Folwell gets major endorsement that will split Democrat vote for governor
In a closely divided state like North Carolina, the most productive path to victory for a candidate is to be able to peel off a chunk of voters who normally vote for the other party while not having his opponent do the same to him. One GOP candidate for governor stands out as superbly positioned in this regard, due to a recent endorsement. That candidate is State Treasurer Dale Folwell.
As State Treasurer, Folwell has been a champion for protecting the state employee pension fund and the state health plan, both major bread and butter issues to state employees. He has been more forceful and creative in doing this than past Treasurers. As a result, EMPAC, the political action committee of the State Employees Association of North Carolina has endorsed Dale Folwell for governor. This is a key block of voters that normally supports Democrats, and a block of voters that the other two candidates have no hope of attracting. It gives Folwell a major leg up on his primary opponents as the Republican who is most electable in the general election.
On the other end of the electability spectrum is liberal trial lawyer Bill Graham, who is endorsed by liberal US Senator Thom Tillis. Major lawsuits filed by Graham on farming issues make him a hated enemy of farlmers, a block of votes that mostly goes Republican. Losing the agriculture vote means that Graham is probably not electable in a general electoin. Graham has an uncanny political resemblence of another rich pretty boy trial lawyer who entered politics named John Edwards.
The third candidate is Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, a very forceful speaker, but with a poor record of actually doing anything on policy issues. He does not have any major block of Republicans who would abandon him as Graham does but he does not have the proven ability to grab any key block of Democrat voters either. He also has some personal skeletons in his closet that could hurt him with swing voters.
https://dailyhaymaker.com/state-employees-endorse-dale-folwell-for-governor/
Comments
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I concur that Dale Folwell is both the strongest general election candidate we have and the one most likely to be successful is pursuing the conservative agenda in government. I also concur that Bill Graham is both our weakest general election candidate and the least likely to push the conservative agenda. I don't think Graham can get around his farmer problem that he created for himself. The skeletons in Robinson's personal closet may or may not stick in a general election. Folwell is a staunch conservative who takes the bull by the horns and gets things done. Robinson does a whole lot of talking but almost no "doing". Graham talks a good game now but it does not match his past positions on issues, and then you have to look at who he surrounds himself with poltiically.
The problem is that who would be the strongest candidate in a general election may not be the strongest candidate in a primary. Graham has dumped $5 million of his own money into his primary campaign to try to buy the election, like his role model John Edwards did. Robinson's speaking ability has given him a huge head start in terms of name recognition and raising out of state money. Folwell has a lot of hurdles to overcome to win the primary in a shorter than traditional primary season. That state employees endorsement will indeed be a huge help in winning the general election but most of thier members will not be voting in the GOP primary, so it is only of marginal help there. |
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Dale Folwell is a taxpayer hero, head and shoulders above everybody else running. Frankily, I had expacted a whole lot more out of Mark Robinson than what we have seen, but Dale never disappoints!
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THere are two different factions of RINOs playing two different hands in the governor's primary. The Thom Tillis faction is behind Graham. Tillis's RINO consultant Paul Shumaker has been scouting around to recruit a candidate for the race for months, thrashing Robinson, and he finally found Graham. Shumaker is running Graham's campaign and Tillis endorsed Graham right out of the gate.
Mark Robinson went to Raligh as a grassroots citizen candidate and conservative, but once there has been coopted by ultra RINO Senate President pro tem Phil Berger. Berger has endorsed Robinson's candidacy and Berger's very liberal Chapel Hill based consultant Jim Blaine is embedded in Robinson's campaign. Berger has been running ROy Cooper's liberal agenda through the General Assembly and even endorsed a Democrat for a judgeship in the last election. Robinson, who presides over the Senate, has sat back and acquiesed to the Berger / Cooper agenda. Robinson still talks a good game but he has been completely MIA on key issues in Raleigh. Berger clearly intends to pull Robinson's puppet strings in the governor's mansion like he has in the legislature. Robinson does not have the political experience to resist, obviously. The grassroots conservative this primary is Dale Folwell. |
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Dale Folwell is the real deal. He has an excellent conservative record as a legislator and as State Treasurer. He is a doer rather than a talker, and that is what we need - Action, Not Words. Robinson has demonstrated that while his heart is in the right place and he can articulate his thoughts well, he just can't hack actually putting conservative policy in place. Graham?, well anyone endorsed by THom Tillis is just a non-starter.
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I met Dale some time ago when he was running for elected office, and have talked to him at political /governing events many times over the years, especially the ones I attend in Raleigh; however, I never fully realized how deep his governing well ran until I interviewed him for about 25 minutes on Friday, January 12th, of which I will provide a transcript with some Zoom video.
It will be a most informative article for those seeking real information to aid in their making the right decision for the Republican nominee for North Carolina's governor here in the 2024 general election.