McCrory Gets His First Republican Primary Opponent

Yep. Robert Brawley of Mooresville.

Who has any number of grudges against the Republican establishment in Raleigh.

First Trial Balloon: A Possible Republican Challenger for Governor Squishy

Robert Brawley! The Iredell thorn-in-the-cheek to former NC House Speaker Thom Tillis, sez he's now considering a primary against the terminally inept McCrory.

Brawley's current banner is opposition to adding toll lanes to I-77 north of Charlotte, a project pushed by Mr. Tillis.

Oh, Brawley knows Tillis and has every reason to hate his guts. Tillis fired Brawley as chair of the Finance Committee in the NC House and appears to have had a heavy hand in making sure that Brawley was primaried for his Iredell County House seat in 2014, which Brawley indeed lost. Brawley had charged that Tillis loves money more than he loves the truth. Tillis implied that Brawley is mentally unstable.

Our favorite factoid about Robert Brawley involves a bill he introduced in the General Assembly in 2013 to lift the ban on lobbyists' gifts to lawmakers. Brawley, who has served in the General Assembly off and on since the early 1980s, remembered the good old days with the good old boys, enjoying drinks and expensive dinners and golf trips, and thought it would be a good idea to bring back the fun times. That bill quickly died.

Now Brawley's deal is the I-77 toll lanes. According to the News&Observer, Brawley had been planning a rematch against the dude who beat him out for the NC House, Republican John Fraley, but yesterday, Brawley was noticeably inflated by all the support he was hearing and said he might just challenge McCrory for the governorship.

Where does McCrory stand on toll lanes on I-77? He stands exactly where he stands on every other issue where he's afraid someone might not like him -- especially the money guys -- if he takes a stand. He stands nowhere. He dodges. He is the inartful dodger.

Meanwhile, Mr. Brawley, may we buy you a drink?

Shots Fired at Thom Tillis Now Coming From Inside the Republican House Caucus

Rep. Robert Brawley from Iredell County trots out a laundry list of problems he has with Speaker of the NC House Thom Tillis, problems that will evidently cause Mr. Brawley to vote for a different candidate in the upcoming Republican Senate primary.

The gist:

1. Tillis likes money more than he likes principle.

2. Tillis will railroad his colleagues in order to get his "friends" appointed to significant posts, because those friends gave Mr. Tillis money.

3. Tillis says stuff that isn't true and stuff that even he doesn't believe.

4. Tillis fired Brawley from his Finance Committee post. Brawley says it was because he stood up to the Speaker. Tillis apparently suggested it was because Brawley is mentally unstable. Does Brawley's writing and publishing his complaints against Tillis prove it?

(Mr. Brawley's previous appearance in political news.)

Does Thom Tillis Have a Republican Enemies List?

Leigh Thomas Brown

A realtor named Leigh Thomas Brown is challenging preacher man and incumbent Larry Pittman in the Republican NC House district representing Cabarrus County. Tea Party operatives are saying/suggesting that NC House Speaker Thom Tillis put her up to it because of the naughty things Pittman said about Tillis in a Cabarrus Tea Party meeting last year.

Interesting that Leigh Thomas Brown (who also apparently tried to run for governor in 2012) was very much opposed to Amendment One. Another Tea Party flame-thrower, "Lady Liberty," exposed that indiscretion.

According to The Daily Haymaker, another Republican House member who's gotten crossways with Tillis is also being primaried.

My, my! Are the country club Republicans reasserting their supremacy?

Please, Lobbyists, Buy This Man a Drink!

Rep. Robert Brawley, Republican of Iredell County, has filed a bill in the NC General Assembly that would roll back many of the ethics reforms like bans on lobbyists' gifts to legislators and would also "relax requirements that lobbyists disclose such gifts."

Rep. Brawley, who has served off-and-on in the General Assembly since the early 1980s remembers the good ole days when a legislator could depend on an evening out with plenty of booze, all at a lobbyist's expense. What happened to good fellowship? Mr. Brawley wants to know.

This guy is "currently a member of House leadership, serving as chairman of the Finance Committee, an influential post that would almost certainly attract lobbyists' interest."

If you can't profit personally from being an elected official, what's the point, eh, Mr. Brawley?

Here's a train wreck waiting to happen to the Republican "brand."