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Sam Hayes is a graduate of Wake Forest Law School and has served as general counsel for the Department of the State Treasurer. He has expressed support for capital punishment, voter I.D. laws and Second Amendment rights, and has expressed opposition to abortion.

Christine Mumma is a graduate of UNC School of Law and clerked for former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr.

Unlike Hayes and ONeill, Mumma said she personally opposes the death penalty but would enforce it nonetheless.

I am opposed to the death penalty for many reasons ranging from the disparity of its application to the extrinsic value of human life, she said. I can and will, however, uphold State death penalty law, as I will all constitutional laws.

Of the backlog of untested rape kits in the N.C. Department of Justice, Mumma said the process needs to be accelerated.

The testing of the backlog should have been started 10 years earlier than it was, she said. Like many problems that wait too long to be addressed, the only way through is through.

Jim ONeill received his law degree from New York Law School and has served as the Forsyth County district attorney since November 2009. ONeill has cited addressing the rape kit backlog and enforcing capital punishment convictions as priorities for his campaign. ONeill unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for attorney general in 2016.

The winner of the primary will face incumbent Josh Stein in the November general election.

Republican State Auditor Primary

The state auditor reviews state and local government operations to prevent waste and abuse of tax dollars.

Tim Hoegemeyer holds a degree from Northwestern University and is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

A recent state auditors report found that the Town of Chapel Hill had been double-billing for certain auto parts. Hoegemeyer said that, as a general counsel at the state auditors office working on the case, more internal controls would have prevented the error.

The Town should have taken the steps to make sure they had adequate information from their vendor and then reviewed or reconciled that information on a regular basis, Hoegemeyer said. Doing so would have caught the problem much sooner.

Hoegemeyer identified the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Health and Human as areas of potential waste because they make up a large portion of the state budget. He worked for the state auditors department for three years during Woods tenure.

Anthony Wayne (Tony) Street serves on the Brunswick County Soil and Water Board and holds a Masters in Public Administration from UNC-Pembroke. His website claims he has experience in nuclear security and commercial fishing.

Republican Secretary of Labor Primary

The 2020 election will put a new face in all of North Carolinas elevators.

Incumbent Labor Secretary Cherie Berry dubbed the elevator queen of North Carolina for mandating that her picture be put on elevator certifications announced last April that she would not run for reelection. The commissioner of labor enforces workplace safety regulations and certifies the safety of certain equipment, such as elevators, boilers and amusement rides.

Three Republicans are running in the primary to succeed Berry.

At the end of 2019, Dobson had over $71,000 on hand, while Floyd had just under $9,000 and Stanley had just over $1,000, according to state campaign filing reports. While Floyd is endorsed by Berry, Dobson secured the endorsements of incumbent agriculture commissioner Steve Troxler and U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows.

The winner of the Republican primary will face the sole Democratic candidate Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes in the November general election.

Republican Secretary of State Primary

North Carolinas secretary of state issues business licenses, authenticates identity documents and maintains certain state records. Unlike most states, the secretary of state does not directly oversee the operations of elections.

Three Republicans are running in the 2020 primary. The winner will face incumbent Elaine Marshall. Marshall, a Democrat, was the first woman elected to the position in 1996 and is the longest-serving statewide elected official in North Carolina.

Sykes said his main priority is to prevent undocumented immigrants from serving as notaries.

As Secretary of State, my first objective is to address the voter integrity issue by eliminating illegal aliens as notaries, he said.

Sykes said his experience in business would help him in lobbying the General Assembly to reduce regulation.

I will use my executive business experience to advocate for businesses in the legislative process by advising and supporting legislation to remove regulations on business and make the necessary administrative processes more business-friendly, he said.

Republican Insurance Commissioner Primary

The commissioner of insurance regulates the insurance industry, licenses insurance professionals and educates consumers about the insurance market.

Incumbent Mike Causey, first elected in 2016, pointed to promoting flood insurance policies in response to recent Hurricanes as one success of his term.

After Hurricane Florence, we launched a flood initiative to educate consumers working with realtors and licensed insurance agents.

He said he wants to increase public awareness about the prevalence of insurance fraud in North Carolina.

We need to let people know that, if someone suspects insurance fraud, they should report it, he said.

But he said his office has cracked down on fraud in the last four years.

I have more than doubled the number of fraud investigators since I took office, Causey said.

Ronald Pierce is Causeys sole challenger in the Republican primary. Pierce is an army veteran who owns a construction business. He said the department is not doing enough to educate people about the need for flood insurance in response to the recent hurricanes.

They need to go out and educate the homeowners on why they need the insurance, he said.

Pierce also said one of his priorities is to allow state employees to choose between at least three health insurance plans.

One role of the department is to investigate claims of insurance fraud in the state. Pierce said insurance companies need to take a bigger role in investigating fraud.

The preliminary investigation needs to be handled by the insurance company, of which it is not, he said.

The winner of the primary will face the sole Democratic candidate in November former insurance commissioner Wayne Goodwin.

Democratic primaries for Council of State are on the ballot for state auditor, state treasurer and commissioner of agriculture.

Early voting continues until Feb. 29 in Orange County. The primary is on March 3.

@MichaelJTaffe

@DTHCityState | city@dailytarheel.com

Originally posted here:
Here's a brief on the Republican primary races you may not know about election season - The Daily Tar Heel

Republicans are eagerly watching Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersSanders says idea he can't work with Republicans is 'total nonsense' Sanders defends Castro comments in wake of backlash from some Democrats Sanders releases list of how to pay for his proposals MOREs (I-Vt.) surge toward the Democratic presidential nomination.

GOP lawmakers and strategists believe Sanders, who identifies as a democratic socialist, is not only beatable in November but could have a disastrous down-ballot impact for Democrats in key congressional races.

I would think that in a lot of those swing states its a very complicated factor to have him at the top of the ticket if youre a down-ballot Democrat running for House or Senate, I would be really concerned, said Sen. John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman McConnell tees up votes on two abortion bills Senate votes to rein in Trump's power to attack Iran MORE (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican.

Asked if he thought Sanderss surge was a blessing, Sen. John CornynJohn CornynGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Ocasio-Cortez announces slate of all-female congressional endorsements Trump Medicaid proposal sparks bipartisan warnings MORE (R-Texas), who is up for reelection, called it a little scary that there would be that much support for an avowed socialist.

It splits the Democratic voters, the people who dont like President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump suggests Sotomayor, Ginsburg should have to recuse themselves on 'Trump related' cases Sanders says idea he can't work with Republicans is 'total nonsense' Sanders releases list of how to pay for his proposals MORE very much but when presented with that option might say, Well Im not going to vote for a socialist. Ill vote for President Trump rather than do that, Cornyn said.

The predictions that a Sanders nomination would be a headache for Democrats comes as he holds a lead in the hunt for delegates while moderates remain torn among several potential alternatives.

Sen. Marco RubioMarco Antonio RubioGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Agencies play catch-up over security concerns with TikTok Sanders: 'Unfair to simply say everything is bad' in Cuba under Castro MORE (R-Fla.), in a video taken while he appeared to be driving down a road, said unless the Democratic establishment steals it from him, Sanders would be the nominee.

Its a big deal for America, and I hope people start waking up to that reality, Rubio added.

Sanders, who has diversified his base since his failed 2016 White House run, is showing up as a boogeyman for Republicans looking to defeat Democrats up and down the ballot.

Steve Guest, the Republican National Committees rapid response director, argued on Monday that Sanderss ideas are a danger to America and to our way of life.

Good luck Democrats who may try and distance themselves from Sanderss praise of communist dictators, he added.

Sanders caused a headache for Florida Democrats on Monday when the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) seized on remarks about Cuba he made the night before on 60 Minutes, saying that its unfair to simply say everything is bad just because it is associated with Fidel Castro.

In two separate email blasts by the NRCC, the group questioned if Florida Reps. Donna ShalalaDonna Edna ShalalaSanders defends Castro comments in wake of backlash from some Democrats GOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Sanders under fire from Democrats over praise for Castro regime MORE (D) and Stephanie MurphyStephanie MurphyGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Sanders under fire from Democrats over praise for Castro regime The Hill's Campaign Report: Democrats reckon with Sanders's rise MORE (D) would support a Castro fanboy. Both have disavowed Sanderss comments.

Does this mean Stephanie Murphy will refuse to support Sanders when he is the nominee? Or will she upset her socialist base instead? asked Camille Gallo, a spokeswoman for the NRCC.

A GOP strategist pledged that Republicans would use Sanders as an anchor to pull down Democratic Senate hopefuls.

Right now, Bernie is their front-runner, and socialism doesnt sell in the Atlanta suburbs, in their Charlotte suburbs and in the Phoenix suburbs, the GOP strategist said, referring to the Senate races in Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona.

Sanders, who supports free college education and Medicare for All, is already being name-dropped in key Senate races as Republicans try to activate their base. While most of the 24 Senate seats the GOP is defending are in safe Republican states, a handful of key toss-up races are expected to make or break the GOP efforts to hold onto the majority.

Sen. Cory GardnerCory Scott GardnerGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Where do we go from here? Conservation can show the way The Hill's Campaign Report: What to watch for in Nevada MORE (R-Colo.), appearing with Trump at a Colorado rally last week, pledged that Republicans would fight socialism.

There was a dangerous thing that happened in 2016. It was the normalization of socialism by Bernie Sanders, he said.

Sen. Martha McSallyMartha Elizabeth McSallyGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Overnight Health Care: Officials confirm 34 total coronavirus cases in US | ObamaCare favorability hits highest level in poll | McSally unveils bill to lower drug prices amid tough campaign McSally unveils bill to lower drug prices amid tough campaign MORE (R-Ariz.) recently called former astronaut Mark Kelly, who is likely to be her Democratic opponent, the the 51st vote for all of Bernies wildest Soviet-style fantasies.

McSally is running for the final two years of the late Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainSanders says idea he can't work with Republicans is 'total nonsense' GOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Overnight Defense: GOP lawmaker takes unannounced trip to Syria | Taliban leader pens New York Times op-ed on peace talks | Cheney blasts paper for publishing op-ed MOREs (R) term. Kelly, the husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), has distanced himself from the tag, noting that hes a capitalist.

Former Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman President Trump's assault on checks and balances: Five acts in four weeks On the Trail: Senate GOP hopefuls tie themselves to Trump MORE, who is trying to reclaim his old Senate seat in Alabama, sent out a fundraising blast earlier this month after Sanders won New Hampshire, warning about the spread of socialism.

I know Bernie Sanders well. I confronted his extreme ideas and spending policies for years on the Senate Budget committee where we both served. I went toe to toe many times with him. I was the leading opponent of these extreme ideas on the committee, he said in the email to supporters.

Republicans have worked for months to make the 2020 election a referendum on socialism. Its a narrative they think is a good fit for Sanders.

An ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 31 percent of adults say they would be less likely to support Sanders if he was labeled as a democratic socialist and 38 percent said so when labeled as a socialist.

Even as Republicans have worked overtime to make Sanders the face of the Democratic Party, there are a slew of warning signs against underestimating the 78-year-olds potential strength as a general election candidate.

An ABC News-Washington Post poll found Sanders leading Trump in a potential head-to-head match-up, similar to several of the Democratic candidates.

It also found that 30 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters believe Sanders is the best choice to beat Trump the highest percentage for anyone in the still-crowded 2020 primary field.

Sen. Tim ScottTimothy (Tim) Eugene ScottGOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman Tim Scott: Sanders would be toughest challenger for Trump House to vote on legislation to make lynching a federal hate crime MORE (R-S.C.) warned during an interview with CBS This Morning that he thought Sanders is Trumps most difficult potential opponent.

I would say that the biggest threat to President Trump is President Trump. ... If there is a second choice other than himself it would be Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders brings that outside game in a similar fashion that President Trump did in 2016, Scott said Monday.

Read the original:
GOP casts Sanders as 2020 boogeyman | TheHill - The Hill

GREENVILLE, S.C. (TEGNA) South Carolina does not have a Republican primary this year, so a couple of groups are urging Republicans to vote in this Saturday's Democratic primary in hopes of giving President Donald Trump an opponent he can beat. Who that is depends on who you ask, but at least one group has a specific target in mind.

The Chicago Tribune reports a group called Trump 229 is urging Republicans to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Karen Martin, who the Greenville News says has been promoting an effort to get people to vote for Sanders, said a victory by the Vermont senator would hurt Vice President Joe Biden. Biden has said that South Carolina is his firewall given his support among African-Americans. But polls in recent days have shown Sanders is within striking distance.

Martin also reportedly said Sanders as the nominee would benefit Trump as it would give voters a clear contrast of ideas, something she believes helps the president.

A separate initiative called "Operation Chaos 2020" is holding an online poll to determine the "craziest liberal looney" that voters should support. As of Tuesday morning, Sen. Elizabeth Warren had 50 percent of the vote, followed by Andrew Yang who is no longer running at 46 percent and Sanders at 4 percent.

"Operation Chaos" is run by the Conservative Defense Fund. The name comes from an initiative credited to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh in 2008 to get Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in the primaries against Barack Obama. The idea was to extend the process as long as possible to hurt the eventual nominee. While the primary fight did go all the way to the convention, there is no way to know how much of that was due to Limbaugh's efforts.

The South Carolina Republican Party canceled its primary this year, choosing to give Trump its delegates by default. South Carolina is an open primary state. Voters can choose to take part in either the Democratic or Republican primary regardless of their affiliation, but they can't vote in both. So Republicans who don't have to vote for their party this year are free to vote in the Democratic primary.

Contrast that with Washington state, where voters who get their primary ballot in the mail have to check whether they are voting in the Democratic or Republican primary.

That is reportedly also part of the reason behind "Operation Chaos" to get the state to go to a closed primary system and end the ability for voters to cross over and affect the other party's primary.

Continued here:
'Operation Chaos': Republicans urged to vote in SC Democratic primary to help Trump - WTHR

Attorney General William Barr is expected to try to convince senators to vote to reauthorize provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which are set to expire next month. Leah Millis/AP hide caption

Attorney General William Barr is expected to try to convince senators to vote to reauthorize provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which are set to expire next month.

Attorney General William Barr is scheduled to travel down Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday to make what could be a very difficult sales pitch to Senate Republicans.

Provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act are set to expire next month, and Barr is expected to try to convince senators to vote to reauthorize them.

Criticism of FISA is now mainstream among many Republicans and some Democrats after a thorny subplot from the Russia investigation.

This isn't the first time establishment figures have tried to sell members of Congress on supporting it over their own political instincts but the circumstances that led Barr to this visit may mean now is the toughest time in years to try to convince lawmakers.

One silver lining for the attorney general on his errand is that he at least has support from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. The leader invited Barr to have lunch with the Republican conference weeks ago, according to one source familiar with the planning.

"Reauthorization of these certain programs is a priority for both Leader McConnell and AG Barr," the source said.

What's happening?

FISA is the legislation that permits national security officials to collect Americans' communications.

Congress first structured the authorities after President Richard Nixon's abuses and then expanded them after the 2001 terror attacks and some of those newer authorities have proven controversial ever since.

One way in which members of Congress were able to compromise on expanded surveillance authority was by including time limits, forcing themselves or their successors to reevaluate whether to preserve the powers they authorized.

Parts of FISA are set to expire in mid-March, unless Congress votes to revive them and then President Trump agrees by signing the legislation.

The provisions' original sunset date was in December, but members of Congress agreed on an extension establishing the new deadline.

Deputy Assistant FBI Director Michael Orlando appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in November to advocate for the reauthorization; here's how he detailed the aspects of the law in question and said why the bureau considered them so important.

What's controversial about the legislation?

FISA always has had its skeptics.

Civil libertarians in both parties worried about giving the government too much power to conduct surveillance. And more recently, the Russia investigation has amplified the worries of those who argued that what they call unscrupulous investigators can too easily exploit a permissive law and violate some American's rights.

Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz concluded that some FBI and Justice Department officials did exactly that in the case of a former campaign aide of Trump's, Carter Page.

The bureau and the department also were rebuked by the secret court that overseas surveillance cases in a black eye for federal law enforcement that followed months of scourging by Trump's allies in the Russia imbroglio.

The Russia investigation was opened and conducted mostly properly, the investigation found, and its conclusions weren't questioned. But what the Page subplot exposed, critics said, was that the kind of FISA abuse that earlier may have been believed only theoretical had, in fact, actually happened.

"If the American people hear this, and they say 'this can happen against a campaign, for the presidency of the United States' what happens in an ordinary FISA case?" asked Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., in a Senate hearing about the Page investigation.

Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray have vowed to change investigators' practices to prevent incorrect or incomplete information from reaching a FISA judge as it did in the Page case.

But the lingering controversy over the law, combined with the Page example and following months of charges about "spying" on Trump's campaign and what critics call bias in federal law enforcement against Trump may have imperiled sufficient support among Republicans to reauthorize the sections that are due early next month.

Barr's goal is to try to change enough minds among the Senate's Republicans, who control the majority in the chamber.

What about Trump?

As the attorney general prepares to visit the Capitol it isn't immediately clear what kind of support exists for FISA there, and it also isn't clear what Trump is prepared to sign.

Trump signed legislation extending different aspects of FISA in 2018 after an earlier flap about whether aides of then-candidate Trump might have been swept up in American surveillance of foreigners during the election.

Trump said at the time he was willing to permit the authority to continue because of the case made by the intelligence establishment, led by then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, about the value it afforded to national security.

Today the DNI post is vacant, and although Trump has said he's choosing between a group of four nominees, there is no one to make the same kind of concerted sales pitch that Coats and his colleagues have in the past.

Barr appears to be taking on that burden.

Moreover, Trump has widened and deepened his attacks on the intelligence establishment and the "dirty cops" he's criticized within the FBI. "FISA" has become synonymous with overreach and abuse of power for the president and supporters.

Trump, meanwhile, was unmoved by Barr's pleas for him to keep silent about Justice Department business. So the attorney general must not only try to bring along skeptical Senate Republicans about reauthorizing the surveillance legislation; he may also need to convince his own boss.

Read more:
Barr Heads To Senate With His Work Cut Out: Selling Republicans On FISA - NPR

In an era of trillion-dollar deficits and onerous federal mandates, no political party has a monopoly on bad ideas. For example, we all know about the Democrats love for funneling taxpayer dollars into wind and solar energy boondoggles.

Republicans are now responding in kind with handouts to their own preferred clean projects. On Feb. 12, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, announced Republican bills that would launch a trillion trees gimmick and expand payouts to the already bloated carbon capture and sequestration industry. Leaders from both parties must take a stand against this endless corporate welfare and let taxpayers off the hook from costly green energy endeavors.

At the very least, most lawmakers on the right side of the aisle seem to recognize the many follies of subsidizing solar and wind technologies. Most green projects on the market rely on the hazardous extraction of rare earth minerals from developing nations, create power-intermittency issues, and are all but impossible to recycle.

But some of the alternatives proposed by the GOP are little more than science fiction. Carbon capture and sequestration technology is frequently touted by members of both parties as a solution to (already declining) carbon emissions, despite the findings of a 2019 study published in Energy and Environmental Science that say it reduces only a small fraction of carbon emissions, and it usually increases air pollution.

A gas-fired power station has to burn 16% more gas than it otherwise would to capture its own carbon. This is hardly a model of energy efficiency, but the technologys supporters wont let evidence or common sense thwart recently introduced legislation that would make permanent the tax credit for capture and sequestration projects and increase payouts by 25%. Even if this wacky technology could somehow save the planet (spoiler alert: it wont), backers such as Republican Reps. David Schweikert of Arizona and Brad Wenstrup of Ohio cant seem to explain why the beefed-up tax credit will make the approach viable after more than $1 billion in direct government financing from the Department of Energy failed to do so.

Other members of Congress pine for a prettier approach to combat climate change, proposing the planting of a trillion trees. Introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, the Trillion Trees Act would condition foreign aid on reforestation and create a National Reforestation Task Force that would create decadal planting targets.

This policy is irresponsible enough applied just to the United States, where an overconcentration of trees has led to devastating wildfires. In recent years, the government has made it far too difficult for harvesters to get anywhere near forests, leading to lax lumber liquidation in Americas lush forests. The results, according to Texas Public Policy Foundation Vice President Chuck DeVore, are predictable: As timber harvesting permit fees went up and environmental challenges multiplied, the people who earned a living felling and planting trees looked for other lines of work. The combustible fuel load in the forest predictably soared.

But at least the U.S. doesnt need to make life-altering trade-offs between preserving forests and feeding its citizenry. Because farmers in less-developed countries such as Mozambique must clear some of the countrys vast forests to grow crops and feed their families, foreign aid policies to incentivize reforestation could lead to tough choices and devastating consequences. Africa is a graveyard of failed, idealistic foreign aid programs, yet policymakers seemingly never learn their lesson in trying to heal the planet. Lawmakers must decide if they want a photo-op next to a handful of replanted trees or genuine solutions that prioritize both economy and ecology.

Market-friendly policies and strong property rights protections safeguard the planet, leading to historic prosperity and, yes, carbon emission reductions. Taxpayers need sensible, free market policies, not crony handouts and woke posturing by both parties.

Ross Marchand is the director of policy for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.

Read more from the original source:
Taxpayers beware: Republicans have their own green dreams - Washington Examiner