Ferreting Out Those Rock-Solid Republicans | Eastern NC Now

Ferreting Out Those Rock-Solid Republicans

BY:  HOOD RICHARDSON

We are in the primary election season. This is the time in this two-year election cycle that the voter, the man on the street, the citizen, the individual has an opportunity to select by majority vote whom he believes is the best person to represent his political interests in the general elections to be held during the first week of November of 2026. Even though the President is not being elected during this two-year cycle more than half of our elected officials will be standing for office during 2026. This will be the case during the 2028 elections with the major difference being the President is being elected. People tend to believe these off-year elections are not important, however they are as important as when we elect presidents.

In political theory, each of the major parties is not supposed to be involved in their primary elections. Both major parties’ rules say that it is unfair and unethical for party leadership to be involved in campaigning, endorsing and recommending any candidate until the rank and file of each party has decided who their candidate will be. This decision is made during the primary election. Early voting begins February 12th of 2026.

The North Carolina Republican Party has already broken bad by agreeing to endorse their fair-haired boy Michael Whatley, the former State Party Chairman. This was prompted by President Trump endorsing Whatley. A lot of unfair games will be played between now and the primary election by both candidates and political parties trying to make the public believe each is endorsing the other. Actually, the public is much better served if the political parties keep their hands off the primary elections. That brings fairness to the election process. The primary election is a test of competency, popularity, and political salesmanship. Party hands-off means the candidate must stand on his own without the money and tricks of paid political hacks to make us believe the party preferred candidate can walk on water. One of the reasons we have political phonies is because the party leadership hand picks some very weak people to run for office.

We have always advised the public to take a second and third look at candidates who are pushed and endorsed by political parties during primary elections. Making donations to political parties during primary elections is not a good idea, because there is a 50 percent chance your money is going to support a candidate you do not like. It is far better to find a candidate you do support and give your political donation directly to him.

The Beaufort County Republican Party has been particularly bad about supporting RINOs (Republican In Name Only). This is why you have been overtaxed for ten years. Frankie Waters, John Rebholz and Randy Walker have joined with Democrats Jerry Langley and Ed Booth to vote together on all budget issues and refused to lower taxes even though money has been piling up in the county bank account. The tax surplus has been wasted on many projects including the failed attempt to build a new jail, and the consolidation of schools. At the end of this year three schools will be closed in Beaufort County. They are Snowden, John Cotton Tayloe and Eastern Elementary. In a county that has 50 percent of the school seats vacant we are building a new consolidated school. All of this is nothing but government waste caused by over taxation and RINO government. The quality of education remains deplorable.

An example of political incompetence is the costing of two Republicans in the city council races seats by the interference of the Beaufort County Republican Party in the non-partisan municipal elections. The Beaufort County Republican Party entered a ringer (someone they knew could never be elected) in order to split the Republican vote. The Beaufort County Republican Party was trying to defeat conservative Republicans. Representatives of the Beaufort County Republican Party, Carolyn Garris, Keith Kidwell, Greg Dority, Ashley Woolard and other liberals congregated at the poles each day telling registered republicans that Wiley Woolard, the ringer, was endorsed by the Republican Party. Republicans who knew Wiley Woolard refused to vote for him. Loyal Republicans who trusted the Party Leadership voted for Wiley Woolard. The result was that Woolard got about 360 votes while Tex Melton and Sheri Clark came up short by about 120 votes each. This was a corrupt practice. Republicans who were deceived by the Garris, Kidwell, Dority and Woolard team and should never believe them again.

I expect to see more of this kind of manipulation of loyal Republicans during the 2026 primary and general elections. Republicans should donate directly to candidates and be extremely careful of people who try to use party loyalty to get your vote. Not everybody who has an “R” behind his name is a Republican. Some are charlatans, phonies, ringers and opportunists.

The practice of running ringers to split the conservative vote is reprehensible. It is a corrupt practice when done by representatives and leaders of the Republican party. Those who used this tactic during the Washington Municipal elections should be held accountable. Garris, Kidwell, Dority and Woolard along with their helpers used money collected from innocent donors for the benefit of the entire Republican Party without the approval of the Beaufort County Republican Executive Committee to defeat Republicans. Rank and file Republicans should be outraged.

All voters should be aware of what happened in the Washington Municipal election as we go into the 2026 primaries.