Scenes from the Guilford County Republican Party Convention

Jeff Phillips, a candidate for US House District 6, leaves a knot of supporters outside of the Guilford County Republican Party's temporary headquarters in Jamestown last Thursday.

Candidates for office, party officials and true believers who gathered at what was once a drug store in Jamestown last Thursday for the Guilford County Republican Party Convention bristled with righteous indignation and against President Obama’s plan to pass national healthcare reform.

More than a dozen Republican candidates from senatorial hopeful Larry Linney down to county commission contenders Samuel Spagnola and Myrene Stanley stood before the assembly making the case for limited government and reduced spending. The convention passed a resolution opposing the passage of the Democratic healthcare bill in Washington, and at the instigation of NC Rep. John Blust, the convention’s parliamentarian, added an amendment expressing that “we deplore the idea that the [US] House of Representatives can pass a healthcare bill without ever having of formal vote on it.”

Party Chairman Bill Wright chided some of first-time candidates for lacking a history of involvement in the party in the past.

“We’ve got quite a few people who have never run for office before,” he said. “I’m gonna get on you a little bit. There are a handful of people who volunteer a lot of time in the party, but a lot of you we’ve never seen before. Whether you win or not, we want to see you after the election.”

Dr. James Taylor, an anesthesiologist from Southern Pines running for the 6th Congressional District seat, captured the spirit of grassroots conservatism pervading the assembly with a reference to the pending healthcare bill.

“If these cowards in Washington, DC pass this legislation with reconciliation or deem it so, they don’t know the hornets nest they’re going to stir up,” he said. He later added, “You guys are at the front lines of the war we are about to fight. I believe that we are at the beginning of the second American revolution.”

Jeff Phillips of Greensboro, another candidate challenging incumbent Howard Coble for the 6th district seat, also spoke.

Wright read a letter from Coble, which reflected the eight-term congressman’s characteristic gentility: “As you know, five others have filed for the Republican primary, and I welcome them to the political arena. I reiterate that this seat does not belong to me, and I am pleased to place my record before the voters and have them decide if they wish to send me back for another two years.”

Many candidates, including Jeff Phillips of Greensboro, one of Coble’s challengers made it a point to mention how many years they have been married to their wives. (Coble is a bachelor.)

John Faircloth, one of four candidates in a crowded Republican primary vying to replace retiring NC Rep. Laura Wiley in NC House District 61, prompted laughter when he introduced himself by saying, “I win one contest tonight: I’ve been married 52 years.”

Three congressional districts converge in Guilford County, making the county GOP either a crossroads or a far-flung outpost in North Carolina’s conservative political arena. The other two congressional districts, 12 and 13, are held by Democrats based respectively in Charlotte and Raleigh. Between the two, the 13th Congressional District stretching from Raleigh to Greensboro and currently represented by Brad Miller, is considered the one where a Republican candidate holds the best prospects.

Two of the four candidates in the 13th district Republican primary, all of whom are based in the Triangle area around Raleigh, addressed the Guilford County Republicans.

Dan Huffman, a 47-year-old communications consultant from Wake Forest, sounded a theme developed by Sarah Palin last summer.

“We can’t have an Obamacare, which we’re talking about today, which has death panels to decide whether my 91-year-old grandfather, who lives in Hickory, will get some sort of procedure or not.”

Frank Hurley, a 69-year-old former Reagan appointee to NASA from Chapel Hill, accused the Democratic incumbent of drawing the district for himself, and said the Republicans will need a galvanizing wedge issue to claim it.

“We’re going to have to find at least one issue, which is a real grabber, which will rouse the Jessecrats to rise up and for once to vote for a Republican and retire this guy from public life and get a real job for the first time in his life. I think that issue is the amnesty that the Democrats are getting read to grant for about 12 million illegal immigrants. That would be an enormous mistake with a tremendous cost in jobs, a tremendous cost in medical services, a tremendous cost in law enforcement resources and a tremendous cost for our national culture.”

Hurley referred to the conservative Democrats who crossed party lines to vote for Sen. Jesse Helms from 1972 through 1996.

“And I think what we have to do is insist that our children not only don’t have to press one for English, but don’t get in a situation where they have to press two for English,” Hurley said. “So this is the issue I really think we ought to pound home against brad Miller. I’m willing to do that. I’m going to take punishment for that. It’s going to be controversial. I’ve got to be confrontational if I get the nomination. I’m the Republican conservative with the attitude in this primary.”

Only one of US Sen. Richard Burr’s three primary challengers showed up (Burr sent a surrogate). The sole senatorial candidate, a black former NC House representative from Buncombe County named Larry Linney won applause lines when he said, “I come to you and I come a little late, but I come here as an American, not a hyphenated American.”

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Linney served a prison sentence in the 1990s for felony embezzlement and has been trying to get his conviction overturned. Linney now lives in Charlotte.

During his remark the has-been and would-be office holder tapped into a theme that is mobilizing the Republican Party this year.

“Most importantly, I come to you as an outraged citizen of this country,” he said. “We need to put a stop to Obamacare, and this whole socialist agenda.”

Some challengers charged that Republican incumbents have gotten to comfortable in office and have betrayed conservative principles. Samuel Spagnola, a blogger with an unflinching sense of conviction, is one of two candidates challenging incumbent Linda Shaw for the District 3 seat in on the Guilford County Commission. Shaw was unable to attend the convention because a county commission meeting was scheduled for the same night. The district covers Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and northwest Greensboro.

“I wish I could take my finger and say, ‘It’s the Democrats’ fault.’ But it’s not. We elect people — so-called conservatives in our own party — who’ve taken part in running up that debt just like everyone else, and now it’s time to pay the piper. I will not be that person. A lot of you might know me. I’m very active in the blogosphere. I have comments all over the place. And some people have said, ‘That’s a bad thing; you should never do that.’ I’ve never written anything I will not defend in front of anybody. And the fact of the matter is I will tangle with these people, I will scrap with these people until I’m the last person standing if that’s what it takes. But it’s time to bring responsibility back to local government as well and bring us back to the kind of Reaganism and conservatism that made me join this party when I was 18. Votespag — two four letters put together — votespag.com, if you want to help me in my effort.”


Larry Linney, candidate for US Senate

Jeff Phillips, candidate for US House District 6

“Many people have asked me: ‘Jeff, why’re you running for Congress?’ I can sum up the answer as to why with four simple words: The time is now. We cannot wait another two years, four years, six years or more to come to the same conclusion that we’re in exactly the same place as we were in 2010, if not worse off than before. Like most of you, I’m deeply concerned and disappointed, feeling uncertain about our future, even angry about the current state of affairs in Washington. If you’ll give me the opportunity on May the 4th, I want to be the bold new voice in Washington on your behalf. I will shout your concerns from the rooftops."


James Taylor (right), a candidate for US House District 6, visits with Guilford County Republican activist Don Wendelken.


Scott Cumbie, US House District 12 candidate

"I also had some people who have been in the Republican Party for some time, that have been involved in politics that approached me and said, ‘You can’t win that district.’ And the reason they said that is because the district is 67 percent Democrat. It’s also 45 percent African American. And my concern with that statement is, if we as a Republican Party have a message, we have a message for all the people, not just the Republican Party. And as a candidate of the 12th district I want to reach out to all the people of the district, not just the Republicans and not just the independents. My goal over the next nine months is to not only meet with the standard Republicans and independents and even Tea Party people who we’re all in agreement with, but to really reach into the African-American community. And let me tell you a little fact that you might not know about. March 27th is a very important date for North Carolina. Does anyone know what that date is? March 27th of 1867 is when the Republican Party was founded here in North Carolina. That’s a week from Saturday. In that founding there were 147 people that met together in the state House to form the Republican Party. Forty-six of that 147 people were African Americans. And we need to invite them back into this party. Because this is the party of freedom, this is the party of family, this is the party of prosperity.”


Dan Huffman, US House District 13 candidate


Jeff Hyde, NC Senate District 27 candidate

“So why is our prosperity affected so much in North Carolina? Why is our rate so high when our neighbor in Virginia is less than half our employment rate? Well, it’s because our climate for creating jobs is not competitive with the Southern states that surround us. Of those southeastern states, North Carolina has the highest individual income tax rate, the highest corporate tax rate. And, other than Tennessee, it has the highest state sales tax. And, by the way, Tennessee doesn’t have a tax on income. North Carolina has the highest gasoline tax. And our energy cost is the highest in the southeast. These conditions exist in North Carolina now, and as long as they exist we will continue to see double-digit unemployment in North Carolina."


Jeffrey Brommer, NC Senate District 28 candidate


“The reason I’m running is someone needs to look out for the small business man. I’ve been in business since 1993, and someone needs to step up and look out for the little guy out there. I think I’m the guy to do it. The state has a lot of problems with taxes, with spending. You’ve heard the talking points tonight, and we need to do something about it.”


Trudy Wade, NC Senate District 28 candidate

"I want to create jobs, jobs and more jobs. So you say, ‘How do we create jobs?’ Well I’ve been a small business owner a long time. I’m gonna tell you this: I’ve never had to pay 48 percent in taxes in my entire life. It keeps going up. Where is the incentive for me to work harder? It’s not there. I just pay more in taxes. So what do I think we need to do? I think, one, we better decrease the taxes on small business so we can put everybody back to work. I don’t think most of the people in Raleigh know anything about running a business. But believe me, I do. You know, when you run a business and people say, ‘Oh great, she’s making a lot of money,’ who’s the last person to get paid in your small business? You are. So, who is it killing? You. I want to cut those taxes on businesses. Put people back to work so they can spend money and we can all flourish and do better."


Darin Thomas, NC House District 58 candidate

"Darin Thomas is a very honest and fair person. People have asked me a lot about why I’m running. I’m here tonight and I’m announcing my campaign mainly because I’m worried. I’m worried about our communities. I’m worried about our families. I’m worried about our county, our state and our country. And many candidates who are here tonight are worried about those very things. I’m here tonight because of our friends and our neighbors. They seem to have given up. They’re not paying any more attention. It’s almost as though they’re getting ready to throw in the towel. I’m here for my community. I’m here for my family. I’m here for your families. I’m also here for our small businesses. I’m here for our employed and I’m here for our unemployed. I’m here for our teachers, and I’m here for our public servants. You know, the actions of the Democratic majorities in Raleigh and Washington have proven to me that something is seriously broken. That is exactly why I’m running for the North Carolina House."


John Blust, NC House District 62 candidate

“You know, people mention service. The very first day I could, the morning after I turned 18, my friend dropped me off at the old Post Office where the Army recruiting was, and I took an oath, and I joined the United States Army. And I served for two years immediately post Vietnam — Vietnam was still going on — when it wasn’t popular to be in the military. You talk about a desire to serve, that’s where you can really show it. And I went to UNC for undegrad and accounting. I went to law school — and people knock lawyers, but I’m one person who believes in justice. And I’m very passionate about it. And I know many lawyers do things that aren’t popular and aren’t very conducive to justice, but there are some that are in it for the right reason. I then went back into the Army as an officer because I had taken ROTC at NC State, believe it or not. And I served in the demilitarized zone in Korea. Jack Nicholson told who in A Few Good Men — Tom Cruise — “If you believe that, why don’t you man a post?” Well, I’ve manned the post. It was cold, and it was lonely.”


Myrene Stanley, Guilford County Commission District 2 candidate

“My name is Myrene Stanley, and I’m your conservative choice for Guilford County commissioner in District 2. I’m a wife, a mother, Christian and a veteran of the United States military, so I know how to serve. I support fiscal responsibility, your property rights and keeping taxes low for residents and businesses alike. Help make Guilford County a more affordable and desirable place to live and create jobs.”


Samuel Spagnola, Guilford County Commission District 3 candidate

Triad Elections '10