Update on Candidate Filings: Cawthorn Back in the 11th

 

Michele Woodhouse at the
CPAC convention

Madison Cawthorn moved his candidate filing from the 13th (old news) back to his original stomping grounds. He has a bunch of primary opponents, but so far, no Michele Woodhouse, though if you look at her Facebook page you'd see her running hard for darling of CPAC. She has until this Friday at noon to get her name on the ballot.

Whether or not Woodhouse gets in, the odds are still tilted in Cawthorn's favor, since the anti-Cawthorn vote is going to be split up among at least five others. Unless Cawthorn can't get to 30% of the primary vote and he has to face just one of those Republican challengers in a run-off.

Incidentally, the challenge to Cawthorn's eligibility went away when the new map was adopted, because his challengers no longer live in the affected district. Remains to be seen whether voters in the new 11th CD will refile the challenge based on the insurrection clause in the 14th Amendment.

Meanwhile, Madam Virginia Foxx has two Republican primary challengers -- Michael Ackerman, who's been a leader in the anti-masking show of force in front of the Watauga School Board; and Adina Safta (photo below), who actually lives in Raleigh. What's her deal? So far as I can tell, she has no campaign presence on Twitter or Facebook, no campaign website that I can find, and she wasted her opportunity on Ballotpedia, responding to their candidate survey questionnaire while managing to say precisely nothing of substance. She does use the word "freedom" a lot.

Cawthorn and Trump Settle North Carolina's Hash

 

A couple of days ago we speculated about what was going on at Mar-a-Lago between Mark Walker, Madison Cawthorn, and DJT. Turns out that political novice Bo Hines was there also, and between the four of them, they've divvied up Congressional seats to keep out of each other's way. (Thanks to Jeffrey Billman at The Primer.)

Bo Hines is migrating his political aspirations (yet again!) from the 7th CD to the 4th, where there's already a bunch of announced Republican candidates, including NC House member John Szoka. (Congrats, John! The Trumpists now consider you toast.)

With Bo Hines gone, Mark Walker has a clearer field for the 7th CD. He, with Trump's blessing, intends to elbow aside another clutch of lesser-known Republicans.

Michelle Woodhouse gets the Cawthorn/Trump nod to take the 14th CD away from both Chuck Edwards and Bruce O'Connell. (Memo to Edwards and O'Connell: toast and toast.)

Young Madison is taking the credit for this master plan, seconded by the ineffable endorsements of Trump.

 

Are You Not Rejuvenated, 14th CD?

 

So yesterday, and on cue, the relocated-from-Detroit Michele Woodhouse, the Republican chair of the old 11th Congressional district, announced her candidacy for Madison Cawthorn's seat. She had scrubbed her social media of certain histories, but they were going to emerge anyway:

This was her business. "Vaginal rejuvenation." Is that a thing? I would Google, but I'm afraid to.

Anyway, there was some stout pushback from fellow Republicans in the district, apparently resentful that Michele Woodhouse had been scheming for some time to keep the lane open for herself. The following posted by a Cherokee County Republican activist:

Who else isn't happy? Bruce O'Connell, one of the three Republicans already announced for the Cawthorn seat (and the most conservative of the three). O'Connell said the announcement prompted him to speak out. "He described several months of overt and indirect pressure from Woodhouse to drop out of the race for District 14, previously District 11. 'Ms. Woodhouse used a number of tactics to discourage my candidacy for this office, including "blacklisting" me and other candidates from speaking at GOP events,' " O'Connell said. As GOP district chairperson, Woodhouse was obligated to be fair and impartial and to encourage a robust political environment embracing all GOP candidates, he said. Instead her tactics of repressing contenders could well have violated ethical standards.

Oh Cawthorn! You've caused a massive pileup of bad juju on the Republican candidate fast-track.

Madison Cawthorn Picks His Own Successor in NC14

 

Twitter buzzing this morning that Michele Woodhouse will step down as chair of the 11th (now the 14th) District GOP to run for the Madison Cawthorn seat.

Judge Bob Orr may have been the first with the news.

Chris Cooper points out that Cawthorn donated $1,000 to the Michele Woodhouse committee back in August. Hmmm.

Woodhouse is from Detroit and was somewhat famous for a Facebook presence, "Vagina Road Warrior."

Vagina Road Warrior has disappeared from Facebook. Is Woodhouse scrubbing her social media? Probably a good idea.

Woodhouse already has a campaign website. She's a gin-you-wine Trumper, you bet.