Moderate Republican Senator Targeted for Extermination

NC Sen. Stan Bingham

Denton, NC, Republican Sen. Stan Bingham is one of the last Republicans in the NC General Assembly who might justifiably receive the label of "moderate." For example, he originally voted against the cruel and unusual anti-abortion bill passed last year, the so-called "Women's Right to Know" act (part of which has already been struck down by a federal judge). Bingham was the only Republican in the Senate to vote against the law. At the time of the bill's passage over his objections, he told reporter Mark Binker: “I’ve got four daughters and I have never imposed on them. They are bright, smart young women and I trust the decisions they make. I’ve got one’s a doctor, one’s a lawyer and two engineers,” Bingham said, adding that he raised his daughters to think for themselves.

But after Gov. Perdue vetoed that odious law, Bingham "left the building" just as the veto-override vote was coming up. Taking a powder at that particular time looked like cowardice, or at least a failure of nerve in the face of the theocrats who've taken over the NC Republican Party. So he earned zero points for ducking that vote from either his own party or from the opposition Democrats.

On the anti-gay amendment, there was some speculation that Bingham might vote against that bill to put discriminatory language into the NC Constitution (based on some past statements and actions of his on non-discrimination in employment).

But Bingham voted for marriage discrimination against gays, along with all the rest of his caucus.

Which makes this published statement by his Republican primary challenger an outright misrepresentation: "During the current session, [Bingham] voted against the traditional marriage amendment and a bill aimed at lowering the number of abortions in this state. How can we call someone a conservative Republican when they are for higher taxes but against traditional marriage and protecting the life of our unborn?”

Even more surprising, Bingham did not bother to correct the lie when he spoke to the reporter from the Lexington Dispatch. It's almost as though he's given up fighting for principle against the far right forces that are taking his party down the rabbit hole.