Political strategist Hal Weatherman defeated Forsyth County Prosecutor Jim O’Neill in the runoff for the Republican nomination for North Carolina lieutenant governor, earning him a chance to compete for a a position with a great title but less responsibility than many other elected leaders in state government.
Weatherman and O’Neill emerged from the March 5 primary as vote-getters among 11 Republican candidates, but neither received enough support to secure the Republican nomination. That triggered Tuesday’s runoff.
With 99% of precincts responding, Weatherman received 74% of the vote. O’Neill had 26%.
Weatherman will now face Democrat Rachel Hunt in the November contest to replace Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is the GOP nominee for governor.
In a statement, North Carolina GOP Chairman Jason Simmons described Weatherman as a “strong candidate who will work in perfect harmony with our State Council candidates to meet the needs of North Carolina families.”
In a social media post Tuesday evening, Hunt described Weatherman as an extremist who wants to “take away basic rights.”
A spokesperson for Weatherman did not provide comment when contacted. The O’Neill campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Weatherman is aiming to become the third Republican lieutenant governor elected since 2012, when Dan Forest began the first of his two terms. Hunt — a Mecklenburg County senator and daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt — hopes to be the first Democratic lieutenant governor elected since Walter Dalton in 2008.
The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate and calls senators when they request to speak. The position requires serving on various boards and is first in line to succeed the governor, but cannot issue executive orders, or even vote in the Senate unless tied. The lieutenant governor also does not head a department, unlike the agriculture or labor commissioners or other elected officials in the Council of State.
What the job lacks in power, it makes up for in opportunity. This is a high-profile position that allows the incumbent to gain exposure by traveling the state and speaking out on North Carolina’s most pressing issues. Every lieutenant governor since 1961 has also run for governor.
Robinson used the lieutenant governor’s office as a megaphone for the right wing of the party. He often speaks out against abortion and LGBTQ issues with a direct, thunderous speaking style that has helped him go from obscurity to stardom in a matter of months.
Weatherman, 54, spent his political career in North Carolina and is supported by Robinson. Weatherman said he wants to advocate for school choice policies and workers in blue-collar jobs. “My primary goal in running for lieutenant governor is to use the authority of this office to fundamentally eliminate the stigma that our society has placed on men and women who work with their hands,” Weatherman said in a statement to WRAL this month.
He noted that the lieutenant governor has a seat on the State Board of Education and the State Community College Board of Trustees, adding that he wants to use those seats to fight the “woke agenda.”
“I want to push a new generation of people into the trades and restore the fundamental concept of the dignity of all types of work,” Weatherman said. “And I want to prepare our state for the precarious days that I believe lie ahead of us as a country.” »
Hunt, meanwhile, has prioritized investments in public schools, expanding access to health care and economic development in small towns. She describes herself as an advocate for victims of domestic violence, maternal health care and affordable child care. She says she will push for access to health care, lower costs of prescription drugs and reproductive health care, and broadband access in rural areas of the state. She also supports laws that would allow a judge to temporarily confiscate guns from people who pose a risk to themselves or others. She also touts her efforts to eliminate barriers to voting.
Weatherman worked as chief of staff to former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and former U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick. He also worked on Forest’s campaigns for lieutenant governor, winning in 2012 and 2016, as well as Forest’s campaign for governor in 2020, when he lost to incumbent Democrat Roy Cooper.
O’Neill, 58, who was endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association of North Carolina and ran his lieutenant governor campaign as an advocate for law enforcement who would help lawmakers fight crime in the ‘State.
Tuesday’s result was O’Neill’s latest statewide loss. He previously ran for attorney general in 2020 and was just 14,000 votes away from defeating incumbent Democrat Josh Stein. He also lost to Buck Newton in the 2016 Republican primary for attorney general.
News Source : www.wral.com
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