Comments by Rino Hunter | Eastern NC Now

The behavior of the Walkers, Carolyn and Randy is shocking but not surprising. They may call themselves Republicans but they are still what they were most of their lives - functional Democrats. You can see it in how both of them govern. They are Undocumented Democrats. Carolyn Walker is trying to build herself a little power clique of liberals on the School Board. Randy votes with the Democrats on the county commission.

Even with their brand of deceptive politics, though, smearing conservative colleagues from other districts to voters, is beneath what I would have expected even from the Walkers.

Hickman and Rader have both been Republican leaders, both of them former county GOP chairmen and congressional district GOP chairmen, with deep roots in the GOP. The Walkers on the other hand are latecoming opportunists.

One remembers the grifting that Randy Walker did in his first GOP commissioner campaign (he had already tried and failed as a Democrat). He begged Hood Richardson to buy him signs, which Richardson came up with the money to do. Then he hired Ashley Woolard to run his internet ad campaign, and ended up stiffing Woolard not only for Woolard's own fee but also for the money Woolard advanced to buy the ads. That reflects the true character of the Walkers. They are not of character to be attacking others.

Commented: Thursday, March 5th, 2026 @ 9:55 pm By: Rino Hunter

Whatley is just another Tillis. I am afraid his money will win him the primary, although I hope Don Brown does. If it is Whatley, the only thing that will get my vote for him in November would be his getting Tillis to support the SAVE Act. Otherwise I will cast a protest vote for a third party or just leave that office blank on my ballot.

Commented: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 @ 7:11 am By: Rino Hunter

Now why would anyone suspect Armstrong of being anti-gun? Maybe because the guy who recruited him to run, Rep. Jimmy Dixon was the anti-gun holdout who has been preventing a veto override over Josh Stein so we could pass concealed carry. Or maybe it is his endorsement, which he constantly parade,s by anti-gun liberal Raleigh RINO Steve Troxler.

Commented: Sunday, March 1st, 2026 @ 5:41 pm By: Rino Hunter

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

Commented: Thursday, February 26th, 2026 @ 10:03 am By: Rino Hunter

"Bath parent" sure seems to be pushing those warmed over longtime Democrats now trying to pass themselves off as "Republicans", Darren Armstrong and Monica Davis. Davis moved to Washington over 30 years ago and has been a Democrat actively voting in Democrat primaries until recently. The first time she voted in a Republican primary was in 2024. Darren Armstrong was a longtime Democrat in Hyde County, and a major financial contributor in several campaigns to liberal Democrat state senator Marc Basnight.

As I recall someone here had previously identified "Bath parent" as being actually a teacher at Eastern Elementary school. One of the candidates she is pushing also happens to have once taught there.

As to writing, what I would like to see is candidates being up front with the voters in answering candidate questionares from groups asking them where they stand on issues. Sneaky candidates do not answer those, and try to keep voters in the dark. Take the iVoter Guide. Darren Armstrong and Monica Davis played hooky on that one and refused to level with the voters on their positions on issues. Keith Kidwell and Steven Rader were upfront with voters and spelled out where they stood.

I also wonder if "Bath parent" might be smoking something other than a tobacco product when she claims Rader does not support Kidwell. I sometimes drive by Rader's house down in the historic district when I go to the waterfront and there has been a Kidwell sign in front of it for months. It was still there a few days ago and I presume it still is.

Fake "Republicans" are NOT what we need in public office. What we do need is candidates who tell us what their positions on issues are, not try to hide them as Armstrong and Davis have done.

Commented: Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 @ 1:57 pm By: Rino Hunter

Let's not forget that Armstrong and Raleigh RINO Steve Troxler are joined at the hip. Armstrong has had Troxler campaign for him several times and constantly mentions his endorsement by RINO Troxler. Troxler's anti-gun record led GRNC to endorse the Libertarian running against Troxler last election.

Like Armstrong, Troxler is a former liberal Democrat now trying to pass himself off as a "Republican". Troxler was chairman of Farmers for John Edwards in the campaign of liberal Democrat John Edwards for US Senate against conservative Republican incumbent Senator Lauich Faircloth. Armstrong was a major contributor in four figure sums over multiple campaigns to liberal Democrat state senator Marc Basnight.

Commented: Sunday, February 22nd, 2026 @ 11:42 am By: Rino Hunter

Darren Armstrong's latest "birds of a feather"? The liberal school board challengers, Monica Davis and Jennifer Cornelius. If you walk by Armstrong's tent at early voting at the Board of Elections, he has signs up for both of them. We already knew about his close alliance with RINO Frankie Waters.

Commented: Thursday, February 19th, 2026 @ 1:51 pm By: Rino Hunter

Just say NO to former Basnight Democrat retread Darren Armstrong. He and his Raleigh RINO pals Troxler, Dixon, and Berger only serve the special interests like out of state chemical companies that give North Carolinians cancer and don't want to be sued for it, and radical environmentalists who want to shut down our shrimping industry. Kidwell was one of the central figures in stopping the shutdown of the shrimpers and stopping the bill to protect that chemical company from lawsuits by local people. Kidwell represents the people. Armstrong would represent the special interests.

Commented: Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 @ 4:16 pm By: Rino Hunter

Lloyd Williams is clearly a Democrat plant in the Republican primary. He could have filed to run against a Democrat judge but instead primaried a Republican who had already announced. Now the other shoe drops. Democrats are endorsing Williams and financing his campaign.

Commented: Monday, February 16th, 2026 @ 8:02 am By: Rino Hunter

Those mailers from the Big Ag PAC are delusional if they think we care about an endorsement from liberal Raliegh RINO Steve Troxler. Troxler is as bad, if not worse, a RINO than Thom Tillis. Will they send our a Tillis endorsement next? Big time RINO political consultant Paul Shumaker, the man who created Thom Tillis politically, had a wet dream of making Troxler the establishment candidate for governor in 2024. Tillis and Troxler are the same breed of cat. Personally, I do NOT vote for Traxler, and would not even consider voting for anyone he endorses. NEVER TILLIS. NEVER TROXLER>

Commented: Friday, February 13th, 2026 @ 8:28 am By: Rino Hunter

Anyone who was at the debate between Kidwell and Armstrong saw what an empty suit that Armstrong is. He is nothing but a "johnny one note" for Big Ag.

Commented: Wednesday, February 11th, 2026 @ 11:11 am By: Rino Hunter

Majority Leader Thune, an old McConnell man, needs to have the heat put to him to force a "standing filibuster" on the SAVE Act. In other words, make the Democrats have to stand up for 24 hours a day to debate the bill. This is the only way it can be forced to a vote. This bill is that important, and there is a real question over whether Thune has the 'nads to do it.

Commented: Friday, February 6th, 2026 @ 7:50 am By: Rino Hunter

Sorry, Washingtonian but the records of the North Carolina Board of Elections show that it is you who are the liar, or at least you are repeating someone else's lie.

NC Board of Elections records show that Darren Armstrong has only made three legislative campaign contributions in his life. All three were for $1,000 each and the recipient of all three was liberal Democrat State Senator Marc Basnight (D-Dare).

Those records do not show ANY contributions from Darren Armstrong to any candidate or political committee during the 2022 election cycle. Campaign finance law would require any political committee raising money for candidates to file a report with the state Board of Elections, with names of contributors and amounts. Those would be shown in their records. There is NO report of ANY contribution activity from Darren Armstrong in 2022. If Armstrong made the contribution you claim, it would show up on the NC Board of Elections records, but in fact their records show NO such contribution..

www.ncsbe.gov

NO, Washingtonian, the NC Board of Elections is NOT lying. You, or your source ARE.

And when it comes to honesty, Washingtonian, you are backing a stealth candidate who will not level with the voters about what his positions on issues are. That is the hallmark of an establishment hack, aka a RNIO or Undocumented Democrat.

Commented: Saturday, January 31st, 2026 @ 3:33 pm By: Rino Hunter

Greg Murphy voting to use our tax dollars to fund organizations that "trans" children is just despicable. He badly needs a primary. Glad he will no longer be representing Beaufort County.

Commented: Friday, January 23rd, 2026 @ 5:33 pm By: Rino Hunter

Washingtonian, you may not remember but Kidwell ran against Frankie Waters for county commissioner the first election Waters ran in. Beaufort County would have been so much better off if Kidwell had won that primary instead of Waters. That was the election where Waters lied to the Stop the Jail Committee on his position on the proposed mega-million dollar jail.

Commented: Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 @ 5:52 pm By: Rino Hunter

VZ, two RINOs that can be identified with Democrat roots running as RINOs are Monica Davis running for School Board in district 6, a longtime Democrat who only recently became a "Republican", and Darren Armstrong, a longtime Basnight Democrat from Hyde County running for NC House. Frankie Waters tried to recruit him as a county commission candidate, which is also telling. The Raliegh RINOs did recruit him for NC House.

Commented: Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 @ 9:54 am By: Rino Hunter

Great ad on Phil Berger, who is certainly an Undocumented Democrat and downright whore for the special interests. It will be a blessing to see him gone. The sad thing is that it will not change too much in the senate. One of Berger's lieutenants with the same mindset will take over, and probably function just like Berger. They have filled the senate with too many politically inexperienced "yes men" and "yes women" in their candidate recruitment from Raleigh to expect any different.

Last primary season, Berger inserted two of his people onto the Council of State, and this election, he is trying to insert his people into the state House, using Jimmy Dixon as his front man. He has also interfered into our congressional primary because he wants to stop one of the candidates who dared to stand up against him in the state senate.

Commented: Saturday, January 17th, 2026 @ 8:37 am By: Rino Hunter