From the Campaign Trail

North Carolina Supreme Court
The Republican nominee, Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin’s National Guard unit, was called up to support operations in Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Here’s the thing: rather than brag about it on social media, Griffin quietly did his duty, and his service was only discovered accidentally by a reporter asking for election night plans. He did not announce these plans because, in his words, “this isn’t political.” That’s the type of servant leader North Carolinians need on Supreme Count.
 
In stark contrast, the Democratic nominee for the Supreme Court, Justice Allison Riggs, faces complaints and criticism over her extreme political campaign, which compromises her impartiality as a jurist. The North Carolina Judicial Code prohibits candidates for judicial office from opining on specific issues that might come before the Court to protect the institution’s impartiality and neutrality.
 
But Riggs has consistently campaigned on her commitment to support abortion rights if elected. In fact, legislative leaders wrote the Judicial Commission to alert them about this flagrant violation of the code of conduct, saying that if this does not violate the code, they will work to update the code to ensure this type of activity does not happen again.
 
The contrast could not be more evident; Griffin put aside political expediency to serve his fellow North Carolina, while Riggs continues to act like a partisan activist instead of an impartial juror.

Labor Commissioner
Luke Farley, the Republican candidate for Labor Commissioner, is completely correct. This race is between a defund the police activist, Braxton Winston, and an experienced labor attorney, Luke Farley, focused on keeping workers safe.

Braxton Winston rose to prominence within Charlotte City politics as a defund the police activists, and now he wants to take his brand statewide.

However, a review of Winston’s record raises an important question. Is his disdain for our boys in blue the result of his frequent police encounters while doing questionable activity?

Here’s a list of records obtained from Mecklenburg County, which record over a dozen connections with the criminal justice system, including:

• Failing to follow the order of a police officer
• Assault on a female
• Possession of Marijuana
• See for yourself, just google “Braxton Winston Police record“, see what comes up.

During the debate, Winston could not defend his radical record of attacking law enforcement. North Carolina needs a labor commissioner who supports enforcing the law, not someone who shows utter disrespect for our men in blue.

Attorney General
As the top law enforcement officer in the state, the North Carolina Attorney General has a unique role in providing public safety to those of us who call the Tar Heel state home.

However, the most recent crime data from the State Bureau of Investigations shows that crime is rising across North Carolina, with cities seeing double-digit increases.

Here are some of the key stats from the most recent report:

• Crime in Charlotte and Raleigh increased by 13%.
• Crime in Wilmington increased by 21%.
• Small cities like Cary and Greenville saw crime increase by 15% and 14%, respectively.

We know that violent crime is on the rise in North Carolina. However, only one Attorney General candidate takes this concern seriously. Republican Congressman Dan Bishop focused his messaging on reducing crime through law and order.

While his opponent, Congressman Jeff Jackson, dismissed the problem highlighted by these crime statistics as a “scare tactic.”

Agriculture Commissioner
The Washington Reporter, a Washington, DC-based outlet, highlighted how Taber’s out-of-touch ag policies would negatively impact the entire country. Read the full article below:

Scoop: “The entire country would suffer a shortage” of tobacco and corn if this Democrat wins
For generations, North Carolina farmers have farmed tobacco. But a little-known candidate running for a statewide office in the Tar Heel State could devastate North Carolina’s tobacco and corn, industry experts caution.

Sarah Taber, who is running to be North Carolina’s Commissioner of Agriculture, “wants to push her state away from tobacco production,” according to Investigate Midwest. “We have a state where tobacco doesn’t make money anymore and no one’s thought of anything else because that’s been the focus of our leadership,” Taber said.

The state’s farming community cautions that if Taber wins, America will quickly suffer the consequences. Peter Daniel, the NC Ag Partnership Chairman, told the Washington Reporter that “Dr. Sarah Taber’s views are far outside the mainstream and out of touch with North Carolina farms.” Daniel’s organization is a non-profit that focuses on strengthening the economic viability of farmers, businesses, and their communities.

Daniel, who has worked in agriculture policy for almost half a century, added that “Taber’s schemes to replace traditional crops like tobacco and corn in favor of products that often cannot receive crop insurance is a disaster for North Carolina’s family farms. If Taber is elected, the entire country would suffer a shortage of North Carolina’s agriculture production due to her incompetence.” 

Taber started a company in 2006 that “help[ed] farms and farmers transition away from traditional crops like tobacco and toward non-traditional but highly lucrative forms of agriculture — growing food under glass or in water,” according to Watauga Watch. Taber is also under scrutiny for her social media posts. While she deleted many of them, several remained accessible on internet archives, and local farmers like Marlowe Ivey, a fifth-generation North Carolina farmer, has blasted Taber for her remarks, many of which are now-deleted.

In one post, Taber wrote that “the thing about the family farm system is, it makes land ownership hereditary. It’s a very tidy way to make sure land stays in the hands of colonizers. Worker-owned is a lot more flexible & able to accommodate decolonization.”

Taber is facing Republican incumbent Steve Troxler, one of the most electorally-successful Republicans in North Carolina. As the race heats up, a group called NC Ag Action PAC sent out mailers featuring some of Taber’s anti-farmer rhetoric; the mailers were shared with the Reporter.