The North Carolina Republican Party may be a fractured bunch, but six of the seven GOP candidates for governor conducted a civil forum Tuesday in Raleigh.
The luncheon, conducted at the state party’s headquarters and sponsored by the Wake GOP Men’s Club, exhibited almost none of the divisiveness found within the Republican delegation of the General Assembly. But state House Co-Speaker Richard Morgan, perhaps more controversial than any issue the Democrats can throw at the Republicans, was the subject of some discussion.
Morgan has been a divisive force in the state GOP ever since he and a few other Republicans negotiated a deal with Democrat Cospeaker Jim Black to share power in the House. Candidates at the forum called for harmony in the GOP and increasing party numbers, although none of the speakers offered ideas to achieve those goals.
“We need to unify this party,” state Senate Minority Leader Patrick Ballantine said. “The Democrats are good. They know how to win.”
Ballantine emphasized the state Democrats’ history of electoral success and said Republicans need “someone innovative” in order to win. He said Gov. Mike Easley will run a well-funded, smart campaign and will be a formidable opponent.
“We can’t rely on George W. Bush getting 63 percent of the vote,” Ballantine said of state GOP hopes that the president will provide coattails in the 2004 elections.
Most candidates condemned Morgan’s lack of solidarity with the party, especially his agreement with Democrats on redistricting in the House’s special session last week.
“I cannot in any way approve of Richard Morgan’s behavior,” said former state GOP Chairman Bill Cobey.
He said legislators who voted for the redistricting plan broke their promise to uphold the state Constitution. Cobey is one of the plaintiffs who successfully sued the state over redistricting plans two years ago. Republicans are expected to press the case in court again over the redesigned districts.
“There are things that need to be done that are partisan,” Cobey said. “Redistricting is one of those. “As far as I’m concerned, [Morgan] crossed the line.”
Others, including state Sen. Fern Shubert of Union County and former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, said that while they believed Morgan failed the party, they could work with him if they were elected governor.
Another candidate, George Little, hails from Morgan’s base in Moore County and has known him a long time. He said he could work with all Republicans, as well as Democrats.
About 60 people attended the event and asked candidates about their views on the state’s troubled economy, government accountability in financing nonprofit organizations, and illegal immigration.
All the candidates pegged excessive taxes as the biggest problem in luring businesses to North Carolina. “We ought to have a tax-free environment for manufacturing,” Vinroot said.
Shubert called for regulatory and litigation reform, and mourned the failure of a bill last session that would have capped malpractice awards in court.
Candidates also addressed problems with the state’s distribution of millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations that provide government services. Many criticized Democratic leadership for appropriating so much money while requiring little accountability. Others discussed the case of U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance, who as a former state senator received at least $2.5 million for the John A. Hyman Memorial Youth Foundation for drug counseling. A state audit determined that much of the money went to other purposes and that Ballance had several conflicts of interest.
“Frank Ballance ought to resign,” Cobey said.
Davie County Commissioner Dan Barrett called the Hyman case “one of the worst examples” of government frivolity. Ballantine said there is a “tremendous amount” of waste, redundancy, and patronage in the state funding of nonprofits.
On immigration, candidates said that North Carolina should be attractive for all people but that its privileges should be enjoyed only by those who are in the state legally.
“We cannot tolerate illegal immigration,” Cobey said. “It’s got national security implications.”
Paul Chesser is associate editor of Carolina Journal. Contact him at [email protected].