John,
Happy New Year!
I’ve spoken to many of you since launching our campaign for Attorney General on August 4. Here are the latest developments:
1. The Candidates. With filing closed in mid-December, I’m already the Republican nominee. Two main contenders vie for the Democratic nomination — both far-left progressives, although only one admits it: First term Congressman Jeff Jackson declared for AG after losing his court-gerrymandered, safe US House seat to redistricting. Jeff is a copy of Josh Stein, including the progressive bona fides and strong fundraising prowess. Jeff used his aborted 2022 US Senate race to build a massive, small-dollar fundraising apparatus. He is a TikTok superstar who will raise lots of money and dutifully continue Stein’s woke ideological approach, using the office to undermine election integrity, radically decarbonize (and hike the cost of) energy production, advance extreme abortion politics, sabotage commonsense legislative accomplishments, and join sundry radical litigation causes.
Durham District Attorney Satana (not a typo) Deberry, a radical Soros-type prosecutor, is Jackson’s principal primary competitor. Like-minded prosecutors in blue jurisdictions across the nation have applied “restorative justice” ideology to exempt criminals from punishment on “racial justice” grounds, with the inevitable result of exploding crime. Deberry breaks new ground by extending this crusade to violent crime, accepting a manslaughter plea and brief, time-served sentence for a man who stabbed his father 18 times over an argument about a TV. Imagine Deberry controlling the disposition of all criminal case appeals in the State.
2. The Context. The theme of our campaign sadly writes itself. Both shocking and mundane criminal exploits abound, while top law enforcement authority grows ever more politicized and unsupportive of prosecutors and front-line law enforcement officers. A perp stealing cases of beer just murdered in cold blood long-serving police sergeant in Greensboro. Chaos reigned New Year’s Eve in Charlotte’s Romare Bearden Park, just as it did last July 4th, with 11 juveniles arrested, including a 15-year-old who shot 5 in the crowd after cutting off his ankle bracelet. In Robeson County recently, a suspect already charged and released separately for armed robbery and first-degree murder shot two deputies multiple times (thank God, they survived). Clyde Cooper’s, a Raleigh barbeque institution, announced it’s leaving downtown Raleigh because it’s unsafe, as Wake County posted a record 56 homicides. One of those was the fatal stabbing of one Raleigh high school student by another. Asheville’s downtown is a disaster of national renown. I can’t even bring myself to write some of the goings on in Charlotte. And this doesn’t even touch the surface of a broader social disorder spreading everywhere, bred by institutional and high government disdain and even hostility for fundamental rights, equal treatment, privileges of citizenship, order, decorum, and merit.
Never has there been an environment more opportune for a campaign to restore a culture of law and order, safety and security in our state. I will deploy all the authority of the Attorney General’s office to defend and enforce the Constitution and laws, not my personal predilections, and to support, lead and focus the efforts of prosecutors, sheriffs, and police to that same end. The appeal of this straightforward agenda has proved itself time and again, and similar to the impact of Lee Zeldin’s law and order theme in New York’s 2022 cycle, can not only lead to the first modern-era election of a Republican North Carolina Attorney General but also help power our ticket to victories at all levels.
3. The Prospects. If our supporters will help us maintain our beginning pace, we’ll win. We raised nearly a million dollars in our first 10 days and have already raised more than any Republican AG campaign in state history. But bear in mind that the Republican candidate in 2020 was outspent more than 25-to-1 … and yet lost by only about 14,000 votes out of 5 million cast.
The Democratic and Republican Attorneys General Associations have each publicly announced plans to spend $4 million on this race. It will be the most expensive Attorney General’s contest in the entire country this year, and easily the most expensive in North Carolina history. But unless my campaign can raise six figures weekly, I will be at a massive disadvantage to my Democrat opponent, especially if it’s Jackson. I’m not soliciting you, but I am preparing you. This important race is within reach, but success will come only with your maximal and continuing support.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season. Jo and I can’t thank you enough for joining us as we embark on this critical race with profound implications for the future of North Carolina, and ultimately America. Forward is the only direction acceptable. God bless you.
Dan
