Robeson Delegation attends State Convention

Robeson Delegation on
Convention Floor

The Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, North Carolina was the backdrop for the NC GOP State Convention. Seventeen delegates formed the Robeson delegation nearly running out of sitting room reserved for the local delegation.

                Friday night the Robeson delegation attended a luncheon featuring business mogul Donald Trump as the keynote speaker.  Trump noted he turns down many requests to speak at conventions but understands that whoever wins North Carolina may very well win the Presidency this year.

Robeson Delegation attending Luncheon with Donald Trump

                Trump says the U.S. has tremendous potential to get roaring again but needs someone who understands business and economics.  He again used the platform to call on President Obama to release his college records citing Obama as the only President to withhold this information.  He even gave President Clinton credit for not condemning Romney’s work at Bain Capital.

                The Robeson delegation also attended luncheons featuring Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Texas Governor Rick Perry who both made Presidential bids.  Each luncheon was covered heavily by national media.

Donald Trump at Friday Luncheon

                Gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory accepted the Party’s nomination to run for Governor at the convention.  The delegation also voted to send NC Legislator David Lewis and Dr. Ada Fisher back to the RNC as national committee members.

                In addition to hearing Trump, Pawlenty and Perry, delegation members met with candidates ranging from Legislators running for House seats to Congressional candidates and judicial seats.  The Robeson delegation was also strongly represented in meetings with gubernatorial candidate Pat McCroy and his strategists who value Robeson County’s contribution to the state and federal races.

                Numerous training sessions were also conducted at the convention each attended by different members of the delegation which grows larger from Robeson each year.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty speaking with
Local & National Media at Convention

May Primary

As of Midnight - Hudson & Keadle appear to be poised for a runoff in the 8th Congressional District.  Rouzer appears to have edged out Pantano with close enough numbers for a recount.  Locally, Dennis Harrell received 68% of the vote in the District 7 County Commissioner race and Randy Lawson appears to be taking a Board of Education Seat.  The remaining races proceeded as expected.

One of the most interesting points of the night is that on the Democratic Presidential Ticket - "No Preference" beat Obama in over a dozen Precincts in Robeson.  It was close in many others.

Americans for Prosperity Tour

The Americans for Prosperity Real Solutions Tour will make a stop in Lumberton 10:00am Thursday at the Lumberton Municipal Building.  They are attempting to educate NC citizens about real solutions to the State Budget through limited government and promoting individual liberty.

The tour is sponsored in part by the Conservative Organization - John William Pope Civitas Institute.  See their website here:  http://ncrealsolutions.com/

Many of you may have met Dallas Woodhouse, NC State Director of Americans for Prosperity during their "Hands off my Healthcare" tour in 2008.   Please come out and support them Thursday at 10:00 am.

In Other News...

Left to Right:  School Board Candidate Robert Davis,
County Commissioner Candidate Pastor Dennis Harrell &
District 8 Congressional Candidate Dr. John Whitley.
Also seen in background is Burt Benson, Gervais
 Oxendine & commissioner candidate James McClellan

One-Stop voting has begun!   Election Day is May 8th...Voting has been very light to date.

Please Vote!

Robeson Republican Convention



NC Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby spends a moment
at the Robeson GOP Convention with District 7
County Commissioner Candidate Rev. Dennis Harrell

The Robeson County Republican Party convention was held March 27th.  About 50 delegates were present and over a dozen candidates attended along with an equal number of guests.  A resolution was passed supporting the Constitutional Amendment protecting traditional marriage along with a resolution supporting Charter schools. 

The Marriage Protection amendment will appear on the May ballot.  Favoring the referendum means voters support an amendment to the State Constitution that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.  The resolution calls for the Democratic Party to join Republicans as a sign of unity in passing a similiar resolution at their upcoming convention in April.

The Charter School resolution declares that Republicans will preferably favor School Board candidates who support charter schools in light of the success charter schools bring to an educational system.  The resolution views charter schools also as an economic tool to recruit industry to the region.

Referendums are Confusing!

Legislative referendums can be confusing. For example, on May 8th, if you are “against” same-sex marriage you want to vote “for” the marriage amendment. But if you are in “favor” of same-sex marriage you will vote “against” the amendment. Adding to the confusion is that some refer to the amendment as the “same-sex” marriage amendment while other groups refer to it as the “marriage protection” amendment.


The Robeson County Republican Party utilized both wordings to hopefully clarify the referendum language by titling the resolution the “Marriage Amendment Unity Resolution” as the Party wanted to unify Republicans and Democrats.

The Party also utilized the more secular wording “same-sex” but also cited President Bill Clinton’s Defense of Marriage Act to incorporate all understanding of the language. However, a recent front page news article reveals how confusing this issue is to some voters who still are unclear about the referendum and believe being in favor of the amendment means being in favor of same-sex marriage as evidenced by response to the Party's support of it.  It's good we know now that there is confusion.

Let’s be clear – the Robeson County Republican Party is in favor of the “Constitutional Amendment” that states a marriage is between one man and one woman. It is clear in the resolution but everyone will not read the entire resolution and being in favor of the resolution means opposing same-sex marriage.

Interestingly, neither “same-sex” marriage nor “marriage protection” amendment will appear as wording on the ballot. So it is fortunate we are given the opportunity to have this discussion.

For clarity, the ballot title will read: “Constitutional Amendment”.

The referendum will read: “Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”

You will vote either “for” or “against” it. There is no wording that is currently being utilized to describe the amendment. You will not see “same-sex” nor “marriage protection”. For the record, the Party is in favor of the amendment meaning traditional marriage of one man and one woman.

A letter to the editor has been sent to help clarify the Party position. It may take more editorials and stories to help educate the public but this illustrates how terribly confusing these referendums are sometimes constructed or how we promote them.

Prominent Retired Pastor Files in District 7!

Rev. Dennis Harrell (R) announced his candidacy for County Commissioner in the 7th District today.  He was joined by numerous supporters at the Board of Elections and officially filed to challenge the seat held by incumbent Democrat Tom Taylor.

Rev. Harrell served as Pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church from 1985-2010 before retiring from full-time ministry.  He has been a popular and influential area leader who has been married to Jean Harrell for 40 years.  They have two daughters who both are educators and a granddaughter.

A graduate of North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rev. Harrell says, "It's time for a new vision and a new voice for Robeson County."


Harrell will first face political newcomer James McClellan (R) in the GOP primary.  McClellan is a student at UNC-P.

G.L. Pridgen Files for Re-Election

State Representative G.L. Pridgen filed for re-election in House District 46 this past week which now includes Columbus County and parts of Robeson and Bladen.  Pridgen was ranked 9th out of 120 House members by Civitas for his Conservative voting record.

Congressional Candidate Ilario Pantano also filed this week and will face David Rouzer of Johnston County in the May primary for the GOP nomination in the 7th Congressional District.  The winner will face Congressman Mike McIntyre in November.


Local Congressional Candidate Dr. John Whitley obtained "Young Gun" status and faces multiple challengers in the May Primary for the GOP nomination in the 8th Congressional District.  He resides in Fairmont.

In the 8th District local attorney Marcus Williams (D) filed to challenge Larry Kissell (D) for the Democratic nomination.  Marcus is not a newcomer to politics and last ran in 2008 for a Senate seat losing to Senator Kay Hagan.

Randy Crow (R) has also filed for the 7th Congressional nomination. Crow has run in multiple races in the past as both a Democrat and Republican. He has even run for President of the United States most recently drawing criticism from both Parties that he is not a serious contender in races he enters. He continues to be a controversial candidate according to political sources.

James McClellan is another local resident that has filed for office seeking the GOP nomination to face Commissioner Tom Taylor.  This is McClellan's first venture in politics.