Candidates who lack voting records on gun
issues, and who fail to return our candidate survey are automatically
awarded a 0-star evaluation on the presumption that they don’t want you
to know where they stand on the right to keep and bear arms.
Listings are in the following format:
Name: % of time candidate voted pro-gun (“NA” if no voting record) /
survey score (“NR” if survey not returned) / GRNC evaluation.
Examples:
Joe Legislator: 95/100/**** indicates
that Joe voted pro-gun 95% of the time, returned a perfect 100% survey
and earned GRNC’s highest 4-star evaluation.
Stan Hubris: NA/NR/0 indicates that Stan
has no voting record, failed to return the survey, and earned a 0-star
evaluation as a result.
PRIMARY
ELECTION COVERAGE
U.S.
House District 4: Republican
WILLIAM
(“BJ”) LAWSON: NA/100/****, Augustus Cho: NA/NR/0
U.S. House District 10: Republican
PATRICK McHENRY:
100/100/****, Lance Sigmon: NA/100/****
McHenry is the
clear choice. While Sigmon was good enough to return the survey, McHenry
is a gun rights leader not only in Congress but in his previous capacity
as a member of the NC House, where he ensured passage of the clean
concealed handgun reciprocity bill we enjoy today.
While the winner
of the Republican primary is likely to be a sacrificial lamb in the
general election against incumbent Democrat David Price (D, 0-star), any
chance to harass Price should be regarded as an opportunity. Vote for
Lawson.
U.S.
House District 13: Democrat
DERALD HAFNER:
NA/100/****, Brad Miller: 13/NR/0
Vote for Hafner in
this race. While Miller has been building an impressively anti-gun 13%
(yes, 13%) voting record in Congress and the state Senate, Hafner has
been a gun rights advocate, member of the GRNC Legislative Action Team
and Raleigh-area GRNC volunteer Coordinator.
Unfortunately, the
district was drawn for (and by) Miller, who will likely face a challenge
by gun rights leader and former state Senator Hugh Webster (R, GRNC
****) in November.
Governor:
Republican
Bill Graham:
NA/89/***, Pat McCrory: NA/86/***, Bob Orr: NA/NR/0, E. Powers:
NA/89/***, FRED SMITH: 100/NR/****
Not a particularly
inspiring field of candidates, but Smith’s 100% voting record makes him
the logical choice.
Governor:
Democrat
Richard Moore: NA/NR/0, DENNIS NIELSON: NA/100/****, Beverly Perdue:
89/NR/***
In the Democratic primary, the best (admittedly “dark horse”) candidate
is Dennis Nielson. (Disclosure: Nielson has been a gun rights advocate
and volunteer for GRNC). Perdue is undoubtedly the Democrat Party’s
anointed candidate, but her mediocre gun voting record while in the NC
Senate, coupled with her close association with Senate President Pro Tem
Marc Basnight greatly reduce the chances she will do anything of note
for gun rights.
Lt.
Governor: Republican
Timothy Cook:
NA/100/****, Greg Dority, NA/NR/0, Robert Pittenger, 100/94/****, Jim
Snyder: NA/NR/****
Tough call in this
race. Although Pittenger has a 100% vote record in the NC Senate and is
the likely winner, he quickly forgot that GRNC was instrumental to
defeating Fountain Odom in 2002, and has avoided sticking his neck out
on gun issues. Snyder, on the other hand, lacks experience but has
always taken pro-gun stances in this and previous political races.
Lt.
Governor: Democrat
Dan Bess: NA/NR/0, Walter Dalton: 50/NR/*, Hampton Dellinger: NA/NR/0,
Pat Smathers: NA/NR/0
No good options in this race. The likely anointed candidate, Walter
Dalton, has a poor gun rights voting record in the NC Senate. Other
candidates are hiding their views on guns.
Superintendent
of Public Instruction: Republican
(Statewide)
Eddie Davis:
NA/NR/0, Joe Johnson: NA/NR/0, Richard Morgan: 100/NR/****, ERIC SMITH:
NA/100/****
Eric Smith gets
the nod in this race. While not a race GRNC might normally cover, it was
brought to our attention that Johnson, on his website, brags about
previously serving on the board of directors of North Carolinians
“Against Gun Violence,” Handgun Control’s mouthpiece in North Carolina,
making it exceedingly likely he would indoctrinate schoolchildren
against guns.
While Morgan has a
4-star evaluation, he also split the Republican Party by forming a
“co-speakership” with former Rep. (and now, felon) Jim Black while
serving in the NC House, giving defacto control of redistricting to
Democrats and ensuring an anti-gun majority for years to come.
NC
Senate District 39: Republican
(Mecklenburg)
Andy Dulin:
NA/99/****, Bob Rucho: 100/NR/****
Open seat being
contested by Charlotte City Council member Andy Dulin and former state
Senator Bob Rucho. While Rucho has a 100% vote record in the NC Senate,
he has never been a gun rights leader and has needed periodic pressure
to stay on the right side of the gun issue. Dulin submitted a good
survey, but is an unknown on the issue.
NC
Senate District 42: Republican
(Catawba, Iredell)
AUSTIN ALLRAN:
100/100/****, Kitty Barnes: NA/94/****
Incumbent Sen.
Austin Allran is the logical choice. While Barnes managed a respectable
94 on her survey, Allran has been a reliable gun rights supporter with a
perfect voting record spanning 3 terms in the NC House and 6 in the NC
Senate.
NC
House District 103: Republican
(Mecklenburg)
Edith Brotherton:
NA/94/****, Jim Gulley: 100/95/****, Larry Hale: NA/100/****
A refreshing race
in which all candidates returned surveys, and all earned 4 stars.
Incumbent Jim Gulley, while never a gun rights leader, at least has a
reliable 100% pro-gun voting record in the NC House.
NC
House District 110: Republican
(Cleveland, Gaston)
Pearl Burris Floyd: NA/NR/0, KELLY HASTINGS: NA/100/****
Hastings is the clear standout in this race for the seat left vacant by
Deb Clary. Not only did Hastings return a 100% survey, he called to
ensure he clearly understood the issues.
ESSENTIAL
VOTING INFORMATION
