An 87-second Video May Decide Race in House District 1 | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: The author of this fine report is Kristy Bailey, who is a contributor to the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Encounter between Republican Steinburg and campaign manager for Democrat Luton goes viral

    RALEIGH     Bob Steinburg, the Republican candidate for state House District 1, is fighting mad, at least according to his Democratic opponent's campaign manager, who filed assault charges against Steinburg.

    Steinburg faces a Nov. 14 court date in Perquimans County. He was charged with third-class misdemeanor assault after he confronted Russ Haddad, campaign manager for Democrat Bill Luton, immediately following a candidate forum.

    The dispute centered around Haddad's refusal to stop videotaping a private conversation between the candidates, and the 87-second online video has attracted attention far outside the district.

    Luton, who has served since 2008 on the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank school board, hopes to replace nine-term Democratic Rep. Bill Owens, who announced earlier this year he would not seek re-election in this swing district.

    Luton has not responded to attempts to interview him about his campaign or legislative priorities. However, he did tell Carolina Journal during a brief telephone interview that "the video speaks for itself."

    Luton also has been dean of an online university since 2010.

    Although this is listed as a swing district, Democrats have a voter registration edge of 42-27 percent, with 30.6 percent of voters unaffiliated. But moderate-to-conservative lawmakers are often elected in this region of the state, and Luton is viewed as more liberal than Owens.

    "My opponent and I have completely different core values," Steinburg told CJ. "From voter ID and gay marriage to graduation standards and North Carolina's right to work status, he is a barefaced liberal who virulently opposes the values of this district."

    A former business owner who lives in Edenton, Steinburg served three terms as chairman of the Chowan County Republican Party and three terms as president of the 14-county Albemarle Pamlico Republican Club.

    In 2010, he won his party's nomination for N.C. House District 2, winning 45 percent of the General Election vote, not enough to oust Democratic incumbent Timothy Spear. Steinburg's column, "A Conservative's Viewpoint," ran in five newspapers in the region until 2010.

    Luton "repeatedly takes potshots at those who disagree with his liberal mind set, including [N.C. House Speaker Thom] Tillis and the entire Republican Party, because he is a liberal ideologue," Steinburg said.

    "I respect his tenacity for his beliefs, but I find most voters in our community do not share his across-the-board liberal approach because they know it will only make it harder for families here to make ends meet," he said.

    "I am a retired businessman and conservative who has seen the big-government approach cost jobs, weaken schools, and harm families," Steinburg said.

    "From gas prices to grocery bills, too many families here suffer from staggering unemployment and struggling schools," the Chowan County Republican said.

    "It's harder and harder to raise a family
and keep your kids in the same community for generations. I am running to help these good people by lowering taxes, reducing senseless regulations, and strengthening workforce development in our schools," Steinburg said.

    "This conservative approach will empower our community to succeed by creating jobs here and by giving our children and grandchildren an education that will last in the global job market."

    Steinburg holds an associate's degree from Corning Community College and a bachelor's degree from Upper Iowa University. Steinburg, 64, volunteers at local elementary schools, helping students with reading skills and raising money for athletic equipment.

    He also is serving a fourth term as president of Edenton Emergency Aid, a nonprofit agency in Chowan County that assists people undergoing financial strain.

    Steinburg's campaign had no cash on hand at the end of the second quarter, although he told CJ that he had received $10,000 in contributions in the two days after Haddad's video went viral. Luton reported having $521.54 on hand at the end of the second quarter, according to the N.C. Board of Elections.

    Haddad is the former director of business development and economic outreach for Democratic U.S. Congressman G.K. Butterfield. He also is ex-director of tourism for the North Carolina Film Office.

    As for the video shot at the candidate forum, both political camps have different versions of what happened.

    Around the 20-second mark, Steinburg asks Haddad to turn off the camera because he's trying to talk privately with Luton.

    Around the 35-second mark, Luton shakes his Republican opponent's hand, and says, "You know, Bob, this isn't going to go well. See you next time, and bring your A game."

    At that point viewers can see Steinburg reaching toward something when Haddad says, "You grabbed my neck."

    The video can be seen on YouTube; the U.K.-based Guide4World; nearly every local affiliate of the three major television networks; blogs such as bluestate.org and realitybasedbob.sayanythingblog.com; and the San Francisco Chronicle, among other sites.

    The coverage of the encounter between Steinburg and Haddad resurrected a dormant 2005 video showing Steinburg being led away in handcuffs after addressing the Chesterfield County (Va.) commissioners. They deemed his remarks a personal attack prohibited by local ordinance.

    Steinburg was escorted from the meeting by a police officer and filed a lawsuit in federal court against the county. It was dismissed, as was an appeal.

    Steinburg told CJ that he had approached the podium at the front of a largely empty meeting room to address the commissioners in response to degrading remarks they made to three other attendees at the meeting.

    Kristy Bailey is a contributor to Carolina Journal.