VOLUME 8 ISSUE 16
|
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2023
the
BRIEF this week
Proposed bill would alter state, county boards of election Raleigh Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden), along with Senate Redistricting and Elections Committee Chairmen Sens. Warren Daniel (R-Burke) and Paul Newton (R-Cabarrus), introduced legislation aimed at reforming the structure of the State Board of Elections on Monday. “Just as one party shouldn’t have total control over appointments, one person shouldn’t be in charge of making those appointments,” Daniel said in a statement. “We want the best, most qualified appointees from across the state to serve on the board, and this proposal will accomplish that.” Senate Bill 749 would change the make-up of the State Board of Elections to eight members up from five effective Jan. 1, 2025. The appointment breakdown would be two members appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, two members appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, two members appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, and two members appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
PHOTOS VIA JAMES PIEDAD
Top left, N.C. Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley introduces speakers at the annual N.C. Republican Party convention in Greensboro on Friday, June 9, 2023. Top right, former President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd during his speech on Saturday, June 10, 2023 in Greensboro. Bottom left, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during his address to the N.C. Republican Party convention in Greensboro on Friday, June 9, 2023. Bottom right, former Vice President Mike Pence talks with attendees at the N.C. Republican Party convention in Greensboro.
DeSantis, Pence take different approaches toward Trump
A.P. DILLON
Bill barring compelled speech in state hiring heads to governor’s desk Raleigh A bill barring compelled speech in state hiring and workplaces received final approval from the General Assembly and is awaiting action from Gov. Roy Cooper. Senate Bill 364, titled Nondiscrimination and Dignity in State Work, passed both chambers with vetoproof margins. If enacted, the bill will add two new sections to the North Carolina Human Resources Act. One section would prohibit any state agency, department or institution from compelling or soliciting an applicant for employment to “endorse or opine about beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles regarding matters of contemporary political debate or social action as a condition of employment.” Similarly, requiring or compelling an applicant to show proof of support or opposition to any given topic would also be prohibited. Senate Bill 364 also contains a prohibition on the promotion of certain elements, some of which are components of the controversial Critical Race Theory. A.P. DILLON
Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament begins Morehead City The annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament began on Monday with six days of fishing. This year, 271 boats entered for their shot at the record breaking $5.8 million purse. The event hosts a variety of charity events before, during and after the weeklong event benefitting organizations across Eastern North Carolina. Big Rock is a prestigious tournament that attracts competitors from around the world. In recent years, anglers from 22 states and three international teams have participated, and in recent years a famous native North Carolinian – Michael Jordan – has tried his hand at fishing glory. The tournament is celebrating its 64th year in 2023. NSJ STAFF
Trump still commands the room in speech to NC Republicans By Matt Mercer North State Journal GREENSBORO — Former President Donald Trump spoke for nearly 90 minutes at the North Carolina Republican Party’s Saturday evening dinner, linking his current legal turmoil to an all-out effort to stop him from becoming the Republican nominee and winning the 2024 general election. Arriving on the stage shortly after 7:30 p.m., Trump basked in a raucous standing ovation from more than 1,200 in the convention ballroom as Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” played to its conclusion. The event was Trump’s second party convention of the day after speaking to Georgia Republicans. He also made
a stop at a Georgia Waffle House before flying into Greensboro to hundreds of supporters waiting at the Piedmont Triad Airport. Trump opened by congratulating state party chairman Michael Whatley on securing a third term as the party’s leader. Trump had also endorsed Whatley before the vote. “North Carolina is a special place,” said Trump, who prevailed in the 2016 Republican primary and took the state in both 2016 and 2020’s general elections. He took the opportunity to praise several of the state’s elected officials, thanking Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-09), who restated his endorsement of Trump for See TRUMP, page A2
Florida governor never mentioned former president by name, while Pence offered strong rebuke
The two men took markedly different tacks. DeSantis spent most of his 45-minute speech touting his accomplishments and vision, never mentioning Trump directly by name. DeSantis set himself up as the candidate willing to stand up for what is right, even in the face of heavy criticism. He cited his clashes with schools and the Disney corporation in Florida, wearing the criticism as a badge of honor. “A leader, at the end of the day, can’t be concerned with short-term political calculations over doing what’s right,” he declared. “I have the responsibility to look out for the people I represent, and I had to care more about their jobs than saving my own political hide. …. Leadership is about doing what’s right when you have intense opposition. Sometimes you have to stand all alone. … It’s not entertainment. It’s not brand-building. It’s not virtue signaling.” The only time DeSantis addressed Trump’s legal situation was in the final 10 minutes of his remarks after he promised to cut out federal bureaucracy. “The most significant issues facing our society,” he said, “those decisions are not being made by your elected representatives. They’re being im-
By Shawn Krest North State Journal GREENSBORO — Former President Donald Trump may have had the third spot in the speaking order, but his shadow hung over the 2023 North Carolina Republican Convention long before he stepped up to the podium. On the day the convention opened, Trump was indicted on 37 federal charges for his handling of classified documents. That put two of his biggest challengers in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination for president in a tough position. Both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who spoke on Friday evening just hours after the indictment was announced, and Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence, who spoke at a Saturday luncheon, had to position themselves as better alternatives to Trump while still offering a reaction to a legal maneuver that many Republicans likely saw as out of line from a Democratic administration. And both had to do it knowing that Trump would have the last word of the weekend on Saturday night.
See CONVENTION, page A8
DeSantis touts record while slamming ‘most unpopular president in modern history’ at NC Republican dinner By A.P. Dillon North State Journal GREENSBORO — During a speech in North Carolina, presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis drew clear contrasts between his successes as governor of Florida to the failures in the policies of Democratic President Joe Biden, who DeSantis called “the most unpopular president in modern history.” “Hello, North Carolina. I bring greetings from the free state of Florida, and I am pleased to report that our great American comeback will begin when we send Joe Biden back to his basement in Delaware where
he belongs,” DeSantis said in the opening of his 45-minute speech given at the North Carolina Republican Party Convention on June 9 in Greensboro. State Republican chairman Michael Whatley introduced DeSantis, who wasted no time in taking an early shot in his speech at Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper by saying he knew North Carolina will “do even better” once they have a Republican governor. “American decline is not inevitable. It is a choice,” DeSantis told attendees of the convention attendees. “It is a choice we will make as Americans over the course of the next 18
months, and I am running for president to reverse this decline and end the insanity we have seen going on throughout our country.” During the speech, DeSantis hit key policy issues such as illegal immigration, the economy, education and the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. He highlighted blocking China from buying Florida farmland and fighting against Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies in investing and banking during his tenure. He also called for an end to the “weaponization” of federal agencies See DESANTIS, page A2
5
20177 52016 $0.50
8