering a baby. In his stump speech, he alludes to the idea that the founding fathers supported fetal personhood.
In 2011, Brannon advised state Rep. Paul Stam on anti-abortion rights legislation Stam was pushing. The bill required women to wait 24 hours for an elective abortion after their initial visit to an abortion provider. Providers would have to perform a sonogram of the fetus—even if it is not medically necessary—display the image, and describe the extent of fetal development "in order for the woman to make an informed decision." Brannon testified before a North Carolina House committee in favor of a version of the bill that would force abortion providers to give women printed materials prominently displaying this statement: "The life of each human being begins at conception.'"
In his testimony, he said patients should be informed that abortion is linked to breast cancer. The American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have all dismissed the notion that there is a link between breast cancer and abortion. Stam says in an email he asked Brannon to review the bill for accuracy.
"Just because nine people in black robes, seven of them voted that abortion is in the Constitution, it does not make that law." - Mother Jones, 12/16/13
Dr. Brannon has also been endorsed by Ann Coulter. This is just one of the crazy assholes running to try and unseat Hagan. The current frontrunner in the GOP primary is this douchebag who thinks you're all a bunch of losers:
http://www.bizjournals.com/...
N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis described opponents of the Republican agenda in the General Assembly as “losers” in an interview with Politico that appeared on the political news website Thursday.
“I think for the most part, what I see from the folks who are opposing our agenda is whining coming from losers,” Tillis told Politico when asked about the current political environment. “They lost, they don’t like it, and they are going to try to do everything they can to, I think, cast doubt on things that I think are wise and that the average citizen when they know what we’re doing, I think, like it.”
Tillis is one of Gov. Pat McCrory’s closest allies and helped engineer majorities in the state House and Senate for the GOP in 2010. The addition this year of McCrory, the state’s first Republican governor since 1993, accelerated an ambitious agenda that included voter ID legislation, lower corporate and personal taxes and reductions in unemployment benefits. - Charlotte Business Journal, 12/12/13
Not only is Tillis' McCrory and Art Pope's loyal foot soldier, he's also ALEC's preferred candidate:
http://www.newsobserver.com/...
The American Legislative Exchange Council counted 54 out of 170 North Carolina lawmakers as members through June, or roughly one-third of the General Assembly. The state is one of only seven to increase membership more than 40 percent.
The numbers are highlighted in new internal ALEC documents, obtained and published by the British newspaper The Guardian, that shed new light on the organization’s presence in the state. About 10 state lawmakers are attending the group’s conference in Washington this week.
The two North Carolina lawmakers who serve on the national board of directors – Tillis and Asheville Rep. Tim Moffitt – are named in the documents as key potential fundraisers for a major donor campaign. The organization is trying to generate new money after more than 60 corporate and 400 legislative members left it over the past two years. A number of North Carolina entities are identified as possible prospects. - News Observer, 12/5/13
Now Tillis still remains the frontrunner due to his name recognition and because big name Republican candidates like Virginia Foxx are passing on this race. But PPP has shown that though Tillis is ahead in his primary, his numbers with GOP voters are dipping:
http://www.newsobserver.com/...
A new Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday shows the House speaker’s support in the Republican primary dropped from 20 percent a month ago to 13 percent in December.
Tillis – the establishment candidate backed by Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner – took 13 percent in a hypothetical match up against his GOP rivals. All five Republican candidates are clumped within 5 points in a poll with a 4.3 percent margin of error, making the race essentially a tie. A plurality – 44 percent – of Republican primary voters are still undecided in the race.
Tillis took 20 percent in the Democratic polling firm’s November survey, finishing six points ahead of his closest challenger, Rev. Mark Harris. But now Harris is one point behind at 12 percent, followed by Heather Grant and Greg Brannon at 11 percent and Bill Flynn at 8 percent.
The change is possibly attributed to two factors: Flynn entered the race since the last poll and further fractures the field and PPP’s survey landed last weekend just as the Senate Majority PAC began airing TV ads boosting Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan and attacking Tillis.
Tillis’ favorability rating among GOP voters is virtually unchanged at 19 percent favorable, 24 percent unfavorable and 58 percent undivided. A month ago, it stood at 21-22-57, putting the changes within the margins. He remains the best known candidate. - News Observer, 12/10/13
I've mentioned this in previous diaries that the North Carolina U.S. Senate GOP primary is one to watch. Art Pope wants to buy Hagan's seat and Tillis is his horse in this race. But his victory to winning the nominee is no sure thing:
http://www.wral.com/...
Two leading challengers, the Rev. Mark Harris and Dr. Greg Brannon, have support among tea party and Christian conservative voters. Those blocs have proven their ability to win elections in North Carolina, where government has shifted to the right politically since 2010.
The wide margin for passage of last year's constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage also shows the political strength of conservative Christians. Harris, a Baptist minister from Charlotte, was one of the amendment's most vocal supporters.
With Brannon and Harris, "you've got two candidates in the race that appeal to big demographics in the Republican Party," said Carter Wrenn, a Republican consultant. He worked for the political organization of the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, whose own firebrand style of conservatism got him elected five times in North Carolina. Wrenn said either one — particularly Brannon — could cause trouble for Tillis if they tap into generous funding sources.
Tillis is "the perceived front runner, but he's not a prohibitive favorite for the nomination," said William Peace University political science professor David McLennan in Raleigh.
With nurse practitioner Heather Grant and radio host Bill Flynn also in the Republican race, Democrats are hoping Republicans endure a nasty, expensive primary and a July runoff should no one get at least 40 percent of the vote. Hagan, whose seat is critical for Republicans to win next November to take back the Senate, isn't expected to face a serious primary opponent and has stockpiled more than $5 million for the campaign.
"The Republican primary certainly looks like a mess right now," state Democratic Party spokesman Ben Ray said.
Harris could tap into a network of social conservatives who helped pass the-gay marriage ban referendum with 61 percent of the vote. He led the Baptist State Convention for the past two years and has received fundraising help from the wife of former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
Republicans need "someone who is really not your professional politician," Harris said in a not-so-subtle reference to Tillis while being interviewed by the Tea Party Express, which posted the audio online. "The last thing we need is 'Kay Hagan-lite' versus Kay Hagan." - WRAL, 12/22/13
So Tillis needs to really kiss Tea Party voters asses big time and he's doing by distancing himself from the very people who are backing his candidacy:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/...
Most of North Carolina’s Republican U.S. Senate candidates oppose the budget deal hammered out between leaders of the GOP-controlled House and Senate Democratic leaders.
Not even House Speaker Thom Tillis, who has gotten money from the political action committees of some of the same House leaders who reached the compromise, including GOP Speaker John Boehner.
The deal would reverse some of last year’s sequestration cuts. Spending on defense and domestic programs would rise from $967 billion this fiscal year to more than $1 trillion. However, over 10 years, deficits would go down, due in part to higher fees on air travel.
The bipartisan compromise would forestall a second government shutdown next year.
Tillis wasn’t available, but spokesman Jordan Shaw said he opposes it. “A trillion dollars in spending and debt is not the way to fix Washington’s problems,” Shaw said. - Charlotte Observer, 12/12/13
And some top Republicans are already predicting that a runoff election is inevitable:
http://www.citizen-times.com/...
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said Saturday the crowded U.S. Senate Republican primary will likely come down to a runoff election.
He made his remarks after meeting with guest at the Charles Taylor Holiday Dinner who paid $125 to attend a private reception with Republican leaders and some of the Senate candidates. The price included dinner.
“They are all good friends,” said Forest, who was the master of ceremony for the event. “All good guys. All bring different strengths to this race. It will be a positive primary for sure, and it will come down to a runoff most likely. When you put this many candidates in a race it is going to come down to whoever gets the grassroots out, whoever gets people to the polls.”
Forest is the state’s first Republican lieutenant governor in more than 20 years and the second since 1897.
Five men are running for the chance to take on Democrat U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan next year. - Citizens-Times, 12/7/13
I can't blame Forest for making such an early prediction because Tillis, Brannon and Harris are already going at each others' throats:
http://www.politico.com/...
Tillis, Brannon says, would fall in line with the “Big Government progressives” who lead the GOP in Washington. And he criticized Tillis for not doing enough to attack Obamacare and the administration’s education initiatives.
“I think Thom has shown he likes the role of government in the hands of the people he likes,” Brannon said, rather than limiting the role of government in people’s lives.
Tillis shot back: “For someone who hasn’t served in office, for someone who hasn’t executed on an agenda, you gotta wonder: Are they really capable of doing it?”
Even though he was endorsed by Paul, the 53-year-old Brannon is fighting the libertarian label, trying to make the case he’s a fierce social conservative, too. He points out he’s a born-again Christian with seven children, and that he fiercely opposes same-sex marriage. Marriage, Brannon told an approving crowd, is a “God-given institution between a man and a woman. End of story.”
Those comments appear partly designed to rebut the 47-year-old Harris, a Baptist pastor from Charlotte who was on the front lines of a successful campaign in the state last year to ban gay marriage. It was that effort that gave Harris a taste of politics and bolstered his appeal among the Christian right. Now he’s arguing that he’s a bridge between the warring wings of the party and that “there’s a need for someone who is a true fiscal conservative and a true social conservative” in the race.
Since his entrance into the race earlier this fall, Harris has picked up backing from members of the party establishment, including former congressman and state party chairman Robin Hayes, and he has the potential to tap into support now flowing to Tillis and Brannon if he can raise the funds.
Despite the rapid national shift in favor of gay marriage, Harris says North Carolina is clearly different.
“I felt like the marriage amendment showed us that when the people of North Carolina were given a clear contrast in values, a clear contrast in direction, that the people of North Carolina were going to make the right decision,” he said.
Asked about his own views of homosexuality, Harris said he believes it is a lifestyle “choice that people make.”
“I take that from a biblical basis, and that is how I always tried to pattern my life and let the Bible be the standard,” said Harris, wearing a “Jesus Lives” pin on the lapel of his jacket. - Politico, 12/12/13
While these GOP loons duke it out, Democrats are already doing everything they can to help Hagan get ready for next year:
http://www.newsobserver.com/...
A super PAC aligned with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is attacking Republican Thom Tillis in a new TV ad – and Tillis is making the most of it.
The Senate Majority PAC is spending $750,000 on a 30-second spot defending Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan on the federal health care while attacking Tillis, one of five announced GOP candidates for her seat. (See the ad below.) The ad will run statewide for two weeks, PAC officials said.
The PAC is run by former staffers of the Nevada senator. It's the second pro-Hagan ad they've run in North Carolina, spending near $400,000 in November.
In the new ad, they defend Hagan's support of the Affordable Care Act, without ever referring to the act or its commonly known name, Obamacare. Instead, they tout her support of legislation that "forced insurance companies to cover cancer and other pre-existing conditions."
Tillis, it says, "sides with insurance companies." It’s a reference to Tillis’ opposition to the health care law. - News Observer, 12/5/13
And Hagan has also been looking out for the unemployed in North Carolina:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/...
The federal long-term unemployment program would extend to North Carolina once again if Congress approves a provision that Sen. Kay Hagan successfully inserted into a bill, but the Senate likely won’t act on the measure until January.
Hagan’s provision would reinstate North Carolina’s eligibility for the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. The state became ineligible for the federal money over the summer when the General Assembly reduced the amount of state benefits and the length of time that unemployed people can receive them.
A federal regulation says that states cannot receive the extended federal unemployment benefits if they cut state benefits. North Carolina was the only state whose federal benefits were terminated.
Hagan, a Democrat who faces re-election in 2014, asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Finance Committee chairman, last week to make reinstatement of North Carolina’s eligibility for the federal benefits part of any law that would extend the national program. It expires Dec. 31 unless Congress extends it.
In a letter to Reid and Baucus, Hagan said that about 170,000 North Carolinians are no longer able to receive federal unemployment insurance benefits. Democrats included Hagan’s request in a bill that would extend the federal unemployment benefits for one year, but the measure got blocked on a procedural move by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., on Tuesday night. - Charlotte Observer, 12/11/13
North Carolina is going to be a top race to watch and with the GOP field looking this scary, we need to make sure Hagan is re-elected. She may not be perfect but she is fighting for manufacturing jobs, unemployment benefits, vote for background checks, supports marriage equality and opposes the chained CPI. Please do consider donating and getting involved with her campaign:
http://www.kayhagan.com/
P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!