It's 5.05 and welcome in to a Friday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour on Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM, WBT. I'm Nick Craig. Good morning to you. We start off with a major story rocking the North Carolina State Board of Elections. There's some leadership changes ongoing as an emergency meeting was hosted by the board just after noon yesterday as there remains a scrutiny over Tuesday's razor-thin Republican primary contest between Senate leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
Bob Rucho, a member of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, who was appointed to that position by state auditor Dave Bollick, abruptly resigned yesterday according to an announcement released by the state auditor's office on Thursday. Wake County election chair Angela Hawkins was sworn in as his replacement during that emergency meeting Thursday afternoon. The state auditor said in a press release: I'm thankful for Bob Rucho's service on the state board of elections. He led on election integrity and helped make it easy to vote and hard to cheat in North Carolina elections. This office has high standards from its board members, and Angela Hawkins will continue the good work being done by the state board.
She brings valuable experience, having served as the chair of the election board in North Carolina's largest county. She was just up until yesterday, the chair of the Wake County Board of Elections. This all goes back to a situation that started on December the 30th of last year, now back just a couple of months ago, as Bob Rucho posted on social media expressing his support for Senate leader Phil Berger. Those close to the situation say Then in looking into the post, it was discovered that Rucho also made campaign contributions in 2026.
However, those campaign contributions were not to Senate leader Phil Berger.
However, state law does prohibit members of the state board of election from making political donations while serving on the board. Once the potential situation and the statutory violation was identified, Bollock asked Rucho to step down, and, well, he resigned shortly afterwards. Under the current law, state auditor Dave Bollock has the authority under state law to appoint members to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Hawkins had previously been recommended as a potential nominee to the state board on a list submitted by NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons. She has also worked with the state auditor's office to help train newly appointed county election board chairs across the state.
One of the other board members in Miss Millen said during the emergency Zoom meeting yesterday, I just want to take a point of personal privilege and say how much I respect Angela. I've worked with her, seen her work for a decade. We're not in the same party, but I think she shows an awful lot about elections, and that is why I think she will be a good fit. The board secretary in Stacey Foragers said, I have also enjoyed working with Miss Hawkins in the past, and I'm glad to have her on our board. The personnel change comes as the state board of elections continues to oversee post-election procedures in a very closely watched race in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 26th General Assembly Senate District.
Unofficial results show that Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page is leading Senate leader Phil Berger by just two votes, prompting intense scrutiny of the race as officials review provisional ballots and finalize the canvas. We'll talk about those provisional ballots coming up here in just a little bit.
Some news on that today. The Page campaign has called for Bollock to recuse himself from matters related to the race due to Bollock's. Visit to Rockingham County with Senate leader Phil Berger during the campaign.
However, Bullock's office has said that it is not involved in vote counting and could therefore not recuse itself from the process. Bullock also pointed to former Governor Roy Cooper, who had previously had the appointment authority over the state board of elections, but still regularly campaigned for Democrat candidates. The contest between Berger, the longtime Senate president, and Page has drawn statewide attention because of that razor-thin margin and the potential implications for leadership not only within the North Carolina Senate, but North Carolina government as a whole. State election officials are expected to complete the county canvas process and determine whether a recount will occur under North Carolina state law. For this March the 3rd primary county board of elections spend 10 days reviewing.
Provisional ballots, verifying absentee ballots, and counting military and overseas ballots that arrive after Election Day but were sent on time. Once this review is complete, county boards meet to certify their election results. That's why over the last couple of days, you've heard me continually state all of these results are unofficial at this point. And they will remain in that unofficial category until this process takes place, which is scheduled for March the 13th. At this point, the results, at that point, the results become official, and the candidates in very close races, if they're within a 1% margin, have the ability to request a recount as it is laid out in state law.
So, a very interesting situation unfolding within the North Carolina State Board of Elections yesterday as board member Bob Arucho, who has only been on the board a relatively short amount of time, has abruptly resigned over not only allegations but details indicating that he made political donations in 2026, which is in violation of state law. He has been replaced by the Wake County Board of Elections chairwoman, Angela Hawkins. We'll keep an eye on those details as they continue to play out right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. Speaking of those provisional ballots in this very close race in Rockingham. And northern portions of Guilford County.
There are as many as 189 votes that could still be counted in that razor-thin contest. Details released recently by the North Carolina State Board of Elections indicate that there are 137 provisional ballots in Rockingham County and 52 ballots in the portion of Guilford County that includes Senate District 26. Unofficial election night results show Page currently leading Berger by just two votes. I had the opportunity to catch up with Andy Jackson. Dr.
Andy Jackson, I should say. He's the director of the John Locke Foundation's Civitas Center for Public Integrity. And he told me that this is likely good news for Sam Page, saying, quote, nobody knows how people with provisional ballots will have voted, but it is reasonable to assume that provisional ballots will break down similarly to other ballots. If so, this is good news for Sam Page. Page won Rockingham County by about a 2 to 1 margin, and Berger won Guilford County by about that same 2 to 1 margin.
It is in the unlikely event that all provisional ballots are accepted, that would probably mean a net gain of about 25 votes for Paige. Berger received 4,500 votes in Rockingham County on election night compared to 9,009 for Sam Page in Guilford County. Reverse those numbers. Page, Berger led with 8,575 votes on election night compared to Page's 4,068. Of the 189 provisional ballots, both Republican and Democrat ballots are included.
While the exact breakdown is unknown, 4,584 ballots were cast in the Democrat-U.S. Senate primary in Rockingham County compared to more than 12,000 in the Same primary on the GOP, indicating much more, many more, I should say, of these ballots were likely GOP ballots compared to Democrat ballots.
However, again, we don't exactly know the breakdown as of right now. A provisional ballot is used when there is a question about a voter's eligibility when they vote. This can happen for several reasons, such as if a voter's name does not appear on the rolls, if they are voting at the wrong precinct, or if there are questions about their voter registration. Many times, election officials allow their voter, allow the voter to cast a provisional ballot, which is not counted on election day. It does not get run through the typical ballot of counting machine, the tabulator that you put that ballot in as you're walking out the door, but it is reviewed after the fact.
And some of that process is expected to play out today. The Guilford County Board of Elections has a provisional ballot meeting at 2 o'clock today. Where they will determine and discuss that. That meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online. And an hour after that, the Rockingham County Board of Elections is set to have a meeting as well.
That is taking place at 3 p.m. And we will see a similar process unfolding there. Both of those meetings are open to the public. If you want to drive up to Guilford or Rockingham County, if not, both of those meetings are available online. We've got the links to both of those websites this morning over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com.
Look for the story with the headline: 189 provisional ballots remain in narrow burger page race. In one second, you're enjoying your first day off in forever. Then, mid-lunch, your phone buzzes. A window's been broken at home and you're miles away. In one second, Everything can change.
That's why ADT offers security systems with 24-7 monitoring with tech that helps first responders prioritize your emergency. And with the ADT Plus app, you can stay informed and in control of your home from virtually wherever you are. When every second counts, count on ADT. Visit ADT.com to learn more. It's 5:21.
Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour. Good Friday morning to you, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM, WBT.
Some other interesting news that we are tracking this morning: a viral social media video that you may have seen over the last day or two has a strong North Carolina connection. A Raleigh firefighter and a former Marine Corps veteran was arrested Wednesday after interrupting a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing at the United States Capitol. This was to protest U.S. military actions involving Iran. The firefighter and veteran by the name of Brian C.
McGinnis was removed from the hearing room by Capitol Police after standing and yelling during the middle of the committee hearing. Authorities say the situation escalated when officers attempted to remove him, and McGinnis resisted their attempts. According to Capitol Police, McGinnis is currently facing multiple challenges. Charges, including assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and unlawful demonstration inside a government building. Those viral videos that have been circulating online and on social media platforms show McGinnis speaking loudly during the hearing before officers approached and began the process of removing him, which is, I will admit, pretty typical if you spend enough time watching government meetings.
However, what is not typical is during the removal, McGinnis grabbed onto one of the doors while officers tried to pull him out of the room. The Republican senator from Montana, one of them, Tim Sheely, who is a member of the Armed Service Committee and former Navy SEAL, jumped in to assist officers as they tried to remove McGinnis. The video that has circulated online shows a chaotic situation as officers and Shealy were attempting to pull McGinnis out of the room.
However, he had his hands hooked around these large doors that were allowing to that he was using to keep Leverage and keep himself in the room. Capitol Police later said that the three officers involved and McGinnis were treated for injuries, with police additionally claiming demonstrations are not allowed during congressional hearings, and that the situation became physical when McGinnis resisted officers trying to escort him out of the room.
Now he is claimed to be running as a Green Party candidate in North Carolina's 2026 U.S. Senate race. His campaign material states that he served in the Marine Corps after high school, including spending time in Iraq before beginning a career as a firefighter. In videos posted to social media on Wednesday, a man appearing to be McGinnis stood outside the Capitol stating that he planned to confront lawmakers about the chance of the U.S. entering a war.
In the video, he said he wanted to question why American troops could be sent to another conflict. Following the incident, supporters launched an online fundraiser to help cover the legal and medical costs related to the arrest. The page states that McGinnis suffered an arm injury during the confrontation. I wouldn't be surprised to see that based on how the video played out.
However, Senator Shealy addressed the incident on social media, saying that he stepped in to assist Capitol police officers who were attempting to remove the protester from the hearing room. The senator from Montana, writing on X, Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protester from the armed service hearing. He was fighting back. I decided to help out and de-escalate the situation. This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one.
I hope he gets the help that he needs without causing further violence. Capitol Police says that the currently states that the situation is still under investigation.
However, a couple of those charges have been levied. If you have not seen the video yet, we've got it linked, the link to that over on our website this morning, CarolinaJournal.com. Look for the story with the headline: Raleigh Firefighters, Raleigh Firefighter, Green Party candidate arrested, disrupted Senate hearing. Those details at CarolinaJournal.com. And some other statewide news this morning, an interesting story as we continue our election primary election coverage here on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
None of the candidates recruited by a pro-public school group were able to successfully unseat Republican incumbents in Tuesday night's primary. The group is known as Educate. On the ballot. It was formed by an individual by the name of Patricia Saylor, a retired Durham and Chapel Hill Carborough public school teacher and registered Democrat. One issue united all of the six candidates who were seeking the GOP nomination for state house, pouring more state funding into traditional public schools.
Critics contended that the goal behind educators on the ballot was to disrupt GOP primaries with left-leaning, self-described liberal candidates. The candidates frequently expressed viewpoints that do not align with any sort of traditional or even new school Republican policies, positions, or values. One of them, for example, recently told the Assembly, which is a news publication here in North Carolina, that the state's voucher program, also known as the Opportunity Scholarship Program, is a crock of blank. Dr. Andy Jackson, who is the director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, said, None of these candidates were registered Republicans before August the 8th, indicating that they all switched parties just before or relatively close to the candidate filing deadline last year to run as Republicans, even though they are in fact Democrats.
These were the races and these contests in which these took place. House District 32, House District 35, House District 81, House District 89, 105, and 117.
Some of the candidates initially recruited by educators on the ballot in 2025 appear to have dropped out, including some other primary challengers that's taking place across the state of North Carolina. With Dr. Andy Jackson saying there are several districts with no Republicans running. Educators on the ballot could have run candidates in those districts, but that would have put them in an awkward situation of supporting candidates against Democrats in November. He went on, I saying, I fully expect the group to back Democrats in November.
These Republican primary candidates are sacrificial lambs to give educators on the ballots the veneer of being bipartisan. This is a pretty common attempt. This is not the first time it has been tried here in North Carolina, taking individuals that do not align with the political party in which they are registered, putting them up in a primary most of the time against an incumbent candidate to try and unseat them. And for this group, Educators on the Ballot and the founder, and the founder there, Patricia Saylor, a miserable failure election night, going 0 for 6 on trying to unseat an incumbent. Obviously, this strategy and plan of swarming the zone with left-leaning Democrat, liberal, progressive candidates in a Republican primary, especially against incumbents, is not a winning strategy.
We've got the breakdown of where all of these races took place.
Some additional details on this group, those details over at CarolinaJournal.com. Look for the story with the headline: GOP Primary Voters Reject Educators on the Ballot candidates. In one second, you're enjoying your first day off in forever. Then, mid-lunch, your phone buzzes. A window's been broken at home, and you're miles away.
In one second, Everything can change. That's why ADT offers security systems with 24-7 monitoring with tech that helps first responders prioritize your emergency. And with the ADT Plus app, you can stay informed and in control of your home from virtually wherever you are. When every second counts, count on ADT. Visit ADT.com to learn more.
It's 5:36. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT. Good Friday morning to you. I'm Nick Craig. It has been nine months since the state of North Carolina was supposed to have a budget passed.
The impasse continues in the North Carolina General Assembly, and it remains a major topic in high levels of State government. It was a great topic of discussion at this week's Council of State meeting. To walk us through some of those details, Teresa Opeca, CarolinaJournal.com, joins us on the news hour. Teresa, lawmakers were supposed to get together before July the 1st of last year. That was the start of the new fiscal year.
They did not. They remain not together. The General Assembly hasn't even been really back into session so far in 2026. What does the Council of State have to say about all of this? Yeah, good morning, Nick.
Thanks so much for having me.
So, yeah, there were a few members that are basically, you know, very concerned and lamented that there hasn't been a new state budget put in place. In fact, North Carolina is the only state that did not have a new budget in place last year. They fell back on what's called a biennium, which means everything basically stays the same. All this, the funding that was already appropriated beforehand stays the same.
So it's not like there's being agencies being closed or anything of that nature. But however, more funding is needed for various agencies and programs, different things of that nature. We heard concerns from Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. She talked about an investigation that took place. um up in um Buncombe County.
that basically they had a rearrange in their Off order to help with this investigation. They just did not have the funds available that were really needed. And she expressed concern at last month's Council of State meeting, too, saying, you know, this isn't a bipartisan issue. It's just an issue on both fronts.
So she said the longer that they go without a budget and without a serious conversation about desperately needed resources, the harder it's going to become to prosecute cases like the one they just did.
So you've got, you know. A lot of people are you know on the council of state, they're still asking, you know, hey, we we need the funding, we need the money, a general assembly, we need your help. And you're not hearing anything from anybody from the GA.
Well, and we found out either late last year or early this year, Teresa, that the General Assembly was not going to come back before the primary, which, of course, happened to be actually funny enough the same day as the Council of State meeting, Tuesday of this week. The primary is now said and done. I do wonder if the very close race between Senate leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, depending on how long that goes on, Teresa, I wonder if that will delay lawmakers and them getting back to the state capitol and either working through a full state budget or probably more likely a series of mini budgets to fund very specific projects and items that maybe Council of State members need. Yeah, it's anybody's guess what's going to happen, right? That all could happen.
We just have to keep our eyes focused on Raleigh and see what state lawmakers are going to do. And now with the Burger Sam Page The race, it throws a new wrinkle into maybe all this, you know, maybe continuing as what we thought it was going to continue as.
So, yeah, anything is possible in that nature. Yeah, and of course, we're still waiting to see exactly. And to be fair, it's only been a couple of days since the primary. We're still waiting to see exactly when we could expect lawmakers back in Raleigh. Teresa, we've talked about this before, but I kind of want to recap our audience on this.
And you mentioned it at the open. While the state did not pass a new budget, we continue those funding levels from the previous budget passed back a couple of years ago. But as the Secretary of State noted, and we've heard similar things as well, including from Steve Troxer and other members of the Council of State, that yes, the previous year's funding is good, but that does hamper their ability to do really anything new. It's essentially keeping the lights on, keeping the current employees paid. But outside of that, they would need to get some sort of appropriation from state lawmakers for seemingly anything new that would be coming through their agency.
That's correct. That's correct. You mentioned about Steve Troxler. He is talking about the one of the biggest challenges facing the agriculture industry in the state right now is the disappearance of farmland, noting that about one hundred thousand acres of farm and forest land a year could be lost And he says, the question is, when do they hit the tipping point about production increases, not being able to keep up with the lack of natural resources? And he's asking about maybe a push for additional funds from the legislature, adding that, you know, they haven't had that budget in two years and there's never been any one-time money added to the $5 million return.
What his words for his agency.
So he says, to just put that in perspective, this year they've had different requests for property easements and applications, about $47 million. We already got more than $5 million taken up in matches to protect military bases. Again, quoting Steve Troxler. He says, so we're getting to a crisis mode. And he asked Governor Josh Stein for any help that he and his administration can have to get those funds.
Going back to Secretary Marshall, she said her office promotes financial security for all North Carolinians. And when they're doing this, This. Her staff is putting in longer hours, making personal sacrifices, but they need more funding. She said last month, even they need desperately need more staff.
So, you know, it's not just, as she said, it's not bipartisan, right? Because Elaine Marshall is a Democrat, Steve Troxler is a Republican. It's down on both sides. These agencies do need more people to help with different investigations, more funding in general.
So it seems like it is beginning to be a crisis at this point. Teresa, I want to play devil's advocate for a second on this. Obviously, the lack of a state budget is something we have hammered the General Assembly on and have extensive coverage over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. You attend these Council of State meetings, and it's a little bit different when you can kind of read the vibe in the room from state lawmakers, or in this case, the Council of State. Do you think there's any politics playing into this?
As you mentioned, yes, there is some bipartisan calls to get something done. But if we're being truthful and honest about it, for Democrats, including the governor and other high-profile Council of State members, this is a great talking point, highlighting what they would describe as an inefficiency within the Republican majority in Raleigh. Yeah, I mean, I don't get the vibe from specific members like talking about Elaine Marshall. I think her agency seems to, you know, just from the vantage point that she's been talking about the last couple of months, it really just seems like there's a need there. Steve Drotzer talking about it.
We had Insurance Commissioner Cossey also adding his voice to concern at this meeting as well. The only point I would say, and if you want to get political about it, it could be under Governor Josh Stein, because he's had some, you know, Blow back and forth with Speaker Hall and the Republicans, also, you know, both sides of the General Assembly on Medicaid funding. They were pushing for more Medicaid funding and they had to take that back because. There were several lawsuits that were going against the state and the health department when they were saying there's not enough funding, even though the state legislature said, no, there's enough funding appropriate until April.
So you saw Governor Stein holding numerous press conferences along with the Department of Health and Human Services. Different people who are being served by Medicaid the last, you know, in the fall and up right up until December, saying, Hey, you know, we're desperate, we need this money, but they kind of like fell back off of that.
So, if anything, I would say maybe the governor is more political than the rest of the council of state. Also, Governor Stein told us exclusively after the meeting he is going to propose some truly critical needs that need to be addressed that cannot wait for next year's budget. He says his fear is that the General Assembly is going to come back into the short session and pretend fiscal year 25, 26 just never happened and you know, just go ahead and just that's about it. He said, But there's critical needs that need to be addressed. I'm assuming one of them is going to be Medicaid.
And he says they quote must be reckoned with, and he'll be bringing that out next week.
So, yeah, at that stance, I say, I think truly the governor is the only one. I can't say if someone's talking off record to somebody, but it just seems like the governor has been quite vocal about that in the last year. Yeah, no question about that. And Teresa, normally in past years, we would be talking about some mini appropriations as we'd be looking into what is traditionally described as the short session of the North Carolina General Assembly. That's what should be going on here in 2026.
And an interesting comment there from the governor. And I wouldn't be surprised to see state lawmakers do try and just kind of pass that on and say, oh, we'll get to it next year when the long session rolls around in 2027. Teresa, you cover not only this council of state meeting, you've been attending all of those, and they do continue on a monthly basis. Where can folks go and read some of that work this morning? Sure, they can head on over to CarolinaJournal.com.
We appreciate the update. Teresa Opeka joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. It's 5:52. Good morning again. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9.
WBT continuing our coverage of what has been a busy week in North Carolina politics. The primary election taking place Tuesday, results starting to pour in Tuesday night into the wee hours of Wednesday morning. And there is still one race that has pretty much grabbed all attention across the state of North Carolina. That is the razor thin margin between current Senate leader Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. As of the latest details from the North Carolina State Board of Elections, there is still just a two-vote gap in that race, with Sam Page currently leading Phil Berger in that contest.
However, some new information from the State Board of Elections indicates that there are as many as 189 votes that could still be. be counted in the contest. Details released by the North Carolina State Board of Elections on Wednesday indicates that there are 137 provisional ballots in Rockingham County and 52 provisional ballots in the Guilford County portion, or in the portion of Guilford County, I should say, that includes Senate District 26. Unofficial election night results have not moved since Tuesday. Dr.
Andy Jackson, the director of the John Locke Foundation Civitas Center for Public Integrity, told the Carolina Journal that this is likely good news for Sam Page, who currently leads by two votes. He said, nobody knows how people with provisional ballots voted, but it is reasonable to assume that provisional ballots will break down similarly to other ballots. And if so, this is good news for Sam Page. Page won Rockingham County by about a 2 to 1 margin, with Berger winning Guilford County by about a 2 to 1 margin. In the unlikely event that all provisional ballots are accepted, That would probably mean a net gain of about 25 votes for Page.
Berger received 4,500 votes in Rockingham County on election night compared to 9,009 for Page. In Guilford County, those numbers are flip-flopped. We saw 8,575 votes for Phil Berger, 4,068 for Paige.
So those 2-1 margins existing there in both counties. Of the 189 provisional ballots still outstanding, they include both Republicans and Democrats.
So it is even not immediately clear how many of those 189 even voted in this contest.
However, looking at some of the details in other races in both Rockingham and Guilford County, there were 4,584 ballots cast in the Democrat U.S. Senate primary in Rockingham, compared to more than 12,000 in those same contests on the Republican side of the aisle, indicating a larger, much larger percentage of voters voting in the GOP primary compared to the Democrat primary on Tuesday.
Some questions coming in, of course. What is a provisional ballot and why do those exist? They are used when there are questions about a voter's eligibility when they show. up on election day and vote. There are several common reasons for this to take place, such as if a voter's name does not appear on the voter rolls, if somebody is voting at the wrong precinct, or if there are questions about their voter registration and their current status.
Many times, election officials allow that voter to cast what is called a provisional ballot, which is not counted on election day or election night. It does not run through the tabulator machine, but it is reviewed after the fact by the board. And that is set to take place today. We could have some greater insight later on this afternoon as to what exactly that final vote total is going to look like in the 26th Senate District here in North Carolina. The Guilford County Board of Elections has their provisional board of election meeting at 2 o'clock today, and the Rockingham County Board of Elections has their meeting at 3 p.m.
So there is a likelihood that as we get into the late afternoon and maybe even early evening hours that we see some additional votes added. To this race as we approach the county canvas, which will be taking place one week from today. That is when all 100 county board of elections certify election results for candidates that are going to be requesting a recount or requesting any other information. That is the time for them to do that as well. All of that before the results are transmitted to the state board of election for final approval and certification.
This race right now is at a razor-thin margin, as we've talked about. A two-vote lead for Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. And if these provisional ballots break down the way that many experts, including Dr. Andy Jackson from the John Locke Foundation, believe this means that the margin for Page is likely to get even stronger, meaning that we'll potentially be in recount territory. We'll keep an eye on those two board of election meetings coming up later today.
Those details will be over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. That's going to do it for a Friday edition. WBT News is next, followed by Good Morning BT. We're back with you Monday morning, 5 to 6, right here on Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT.
