Comments for Victory Committee Still Uses Secret Strategy | Eastern NC Now

Mr. Leary has specifically shown how far present-day Beaufort County Republican Party leadership is disconnected from the rules of the Party. They are a rogue organization.

The leadership goes to great lengths to completely avoid answering any pertinent questions. Here are a few they need to answer to their own executive committee:
What was the role of the Victory Committee or individual Victory Committee members in the release and production of a tape and other hitjobs on a private citizen? Why didn't the Victory Committee report to the Executive Committee on its activities during elections and otherwise? Where are the fiscal reports? Has a present-day executive committee vice chairman ever attended or had any knowledge of Victory Committee activities, yet? Why were Executive Committee meetings immediately shut down when members asked these and other legitimate questions?

Also, what was the role of the Victory Committee in the public attacks on a local Republican public official in the local press? We know two of the individual members were actively involved in that episode, and one other Victory Committee member had a conflict of interest because he was a primary opponent of the attacked public official. Was the Victory Committee and or Victory Committee members in communication with the former Beaufort County School Superintendent during that time?

Why has the Party Chairman (and others?) been given the green light to act with the authority of the local GOP on Facebook, oftentimes in attacking conservative Republican public officials? This usually happens with one person saying they are the Party, but recently the Party Chairman has been using the chairman title and her name also.

I suppose these are just a few of the questions the Victory Committee could report to the Executive Committee on. I'm aware of Executive Committee members that are still in the dark on these matters and are wondering. Some would like to know so they can answer questions from the community, because citizens are wanting to know what in the hell is going on in the local GOP.

Commented: Saturday, October 10th, 2026 @ 10:17 am By: Van Zant

According to the 2026 State Plan of Organization, the chair of the county committee nominates the chair of these subcommittees.

From Section 4-203
"...Upon taking office, the County Chair shall nominate (i) the Election Integrity Chair and the Audit Committee Chair and (ii) may nominate a General Counsel and a Finance Committee Chair, if that Committee is created in accordance with Section 4-302(d), each of whom shall be subject to confirmation by the County Executive Committee".

If the person nominated to chair these subcommittees are not confirmed by the Executive Committee, the chair is obligated to nominate someone else.

The implication of this language is that subcommittee chairs must be nominated and members appointed upon the completion of the county convention every odd numbered year.

The county PoO is to be brought into compliance with the current state PoO by December 31 following the effective date of the state plan.

Commented: Thursday, October 8th, 2026 @ 12:19 pm By: Ray Leary

Sub committees of committees are (or should be) accountable to the overall committee. They cannot legitimately be formed without the advice and consent of the overall committee. They cannot legitimately operate in secrecy or semi-secrecy. There must be a level of transparency, especially fiscal transparency. In the case of a Republican Party Executive Committee, they cannot operate outside the bounds of the Republican Party Plan of Organization. Organized Republicans cannot allow a sub-committee of an official committee to be the mechanism for getting around official rules and regulations as well as basic ethical rules of conduct.

Commented: Thursday, October 8th, 2026 @ 4:35 am By: Van Zant

Forming a special small committee of experienced campaign veterans to micromanage a party organization's campaign efforts is a common practice. In my day as county GOP chairman, we called it the Campaign Committee. In the current First District party organization it is called the Forge committee. When our county was in the Third District, it went under various names, and I served on it under various names. In the most recent election, it was a special offshoot of the Finance Committee. The idea is that elections are dynamic, and the party has to roll with the punches. Executive Committees meet monthly and cannot deal with that without much more frequent meetings.

Specific campaign strategies are not something one posts on open sources. It is not something that needs to be laid out for the Democrats. However, in any off year (non-presidential) election, the goal of any party is turnout. Increasing turnout of the pro-Republican occasional voters helps the whole ticket. Picking the candidates and issues that will do that is based on several things. One is polling, where it is available. Another is experience on which offices have historically generated the most voter interest. Sometimes, it can be a ballot issue such as a Constitutional Referendum rather than a candidate.
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As to the last city council race, the Victory Committee ran radio, direct mail, and digital advertising in support of all five candidates who were registered Republicans, and named each of them in the ads. NONE of them were opposed in any way. As a result of both the Victory Committee's advertising combined with that of the Conservative Club, which did an excellent direct mail piece and signs, two Republicans were elected and two ran very close.

The Victory Committee recognizes that under limited voting, county commission candidates are still competing with each other and therefore the committee should not get involved in that race. It is almost like another primary. Individual members may have their own preferences as to candidates. The victory committee was not involved in the primary and did not even hold meetings during that period.

Commented: Wednesday, October 7th, 2026 @ 5:00 pm By: Steven P. Rader

The minutes to the next Beaufort County Republican Party Executive Committee meeting should be made public. A detailed report from the Victory Committee should be part of it.

Commented: Wednesday, October 7th, 2026 @ 7:55 am By: Van Zant