Comments | Eastern NC Now

Congratulations to Mr. Kidwell for being recognized in being true to God and true to the people of North Carolina. This is fantabulous! Thank you Kieth!

Commented: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 11:23 pm By: Pastor Daimon

There is too much focus on this site of the "inside baseball" of what is going on in the local Republican Party. Voters care about who is going to reduce our taxes and how they are going to get a county commission majority to do that.

Commented: Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 @ 8:10 am By: piratefan

Stan, with Travis' support and some hard work, I think you are well positioned for the general election. Your record of never voting for a tax increase should also resonate with voters this year.

While party organizations have traditionally worked to turn out voters in a general election, as the local GOP did in the last city election, that is rarely done in primaries. However with Democrats being pushed to temporarily register Unaffiliated to interfere in Republican primaries, it may not be a bad idea for party organizations to take a harder look at turning out registered Republicans in Republican primaries. Of course, the best bet would be to close our primaries altogether.

Commented: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 8:11 pm By: John Steed

I wonder if we did not just see the same thing in our local school board races with a couple of retired teachers taking out two key conservative Republicans.

Commented: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 6:27 pm By: John Steed

"The Ends justify the means."

Washingtonian: That about sums up the Beaufort County GOP right now.

Commented: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 3:45 pm By: Stan Deatherage

To whom it may concern, the Election is OVER, except for the pissing, moaning and belly-aching.

The NC District 79 election is OVER! Kidwell LOST. The PEOPLE decided.

Commented: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 2:39 pm By: Washingtonian

It appears to me that the local "GOP Party" has adopted the Democrat Party philosophy: "The Ends justify the means."
They double down, because like the Dems, they believe that if they just stick with the plan, they will eventually achieve their goals.
Its the Marxist Way. It spreads because our culture is degrading right before our eyes. Think Local!

Commented: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 11:58 am By: Washingtonian

I know people that were hoping that Kidwell would wake up at this point in time. This meeting situation seems to have answered that situation. He's doubling down with Chairman Garris. They are circling the wagons.

This shameful period needs to end. The Victory Committee needs to be disclosed and disbanded. Restitution should be made. The guilty leaders need to go. Ethical leaders willing to rebuild the party need to be identified. Short of that this trainwreck of outlandishly bad ethics will be the end of a credible Beaufort County Republican Party. One way or the other this version of the local GOP must not continue.

Commented: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 @ 8:08 am By: Van Zant

The Local Beaufort County GOP needs to collect what wits it collectively has among the controlling RINOs and RINO Whisperers, and learn what it means to be a successful political party to elect real Republicans.

Commented: Monday, March 16th, 2026 @ 7:42 pm By: Stan Deatherage

The local GOP has absolutely "gone off the rails" having NO idea what their charge was in the recent primary election, which was to get the vote out in the March 3 primary; in which they made the corrupted decision to do NOTHING; having just poorly spent around 11 thousand unauthorized dollars in the non partisan City of Washington election.

Instead of recognizing what a local Republican party is supposed to do, three factions within the local GOP's core functionies emerged, all consisting of RINOs and RINO Whisperers, seeking to elect three disparate factions of candidates that were predominately not conservative in ideals, or in knowledge of governmental practice.

The great irony here exposed within the local GOP's effort of NOT getting out the vote for all candidates, as in their charge helping the conservatives as well, and which they disdain, they aided in defeating their one inner party core incumbent, who has voted as a Conservative in Raleigh - Keith Kidwell.

I sometimes wonder since I truly understand how all this works, how getting people elected works - am I in a bubble here in understanding what I consider the obvious?

Commented: Monday, March 16th, 2026 @ 8:00 am By: Stan Deatherage

We definitely cannot trust sitting Commissioner Randy Walker on taxes. He failed in his bid for commissioner as a Democrat and then tried again as a nominal Republican. During the primary in his first GOP run, Walker widely advertised that he stood for "No New Taxes" and then immediately after winning the primary, he took all of his material about taxes down and acted like he had never run on that issue. Once he took office, he became a constant ally of the two Democrats on the count commission.

If we are going to get a pro-taxpayer majority of genuine Republicans on our county commission, his history says we cannot count on Randy Walker.

Commented: Sunday, March 15th, 2026 @ 7:17 pm By: Conservative Voter

Our upcoming elections should be our top priority. We must, indeed, reelect our state seantor, Bob Brinson, and our sheriff, Scot Hammonds. They are doing great jobs.

The county commission is also critical. Right now we have a governing coalition of two actual Democrats and two ex-Democrats in Republican clothing. The opposition is three actual Republicans. We need to get to a governing majroity of four actual Republicans. The three seats not up for election are one actual Democrat, one ex-Democrat masquerading as a Republican, and two actual Republicans. That means we will need to elect two actual Republicans to get a real Republican majority whixh is four members.

Four candidates are seeking three seats in November. Looking at their commitments to lower taxes, the list from most to least pro=taxpayer would be as follows:
1) Stan Deatherage
2) Ashley Woolard
3) John (Rebholtz) Edwards
4) Ed Booth
That list would also be a good analysis of most Republican to least Republian. Indeed Booth is an actual Democrat. There is probably little differece between Deatherage and Woolard on loyalty to the Republican Party.

The order of finish, however, in the GOP primary was:
1) John (Rebholtz) Edwards
2) Ashley Woolard
3) Stan Deatherage
There was no Democrat primary, but with only one Democrat running and the way our crazy limited voting system works it will be hard to block Booth from winning one of the seats. A huge GOP turnout and a small Democrat turnout might do it, but even then it would probably require something that moves some usual Democrat votes over to one of the Republicans.

The ideal result would be electing all three Republicans, but given the numbers and the system that is not likely to happen. The important thing, then, is to get Deatherage and Woolard finishing as the top two Republicans. that is going to take some work, which needs to start now.

There are some positive signs for Deatherage. Many of his primary voters had spouses split their support with one voting for Deatheage and the other for Travis Martin. Deatherage should get most of the Marin vote in November. The mix of voters will be different in November as well, since some elements come out stronger in November than in the primary.

One also has to look at who might join a coalition with Democrats. Deatherage has stood strongly against such coalitions. Woolard has often been at loggerheads personallywith Hood Richardson, but he has openly denounced doing dealings with Democrats for board control, and could also be relied upon. However John Rebholtz 'major role in Edwards' campaign raise some real issues there, since as long as Rebholz was a commissioner himself, he did deals with Democrats for board control.

The tax issue is also critical. Ed Booth is an unapologetic tax and spend liberal. Stan Deatherage has never voted for a tax increase in 20 years on the county commission and often proposed tax ccuts. Woolard makes cutting tax the main issue of his campaign. Edwards, however, has not taken a clear stand on taxes, and his mentor Rebholts never supported tax cuts.

There is a lot of work to do between now and November. There is no time for intrigues within the local GOP organization.

Commented: Sunday, March 15th, 2026 @ 4:10 pm By: John Steed