Inside the NC Republican Runoff: Battle for Lieutenant Governor - Jim O'Neill vs. Hal Weatherman

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 0:10

Hello friends, thanks for joining me on the NC Deep Dive. I'm your host, Amanda Benbow Lunn, and we are delving into the 2024 second primary election happening May 14th. There will be three episodes to this segment and, depending on your precinct in Southern Wake County, you may have two or three races on your ballot. Since two of these are state races, they will apply to the entirety of eligible voters in North Carolina, so if you are listening from afar, they still might be useful. Please note that all three of these runoff races are on the Republican ballot because the top vote-getter in March's primary did not achieve more than 30% of the vote. When that happens, the runner-up can ask for a second primary runoff election. Those eligible to vote this go-round are as follows 1. All registered Republicans. Two, all those registered as unaffiliated, also known by some as independent, who did not cast a vote in March's primary. And. Three, all those registered as unaffiliated or independent who did vote in March's primary and they selected a Republican ballot. No races fit the criteria for a runoff election for the Democrats or Libertarians. All of those primary winners have moved on to November's general election, so there is not an opportunity to cast your vote this go-round For these segments.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 1:37

I will be reading from each candidate's website, along with anything I feel may be of interest on a simple Google search. Sometimes it's easier for people to digest this stuff audibly, but if you are a visual learner or you are short on time, feel free to skip these episodes and search for yourself Without further ado. My friends, let's dive in. For the North Carolina Lieutenant Governor race, we will be speaking of Jim O'Neill and Hal Weatherman. Jim O'Neill is going to show up first on your ballot. His website is O'Neill4NC. com. That's O-N-E-I-L-L, the number four, n-c. com. His website says Jim O'Neill, north Carolina Lieutenant Governor. You can sign up for his newsletter and there's a button to donate to his campaign if you would like. He writes. North Carolina has consistently been ranked one of the top states in the nation for doing business, thanks to legislation passed by our Republicans in the General Assembly. North Carolina also has a $3.2 billion budget surplus thanks to the same legislation. Jim believes continued economic growth in North Carolina will come from continuing to make North Carolina more attractive for business. We must attract more manufacturing and high-tech industries to enrich our state and communities. As your Lieutenant Governor, jim will continue to build North Carolina's economy and create more opportunities for the people of our state now and in the future. Meet Jim O'Neill new leadership delivering results for our community.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 3:14

Jim O'Neill is currently serving his fourth term as Forsyth County District Attorney. Before becoming District Attorney, jim served as an Assistant District Attorney in Forsyth County. District attorney Jim served as an assistant district attorney in Forsyth County. Over the past 20 years, jim has helped make Winston-Salem one of the safest cities in the nation. A graduate of Duke University, jim earned his law degree from New York Law School. Jim also serves his community as head coach for the men's lacrosse team at RJR High School. He has served as a member of the Board of Hospice Industries for the Blind, scan and Senior Services. Jim and his wife, dr Oana O'Neill, live in Winston-Salem with their three children.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 3:53

As Lieutenant Governor, jim will be tough on crime. Jim is an experienced prosecutor who has spent the past 20 years locking up some of the most dangerous criminals, not letting them back onto the streets. As a prosecutor, jim has learned the kind of support our law enforcement needs from government officials. Jim understands the daily challenges our law enforcement officials face and will ensure they have everything they need to keep our community safe. In his last election for district attorney, Jim's opponent ran on bringing liberal progressive justice practices to Forsyth County. Jim won his election and didn't allow the disastrous pro-crime initiatives to come to Forsyth County and, as lieutenant governor, he won't allow them to come to North Carolina. As a prosecutor, jim has witnessed how criminals plot and execute their crimes. Today, many North Carolina schools are at risk. Currently, state law only requires local law enforcement to provide on-campus security to our public schools. Jim believes this requirement must also be expanded to protect private and faith-based schools. Criminals prey upon the most vulnerable and leaving many of our schools unprotected is an oversight that must be corrected.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 5:03

Jim has been a leader in bringing innovative programs to combat substance abuse. Addiction is one of the leading causes of petty crimes across North Carolina. In addition, jim believes it is time to combat the ills of mental illness and its impact on the safety of our streets and our communities. Sadly, liberals chose to follow a path of restricting our constitutional rights without offering remedies that solve the rest of the problems. As Lieutenant Governor, jim will work to establish a panel of private and public mental health experts, along with law enforcement officials, to create a list of legislative remedies for the General Assembly to address and combat the issue of mental illness and provide the services needed for those in need. And that is the totality of Jim O'Neill's website, his Ballotpedia page. Again, you can find this by going to Ballotpediaorg and searching for Jim O'Neill's name. It says he is of the Republican Party and is the North Carolina 31st Prosecutorial District Attorney. He assumed office in 2009. His current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 6:07

O'neill is running for election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary runoff on May 14, 2024. He advanced from the Republican primary on March 5, 2024. For his biography, jim O'Neill earned a degree from Duke University and his Juris Doctor1,322 votes. Jim O'Neill was approximately four percentage points behind him. He won 15.8% of the vote with 146,472 votes. That's approximately 35,000 vote difference. However, because there were so many candidates I believe there were 10 candidates total the number of votes between all of the other candidates is easily around 500,000 votes. So now that we're moving into the second primary, where it will only be Jim O'Neill versus Hal Weatherman, anyone is game because there are 500,000 votes that could go to either of them. His Ballotpedia campaign finance information for the 2024 election just covers January 1st 2023 through December 31st 2023. So it does not include anything that he has received this far in 2024, but his contributions have been $89,400 from 18 unique contributors. His expenditures have totaled $24,302 with 46 unique payees.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 7:59

He did run for the North Carolina 31st Prosecutorial District Attorney in 2022. He beat the Democrat with 51% of the vote. She had 49% of that vote, so that race was quite close, with about 2700 votes difference. In 2020, he ran for attorney general for North Carolina against Josh Stein. Josh Stein won with 50.1% of the vote and Jim O'Neill had 49.9% of the vote. So again that one was super close, with about 13,000 votes different. In 2018, it looks like he ran alone for North Carolina's 31st prosecutorial district attorney and he received 100% of the vote. In 2016, he ran for attorney general of North Carolina, but he lost in the Republican primary by about 85,000 votes.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 8:58

Jim did not fill out the candidate connection survey on Ballotpedia. It does have some of his information that I read from his website on here. Looking up the general Google search for Jim O'Neill, I did not see anything out of the ordinary. Everything seemed to be about him and Howell's races and whatnot. I didn't see anything that may be concerning for voters and whatnot. I didn't see anything that may be concerning for voters.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 9:26

Moving on to Hal's website, his is halweathermanfornc. com. That is H-A-L-W-E-A-T-H-E-R-M-A-N-F-O-R-N-C. com, and his website states North Carolina's conservative fighter, hal Weatherman for lieutenant governor, meet Hal Weatherman. Hal is a husband, father of three and a native North Carolinian seeking the Republican nomination for the office of lieutenant governor. It says vote May 14th. Hal supports Donald J Trump building the wall, deporting illegals Second Amendment, pro-life Laws, election Integrity, school Choice. You can stay up to date by joining his newsletter and then there are a series of videos that he has at the bottom that are entitled Meet Hal the Dignity of Work, put NC to Work, fighting for the Second Amendment, school Choice and Education. The Day of Reckoning About Hal Hal Weatherman for NC Lieutenant Governor, meet Hal.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 10:23

I am a husband, father of three and a candidate seeking the Republican nomination for the office of Lieutenant Governor. A native of North Carolina, I received my undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and my master's degree from Wheaton College. I am the founder and president of the Electoral Education Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing election integrity efforts in North Carolina. I served as chief of staff to former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forrest and former US Representative Sue Merrick. I am a published author and have advised many conservative candidates and campaigns over the last three decades. I am open about my Christian faith, my love for my family and my call to serve others. Why I am running.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 11:06

I am tired of money-driven campaigns and candidates who only appeal to the fears and anxieties of our people rather than the hopes and aspirations. I will run a campaign that paints an optimistic vision for our state and lifts up the people of our state. I am a principled, limited government conservative, fiscal and social. I believe in our country's founding principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe all mankind was created in God's image and that our individual rights derive not from man or man-made governments, but are inherently bestowed upon us by our creator and are worth preserving. Mission statement my vision for the state man is meant to work and be self-sufficient. There is dignity in earning an honest day's wage for an honest day's work.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 11:49

Too many people are on the sidelines today, either unemployed, underemployed or frustrated in jobs that have no future of growth or advancement. Whole generations have been denied access to the American dream by an education system more concerned with advancing cultural agendas than by teaching the building blocks of a successful life. Our schools denigrate the ideals of hard work, individualism, faith, thrift, self-sufficiency, entrepreneurship, capitalism, home ownership, living within your means and the golden rule. As a consequence, generations of students are left with degrees hardly worth their exorbitant cost and without the skills needed to compete in the global economy. My primary goal in seeking office of lieutenant governor is to use the authority of my office to fundamentally remove the stigma our society has placed on working in the trades. The lieutenant governor serves on the state board of education and the state community college board of directors, providing a unique opportunity of influence to advance a new culture in our state that values entrepreneurship, trade work and small business ownership. North Carolina's apprenticeship program is not well advertised or easily navigated. When elected Lieutenant Governor, I will streamline the apprenticeship program and work to give tax incentives to participating companies. North Carolina should be number one in apprenticeships and I will accept nothing less. Likewise, many rural pockets around our state are not benefiting from the rapid economic growth of our state. As Lieutenant Governor, I will go through each line of our state's operating budget and every contract issued by our state agencies and work to make sure we are using our state's huge purchasing power to award contracts and state spending to homegrown North Carolina companies. The North Carolina state government should buy North Carolina and I will work to steer those contracts to the 75 most rural counties in our state through rural opportunity zones.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 13:38

Agriculture is our state's number one industry, but North Carolina's primary agricultural market is still the fresh market. With a global population now eclipsing 8 billion people, we have a God-given geographic advantage and opportunity to feed the world. With the right investments, our agricultural industry will rapidly make the transition from the fresh market to the global market. I will advocate for investments into our ports, including inland ports and intermodal systems, cold storage facilities and connectivity between farms and distribution hubs. North Carolina is a right-to-work state and I support all efforts to continue this operating philosophy. Low taxes, individual and corporate, a streamlined regulatory system that values customer service and access to cheap and dependable energy are all crucial to the long-term economic success of our state.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 14:25

Our emergency management system needs an overhaul. It takes North Carolina too long to rebuild after times of emergency. We have watched our people in flood and hurricane zones wait years for relief, and that must change. During COVID, we waited while our governor called on the federal government and outside vendors for supplies and resources we needed to deal with the crisis at hand. When I am elected lieutenant governor, I will launch our own critical needs strategic stockpile before emergencies happen, so North Carolina is no longer dependent on any outside source for recovery. I favor law and order and support our men and women in uniform military law enforcement and emergency services. I favor increased access to mental health services for our returning veterans who are contemplating suicide. I will continue recent efforts to seamlessly transfer returning servicemen and women into our workforce by creating certifications to recognize the skills veterans developed in the military. These certifications will count as credits towards a degree from a college or university or as a certification in a comparable field.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 15:26

I support the Second Amendment and will accept no restrictions on a right that is expressly spelled out in the US Constitution. I favor armed school resource officers in each and every North Carolina elementary, middle and high school. There is no excuse for this not currently being the case. I support free and fair elections and will continue my work to bring election integrity to the North Carolina voting system. When elected Lieutenant Governor, I will embed an election integrity unit within my office to provide continual monitoring of the North Carolina State Board of Elections. I am pro-life and will advocate for a heartbeat bill before the General Assembly ending abortion when the heart of the unborn is first detected. As Lieutenant Governor, I will work to streamline the cumbersome adoption process and push for tax breaks and financial resources for families who adopt. I will support emergency pregnancy health clinics, where love and compassion can be shown to women in a time of crisis. Finally, I believe a state should honor the contributions, sacrifices and achievements of its citizens. As such, as Lieutenant Governor, I will push for the creation of a North Carolina Hall of Fame. The hall will document and celebrate the lives of those who made significant contributions to our state in the fields of medicine, military affairs, business, culture and government induction.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 16:40

Into the and it doesn't quite finish that sentence. Again it says and he lists an Instagram, facebook and Twitter or X account there is a video for his vision of the state as well. He has a link for voting. It says Lieutenant Governor. Primary Runoff Election Vital information. Election day is May 14th. Early voting is April 25th through May 11th. Voting locations may change from first primary. Find voting location and hours of operation for early voting and election day at the links below Make a plan to vote and there are links for early voting and for election day there is a media page for those who have press inquiries. There is a scheduling request link, a link where you can get signs and a link where you can donate. And that is the totality of Hal Weatherman's website.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 17:32

Looking him up on Ballotpedia, it says Hal Weatherman of the Republican Party is running for election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary runoff on May 14th. He advanced from the Republican primary on March 5th. Hal Weatherman was born in and lives in North Carolina. He earned an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and a master's degree from Wheaton College. His career experience includes founding a nonprofit organization where he worked as a founder and president. He also served as chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Dan Forrest and US Representative Sue Murick. And again, hal Weatherman won the initial primary this year with 19.6% of the vote over Jim O'Neill, which was 15.8% of the vote, and there was a difference of about 35,000 votes. But again, because there were so many candidates, there are approximately 500,000 more votes on the table that either of them could get in the second primary.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 18:31

As for his campaign finance information, again this is for the 2024 election, but it's only reporting January 1st 2023 through December 31st 2023. I will try to keep a link in the show notes where you can see what their 2024 contributions might be and expenses if they have sent them in, which I'm sure they have. It seems that a lot of candidates are putting in every 48 hours so it's a shorter form and a little harder to compilate. But as of January 1st of last year through December 31st of of 2023. Hal Weatherman has had $391,815 in contributions from 707 unique contributors. His expenditures have totaled $341,052 with 1,344 unique payees.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 19:24

Hal Weatherman did not complete Ballotpedia's survey. It does have information from his campaign website, which I have already read to you. Doing a Google search of Hal, I did find his blog at oldschoolpoliticscom. It says Old School Politics, a campaign manager's journal. He has several articles here that he's written about his journey as a campaign manager that you are welcome to read if you would like. The about page says Hal Weatherman is a campaign manager for the Dan Forrest for Governor campaign and former chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Dan Forrest. Hal is also the former chief of staff to the United States Representative, sue Murek, and successfully ran eight of her campaigns, as well as both of the Lieutenant Governor's previous campaigns. This is his personal blog and stories from the campaign trail, but it includes it looks like the 2020 campaign campaign history and some general information.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 20:18

The only thing I picked up on the Google search that was outside the realm of just talking about him and Jim O'Neill running for this office is that it was reported that Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is weighing in on who he wants to see win his party's runoff next month to be the nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Robinson, who is running for governor this year, told a crowd of supporters he's voting for Hal Weatherman. According to a video clip posted on Facebook in late March, weatherman faces Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill in the runoff election on May 14th and he's quoted. Now. I'm not telling you who to vote for. I'm just telling you who I'm going to vote for when I go. The only person that I'm in support of being lieutenant governor is standing right over here, said Robinson, gesturing to Weatherman. Robinson went on to say that he and Weatherman, who served as chief of staff to former Lieutenant Governor Dan Forrest, have had a quote great relationship since 2018. I have not made a public endorsement of him, but he certainly is a guy that I would love to see in that seat. Talk to your friends when they ask you about that race. You can tell them that's the guy that I'm going to vote for, and I hope that you do too. Robinson said. Cbs 17 has reached out to Weatherman's and O'Neill's campaigns for comment. This is Weatherman's first campaign for statewide office. O'neill previously ran for attorney general in 2020, narrowly losing to Democrat Josh Stein. Weatherman was the top vote getter in the initial 11 candidate primary on March 5th, but he fell short of the 30% threshold necessary to avoid a runoff. The winner of the runoff will face Democratic State Senator Rachel Hunt in November, and that is really all I found about either of them on Google. So again, this race is for North Carolina's Lieutenant Governor seat. It will be Jim O'Neill versus Hal Weatherman on your ballot, o'neill versus Hal Weatherman on your ballot.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 22:10

The second primary election will be held on Tuesday, may 14th. Early voting begins Thursday, april 25th and will extend through Saturday, may 11th. There are only three early voting sites for Wake County this election cycle. They will be at the Northern Regional Center in Wake Forest, the Wake County Board of Elections on North New Hope Road in Raleigh and at Wake Tech's Southern Campus on Fayetteville Road in Raleigh. If you plan to vote via an absentee ballot, you may request one through 5 pm on Tuesday, may 7, and it has to be received by the County Board of Elections office no later than 7:30 pm on Election Day, may 14th.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 22:53

I will include general voting information, as well as the candidates' websites, campaign finance information and social media handles for your convenience, in this episode's show notes. With that, we will conclude this installment of the NC Deep Dive. I hope you have found this information useful. If you did, I'd love for you to rate it, review it and share it with your friends, family and any who you think might find it useful. Make sure you keep a lookout for other relevant 2024 second primary election episodes at wwwncdeepdive. com, apple Podcasts, audible, spotify or wherever you currently listen to your podcast. As always, if you have any questions or topics you'd like to share, you can connect with us on social media or via email at ncdeepdive@ gmail. com. Thank you for taking the time to listen and become a more informed voter and taking an active part in our democracy. Your efforts really do make a difference and are very much appreciated. Until next time, my friends namaste. The love and light in me sees and honors the love and light in you.