Big Gambling casino operators meddling in NC legislative primaries - is ours included?

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Big Gambling casino operators meddling in NC legislative primaries - is ours included?

Published: Wednesday, February 25th, 2026 @ 4:06 pm
By: John Steed ( More Entries )

UPDATE: It has been confirmed that the gambling special interest PACs are dumping big money into the 79th district to try to replace Kidwell with their choice Armstrong.. Their last minute spending spree is wideranging. It includes attacking key conservative leaders like Kidwell, propping up establishment hacks who are in trouble like Berger, and trying to win open seats for establishment candidates over conservatives like theLee-Moore House district.

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ORIGINAL POST:

One special interest that showered lots of money on establishment Republicans, aka RINOs, when corrupt Senate boss Phil Berger was pushing a bill to spread casinos across our state a few years ago, was the gambling industry. Now, it looks like they are back to play another hand in the 2026 Republican primaries and our 79th district looks like a target.

One of the key leaders in the House who blocked Berger's previous attempt to plant casinos around North Carolina was Keith Kidwell and the House Freedom Caucus. That makes him a major target for this special interest.

the gambling industry has set up two PACs to target conservatives, one named Win for America and the other the deceptively named American Conservative Fund. These groups started with a barrage of ads to try to prop up Berger himself,. Polls show Berger losing to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page in the primary.

Last time, the gambling special interests just wrote big checks to politicians. This time they are running their own ads supporting their friends and attacking their enemies.

Meanwhile ads from this group, which are mostly TV ads have appeared in other legislative districts. There is apparently one out targeting Kidwell.

https://dailyhaymaker.com/gambling-industry-meddling-in-nc-primaries/

https://dailyhaymaker.com/dark-covert-gambling-money-in-johnston-county-too/

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Comments

Rino Hunter said:

( February 26th, 2026 @ 10:03 am )

The word was out around the state at filing time that Phil Berger had promised that $4 million would be spent to take down conservatives in the House, including Kidwell. Everyone assumed at the time that would mean money from Berger's own network of fake "conservative" PACs which have always functioned through a blizzard of direct mail postcards. When no postcards from the Berger network showed up, the assumption was that he needed the money in his own primary. Now, it is clear that Berger farmed the operation out to his buddies in the casino industry, and what we are seeing now around the state and in our district is what Berger pledged these establishment hack challengers.

Then there is that dark money PAC that has been mailing all the postcards for Armstrong. Who knows which special interests have been funding that.

NEVER ARMSTRONG. NEVEr troxleR. never beRGEr

Victoria said:

( February 26th, 2026 @ 8:57 am )

Armstrong has been a "stealth" candidate who refuses to tell us where he stands on issues. Now we know why. He is in the hip pocket of the special interests who want to buy this seat for him. If he got elected, he would owe his soul to them. We cannot let that happen.

Sangrail said:

( February 25th, 2026 @ 10:43 pm )

They are spending an obscene amount of money in an attempt to defeat Keith Kidwell. Amounts almost unheard of in a race like this. Imagine the amount of money these companies stand to gain if Kidwell were to lose.

Conservative Voter said:

( February 25th, 2026 @ 8:59 pm )

there are hundreds of thousands of dollars of special interest money, much of it dark money being thrown against Keith Kidwell. that shows he is a true man of the people and his opponent is a creature of the special interests, who would owe his soul to the special interests if he got elected. We simply cannot allow the special interests to buy our legislative seat for Armstrong.

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