Comments for Primary “Elections” Importance | Eastern NC Now

Still can't come up with a single ISSUE you think Armstrong is better on than Kidwell, JV???? That "Christian Zionist" thing did not work any better than MTG's "Jewish Space Lasers".

You and those like you here can only whine about personality and your own hatreds. Most of us are more interested in the issues and policy legislative candidates will push in Raleigh. I see that Washingtonian also cannot seem to come up with a single genuine issue, but just keeps plddling along with that Obama-style "Hope and Change" message.

Lets look at a few issues.

The only policy issue Armstrong mentioned in his announcement was "2nd Amendment" but on the campaign trail, he says he is "pro Second Amendment but not as much as Kidwell". What does that really mean? His three special guests at his fundraiser were opponents of gun rights. Frankie Waters dumped on concealed carry for county employees. Steve Traxler is so hated by gun rights people that the leading state level gun rights group endorsed the Libertarian against him in the last election. Jimmy Dixon is the man who killed Constitutional Carry in last year's legislative session. Armstrong is clearly someone we cannot trust on this issue. Kidwell, on the other hand is one of the strongest voices for gun rights in the legislature.

Or take Shrimpgate, Phil Berger's attempt to destroy our NC shrimp industry to pander to an environmaentalist special interest, the CCA which dangled dollars in front of him. Armstrong has made noises about supporting the shrimpers, and tried to get a shrimper to take him out on the water for a photo op. The shrimper declined because he was running against Kidwell who was one of two key players in saving the shrimp industry from Berger. Armstrong had to settle for taking a picture on land with some shrimp boats in the background. Now, commercial fishermen have become aware that Armstrong was seen in Greenville, out of the district, trying to solicit support and probably money from a key leader of the CCA, the group that is trying to put the shrimpers and other commercial fishermen out of business. How two faced can a politician get?

Kidwell laid out where he stood on the issues when he was first elected, and he has honored his promises. That is the sort of elected official we need. Armstrong doesn't tell you where he stands on much, and when he does, he appears to be speaking with a forked tongue.

Again, I invite you to discuss real ISSUES, not some gibberish about 5D chess and various "guards".

Commented: Sunday, January 18th, 2026 @ 3:06 pm By: John Steed

Steed Part II: I'm not going to get too cranked up here as you have a right to your own opinion BUT, and there is a BUT, we're going to go deep in the sheol of things, as they are.

The old guard's caught up in the "short-term" and playing checkers down at King Chicken. The younger guard's playing 5D chess in 8-10K resolution; they're seeing more "long term" and calling $*** out for what it is from an unbiased standpoint.

The attitude that you're showing in defending Kidwell reflects, I believe, a sentiment that's no longer SOP (standard operating procedure). Though you don't like it not do you see the strategic advantage present, North Carolina still has a way to save a key piece of the strategic operation center of the GOP; the Virginia GOP pulled a "Robinson 2.0" with Earle-Sears late in the fourth quarter. The conservative unaffiliated voters, like in NC, put the GOP in check and made party strategists look like the idiots they are.

Bad actors, public polls and common sense..👌

Commented: Sunday, January 18th, 2026 @ 9:42 am By: John Valley

JV, the hate is strong in you, isn't it? I don't vote on emotion. I rationally look at issues. The main job of a legislator is to represent us in Raleigh, and Kidwell has been a solid conservative there. I do not want to replace him with a Frankie Waters clone, even though I do wish that Kidwell would be less engaged in the local party. That seems to detract too much from his solid work in Raleigh. And who knows but that the Frankie Waters clone might not be also engaging in party activty locally, too.

I ask you to come up with an issue, and you zoom off into outer space with a wild accusation of Kidwell being a "Christian Zionist", something I can see no basis for in his legislative record or his actions locally. Did you see MTG's "Jewish space lasers" while you were zooming around out there?

Commented: Sunday, January 18th, 2026 @ 9:42 am By: John Steed

WE get it, JV. You vote on personality, not issues. Could you name one actual ISSUE where you think Armstrong'a position is better than Kidwell's???? One actual ISSUE???? Not personality, ISSUE.

You sound like those who refused to vote for Trump due to his personality, even though they agreed with him on the issues. People thinking that way gave us Biden. Were you one of them?

Commented: Saturday, January 17th, 2026 @ 5:42 pm By: John Steed

I have contributed to Keith Kidwell and will vote for him because he stands firm on conservative principles in Raleigh. I would not trade that proven record for a totally unknown quantity who has no record on issues whatsoever. There are too few in Raleigh who fight for conservative principles and we do not need to lose one.

Commented: Monday, January 12th, 2026 @ 1:31 pm By: Victoria

Steed: I'm pretty positive that no one in this forum believes that corruption's non-existent in Raleigh. It's also mind-blowing that some of y'all are giving Kidwell a pass in BOCO......as long as he bulldogs it in Raleigh.

Will you give Garris a pass for overstepping her boundaries or do you not have a comment on that because she's not in Raleigh?

The reason why people are leaving the GOP is because of crap like this; you're doing the same thing that Kidwell does when someone says something he doesn't like. He starts repeating the same ol' crap, tries to talk louder than everyone and then storms out of wherever he is at the time.

This thread is the definition of insanity.

Commented: Sunday, January 11th, 2026 @ 6:21 pm By: John Valley

What is going on in Raleigh with the RINOs is not Kabuki theatrics. The corruption of the RINO leadership, especially in the state senate, is quite real, and it impacts real people. Phil Berger's corrupt deal with the CCA to shut down our shrimpers in return for some campaign cash, known as Shrimpgate, is a good example, as is Jimmy Dixon's attempt to put the raw milk independent dairies out of business for payola from a special interest, both this past year, were very real. Kidwell and the House Freedom Caucus played the key role in stopping both of those travesties. So is Berger's NC Green New Deal that is already raising our electric rates and his Obamacare Medicaid expansion that is raising health costs for everyone else. Unfortunately the Freedom Caucus was not able to marshall enough votes on those. The thin red line that sometimes is able to stop this corrupt nonsense is the House Freedom Caucus, and that is why the special interest boys are trying to take them out. How much of this Dixon explained to Armstrong when he came down here to recruit him is questionable as all they really needed was a warm body.

Would Kidwell have been a lot smarter not to get involved so much in the workings of the local party? Definitely. But for people outside the bubble of the party organization, what happens in the legislature has a whole lot more impact on their lives than what happens within the local party organization.

One could say, well if Kidwell goes, then Freedom Caucus vice chairman Rep. Ben Moss, could just carry on. The fact is that the same RINO cabal that is after Kidwell is after Moss, too, as well as four other leaders of the Freedom Caucus. They want to put the Freedom Caucus out of business so that no effective group will be there to stop the leadership's corruption. Darren Armstrong is just a convenient placeholder in that process.

Commented: Sunday, January 11th, 2026 @ 1:23 pm By: John Steed

"Vote for a change", Washingtonian??? Would that be "Hope and Change" like Obama or just "Change" like McGovern??? "Change" has always been a buzzword used by the left and the Democrats. Conservatives vote for specific issue positions, not something as vague as "change". So, you are the one talking like a Democrat, Washingtonian.

You seem fond of Mitt Romney, who as a senator from Utah was one of the worst RINOs in DC, terrible on a wide range of issues. It is telling that as a Romney fan, you are also a fan of Armstrong. Two peas in a pod?

The "useful idiots" are the ones who try to blur positions on real issues and try to get us to vote on some different basis. You have failed, in multiple posts, to tell us one single issue you think Armstrong is better on than Kidwell. Lets talk issues, not "feelings". The latter is also something Democrats like to focus on.

Commented: Saturday, January 10th, 2026 @ 9:18 pm By: Rino Hunter

Some of the people swooning adoration of Kidwell on this comments page are acting like Dems. It is really a sad thing to see. Do ya'll recall Harry Reid who told lies about Mitt Romney, who then lost his bid for the Presidency? Afterwards, Sen Reid was exposed for his lies abt Mitt. His response was: "Yeah but it worked didnt it."
So what we see here is the same kind of Democrat smear job, but its coming from Republicans against fellow Republicans. Stop being a "useful idiot."

JUST SAY NO TO KIDWELL !
VOTE for a change, Say YES to Darren Armstrong!

Commented: Saturday, January 10th, 2026 @ 3:44 pm By: Washingtonian

Historically, I am a Kidwell supporter. His role in Beaufort County Republican Party corruption and his eagerness in trying to destroy local Republicans has changed my mind.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 7:32 pm By: Van Zant

I see a lot of people on here talking out of their ass!
They smear a Republican challenger by trying to associate him with the names of people they dont like.

Kidwell is spreading this BULL Sh*t! Its called dirty politics and Kidwell knows how to do that well.

Now he is whining that he is having to stay local here in Dist 79 to defend *his seat! My point is he should have been staying here all along to support his constituents instead of dumping all over them...why because he thinks he is a King. He got a wake-up call.

Politicians are like diapers and should be changed OFTEN! And for the same reason. They become dirty.

JUST SAY NO TO KIDWELL!

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 10:22 am By: Washingtonian

AO - The NC state legislature is not a place one finds "career politicians" because it does not pay enough, unless they are in leadership, to live off of. It is a part time position, and not terribly well paid for that.

In public office, we need people who represent principles, and previous political experience gives voters the information on where they really stand on issues, not what they say because they think it will get them elected. Asking voters to elect someone who has no prior record for them to look at is asking voters to buy a pig in a poke. The previous experience may not necessarily be in elected office. They may have served in their respective political party or a policy-driven organization like a taxpayers movement. The TEA Party is an example. It may have been in some appointed capacity.

Stan is right about the guidance thing. A new politician recruited by a person or group will usually turn heavily to that person or group for advice, especially if they are a member of the same public body. There is an old political saying that "ya dance with who brung ya." In this case, it was a liberal anti-gun RINO, Jimmy Dixon who brought Armstrong into this race and that is more than enough for concern. Even worse, he did that recruiting on behalf of Phil Berger. Inexperienced elected officials are, all too often, easily led by more powerful politicians.

The word in Raleigh was that Berger's PACs were going to spend $4 million to try to defeat the 6 conservative leaders of the House Freedom Caucus, including Kidwell. So far I have seen no sign yet of that money but it is still early. However, the word is also out that after spending $14 million of that special interest money in his own district before filing even started to trash his primary opponent, Berger may be running short of money. That may cut what he has available to attack House conservatives like Kidwell. Berger's PACs tend to operate primarily by mass mailings of postcards.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 2:07 pm By: John Steed