Walter Jones, the 12-term North Carolina congressman perhaps best known for helping to popularize the term “Freedom Fries” during the Iraq War, defeated his Donald Trump-supporting challenger, Scott Dacey, in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Jones’ victory, called by the Associated Press, virtually guarantees him another term representing North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, which Trump won by about 20 percentage points in 2016. No Democrats filed to run in 2018.
It may come as a shocker, but I'm happier about this result than most other contests, even among Democrats. From the moment I realized this was the only state/federal race that NC Democrats failed to challenge, two things have been going through my head: 1) If any race had to be conceded, this is the one. Jones is not only the most moderate (by far) Republican in NC's Congressional delegation, he's arguably the most moderate Republican in Congress, period:
The presidential candidates are busy maxing out their donors and making it hard on all down ticket candidates to raise money in the process. That's why I'm appealing to you one last time before the end of the quarter to help the challengers in our North Carolina congressional races. I know the incumbents are having a hard time raising money as well, but they have far more contacts and larger donor bases, so I will leave them out of this particular plea for funds.
Real Values has a bio up of Walter Jones by way of explaining why progressives shouldn't be Jones fans. (The BlueNC discussion he links to begins here.) It's a good post, containing some things I didn't know and some things I'd forgotten. You can color me convinced. I think that what's going on here is that in an age of fierce Republican adherence to the party line, Walter Jones gives us a reason to suspect that not all Republicans are robots. That could be a good thing or a bad thing.
Real Conservatives (read: War lovin' Democrat hatin' Republicans) who don't like Congressman Walter B. Jones will have someone else to vote for in a Republican primary. I guess they weren't too happy about Jones agreeing that getting out of Iraq is a good idea. (NC-3, Jones's district, is the northern coastal district and extends inland to pick up Jacksonville and parts of Greenville; get a map in a new window.) According to NC Rumors, Greg Dority, who once ran for the NC-1 seat, is on the case:
"Every time these news agencies spotlight Democrats," Dority said," whose blind hatred of President Bush allows them to rationalize undermining the War on Terror and endangering the morale and lives of our troops, they replay Walter’s Press Conference with the liberal Democrats from last summer. They use him, and the people, including the military families he is supposed to represent, as their pet American conservative who opposes the War."
I've posted several times now on Sue Myrick's grandstanding scheme to bullyNorthCarolina, and pending further developments I should just let it go. But events conspire! Three NC State legislators and a high level staffer spoke to one of my classes today, and I got a chance to ask them about the situation.
Deborah Ross and Grier Martin, both Democratic members of the NC House representing parts of Wake County, sat on a panel with Republican Senator Richard Stevens (representing Cary) and Norma Mills, Chief of Staff for NC Senate President Pro Temp. Marc Basnight (D, Dare County). I asked them for their thoughts about the proposed legislation announced by Myrick, Foxx, Taylor, McHenry, and Jones that threatens to strip NC's federal highway dollars if the state doesn't change its driver's license policy. Nobody had good things to say.
Reps. Sue Myrick and Patrick McHenry made a few alarming statements last week during their news conference to promote legislation to fight illegal immigration in North Carolina.
Remember that naked power grab by NC's Republican US House members I warned you about? You know, the one where they circumvent the democratic process because they don't like the decisions we North Carolinians came up with on our own?
Five of North Carolina's seven Republican members of Congress want to cut off federal highway money to their state unless it makes it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get drivers licenses.
Four NC Representatives—Myrick (NC-9), Jones (NC-3), Foxx (NC-5), and McHenry (NC-10), Republicans all—are having a press conference tomorrow to announce new legislation that they should be ashamed of. Myrick's new bill would withhold federal transportation funds from North Carolina if the state doesn't strengthen it's diver's license requirements.
Just to be clear, that's four of North Carolina's representatives to the US House bullying North Carolina in an effort to shape state policy. I'd really love to hear them explain that to a 10th grade Civics class.
Real Values is right to wonder: "Just for clarification purposes, aren't Republicans supposed to believe in federalism? Isn't it supposed to be conservative to trust states and localities to make decisions?" The people who elected Myrick, Jones, Foxx, and McHenry sent them to Washington to stand up for North Carolina values in the national and international spheres. That same electorate chose state senators and representatives, the Council of State, and our Governor to craft and enforce state policy. Now Myrick & Co. want to try their hands at running North Carolina?
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