Observations, the 2026 Elections | Eastern NC Now

Observations, the 2026 Elections

BY: HOOD RICHARDSON

Now that I am looking back at the 2026 elections I can give some really knowledgeable opinions. Something like someone telling Noah about the flood. I was uneasy throughout the entire process from the primary campaign until election day. I did not realize why I was uneasy until after the election.

There were no issues debated openly or between candidates. This is strange. Most knowledgeable candidates identify issues they think will appeal to the voters and concentrate on them. Almost every campaign was about digging dirt on each other. This makes the entire process look bad. The premise in these kinds of campaigns is the only way I can look good is to make my opponent look bad. What would a few of those cards and letters presenting issues do for any campaign. Addressing issues would make those slinging mud look worse than the issues-oriented candidate. Usually most of the advertising is about issues with about 10 percent being mud. Makes one wonder about the ability of both sides to manage meaningful campaigns when they cannot address issues.

The power players on both sides used their money raising ability to select candidates. The Nation is better off when John Q. Public is encouraged to enter the primary election. That way we would have more unencumbered (not bought by big money) candidates who could do the right thing when elected, instead of having to vote the way their handlers or owners tell them. These money evils are built into our political system by the election finance laws. Us commoners are limited in the amount of money we can give a candidate. The multimillionaires and billionaires have a loophole. They set up a campaign issue PAC (Political Action Committee) and funnel millions to help their special candidates. This practice does not always work. However, campaign finance laws should be changed to drastically reduce the amount of money the big boys can contribute. It is undemocratic for people with a lot of money to be able to dominate elections. What happened to the principle of all men being created equal? In a democracy, the wealthy should not have this kind of leverage over the average citizen.

On the local level, the Beaufort County Republican Party did not look good. However, Beaufort County voted well. The County voted about two-thirds MAGA Republican. If we did not have a County Republican Party, we would vote the same way. The local party which is run by the secret Victory Committee seems to spend their time and effort attacking conservative Republicans. The members of the Victory committee are Carolyn Garris, Steve Rader, Keith Kidwell, Paul Varcoe, Ashley Woolard and Gregg Dority. The Beaufort County Republican Executive Committee is clueless as to how the Party money is spent. The money is mostly spent on the Victory Committee’s favorite candidates and for stabbing conservative Republicans in the back. Conservative Commissioner Stan Deatherage was defeated by a huge margin with newcomer candidates doing very well. This is because the Party effort at the poles was to favor Victory Committee favorites.

The Beaufort County Republican Party was not seen, having rented office space on the second floor of an office building behind electronic locks and closed on weekends. Looks like they did not want to be found.

Power politics with decisions made by powerful people, as opposed to free and open elections caused several total disasters. While Trump is very popular and is doing what he promised, he should not have injected himself into the elections the way he did. I have no doubt that some people gave him political advice that was radically different from his behavior. There was plenty of opportunity for State Parties to assert that handpicking candidates is always a bad idea. Just because individuals kiss Trump in all the right places does not mean they will be a good candidate. Some candidates, like Whatley, were too lazy to campaign. They drank the Trump cool aid. Make no mistake, even though I make these comments, I support Trump and what he is doing for this Nation.

The Republican Party is due for a revolution, purging ourselves from the dictatorial hierarchy of leadership from the county to the national offices. (Translation: All of you really smart boys need to resign.) We need leaders in key positions, not followers.

Last, but not least, we need honorable leaders who have the strength of character to do what is morally, ethically and politically correct. Only with a return to Christian ethics and our laws will we be able to preserve our unique American form of government.