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PAT MCCRORY Gov. Pat Mccrory (R-NC) Was Elected in 2012. He Will

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PAT MCCRORY Gov. Pat Mccrory (R-NC) Was Elected in 2012. He Will PAT MCCRORY Gov. Pat McCrory (R-NC) was elected in 2012. He will be up for re-election in 2016. His inclusion stems from appointing top donors to important state government positions and advocating for new voter identification restrictions. CRONYISM Appointing Donors Art Pope, a retail industry millionaire and a former state legislator,1 has had a significant impact on North Carolina electoral politics. Through a series of family foundations and companies, Mr. Pope has contributed more than $30 million to conservative think tanks, section 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups, and other political and advocacy groups in North Carolina.2 In 2010, three outside groups, Civitas Action, Real Jobs NC, and Americans for Prosperity, all generously backed by Mr. Pope, spent $2 million attacking Democrats in two dozen North Carolina state legislative races.3 Mr. Pope and the Pope family also contributed $240,000 directly to candidates in those races.4 Since its founding in 2005, the John William Pope Foundation, chaired by Mr. Pope, has given Civitas Institute, the parent foundation of Civitas Action, more than $8 million — about 97 percent of the group’s total income — and Mr. Pope sat on the board of directors of all three groups.5 Mr. Pope was until recently one of three national directors of Americans for Prosperity.6 During the 2010 elections, Mr. Pope’s Variety Wholesalers contributed $36,500 to the Republican State Leadership Committee.7 That group gave $1.2 million to Real Jobs NC, which ran attack ads and sent several mass mailings in competitive state legislative races.8 Variety Wholesalers gave $200,000 to Real Jobs NC during the 2010 election cycle as well.9 During North Carolina’s recent redistricting, Republican legislators appointed Mr. Pope a co- counsel to the legislative leadership, allowing him to give direct instructions to the legislators 1 Paul Abowd, Nonprofit Profile: Americans for Prosperity, Center for Public Integrity, June 21, 2012; Jane Mayer, State for Sale, New Yorker, October 10, 2011; http://www.archive.org/stream/northcarolinaman 19911992nort#page/313/mode/1up. 2 Rob Christensen, Art Pope: a One-Man Republican Equalizer, News & Observer, October 27, 2010; Chris Kromm, The Art Pope Empire: Media Outlets, Think Tanks and Election Machines, Indy Week, March 9, 2011. 3 Id. 4 Id. 5 Id.; http://www.civitasaction.org/; Press Release, Civitas Institute, Civitas Announces Pope Resignation from Boards, December 20, 2012. 6 Kromm, Indy Week, Mar. 9, 2011; Craig Jarvis, McCrory Names Art Pope to be His Chief Budget Writer; News & Observer, December 20, 2012. 7 Id. 8 Kromm, Indy Week, Mar. 9, 2011; Mayer, New Yorker, Oct. 10, 2011. 9 http://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527cmtedetail_contribs.php?cycle=2010&ein=272515965. mapping districts.10 The resulting map went into effect for the 2012 elections and shifted the state’s U.S. House delegation from a 7-6 Democratic majority to a 9-4 Republican majority.11 During the 2012 election, Mr. Pope and his family members heavily backed Gov. McCrory, giving at least $20,000 directly to his campaign, in addition to $125,000 to the state Republican Party.12 Variety Wholesalers also contributed at least $450,000 to three outside groups that spent heavily on behalf of Gov. McCrory: the Republican State Leadership Committee, the Republican Governors Association, and Real Jobs NC.13 In addition, Americans for Prosperity spent nearly $470,000 on races in North Carolina during the cycle, including $130,000 on ads in the governors’ race directly benefitting Gov. McCrory.14 Gov. McCrory named Mr. Pope co-chairman of his transition team.15 In December 2012, Gov. McCrory appointed Mr. Pope budget director, the most powerful appointed position in state government.16 In addition, Gov. McCrory’s chief of staff, Thomas Stith, is a former vice president at the Civitas Institute.17 Mr. Pope said he has taken a leave from his family foundations and various other public and nonprofit boards, including his positions with the Civitas Institute and Civitas Action, as well as Americans for Prosperity, in order to take the state job.18 Since becoming budget director, Mr. Pope has sought to end public financing for judicial elections, a priority of Mr. Pope’s private foundations.19 The public financing system is favored in polling by North Carolina residents20 and was used by every judicial candidate in 2012.21 Some organizations previously affiliated with Mr. Pope appear to be rallying to support his initiatives. Americans for Prosperity, for example, recently ran ads in the state praising Gov. McCrory as bringing “a new day” in North Carolina because “a fresh crop of leaders” are “bringing conservative reforms” and minimizing “the threat of Obamacare.”22 In addition, during his unsuccessful 2008 gubernatorial campaign, Gov. McCrory, citing past scandals, repeatedly said fundraisers should not be appointed to the state Department of 10 Olga Pierce, Justin Elliott, and Theodoric Meyer, How Dark Money Helped Republicans Hold the House and Hurt Voters, ProPublica, December 21, 2012; http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/house/north-carolina/; http://www.wral.com/news/political/page/8487904/?group=us. 11 Pierce, Elliott, and Meyer, ProPublica, Dec. 21, 2012; http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/house/north- carolina/; http://www.wral.com/news/political/page/8487904/?group=us; Chris Kromm and Sue Sturgis, North Carolina’s Tug-of-War, American Prospect, June 6, 2013. 12 Chris Kromm, Art Pope’s Path to Power, Institute for Southern Studies, December 21, 2012. 13 Id. 14 http://www.followncmoney.org/committee/americans-prosperity. 15 McCrory Unveils Transition Team, Defends Selection of Conservative Activist Art Pope, Associated Press, November 8, 2012. 16 Jarvis, News & Observer, Dec. 20, 2012; Kromm and Sturgis, American Prospect, June 6, 2013. 17 Kromm, Institute for Southern Studies, Dec. 21, 2012; Rob Schofield, Pope-Civitas Fundraiser Email Contains Giant Omission, NC Policy Watch, January 2, 2013. 18 Jarvis, News & Observer, Dec. 20, 2012. 19 Paul Blumenthal, N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory, Budget Director Art Pope Aim to End Judicial Public Financing Program, Huffington Post, April 4, 2013. 20 Press Release, North Carolina Center for Voter Education, N.C. Voters: Campaign Contributions Influence Court Rulings, February 22, 2011. 21 Blumenthal, Huffington Post, Apr. 4, 2013. 22Abby Goodnough, Critics of Health Care Law Outspending Its Supporters on Ads, New York Times, June 4, 2013; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPZxfIT4Ghg. Transportation board.23 Nonetheless, in February 2013, Gov. McCrory appointed 10 new members to the board, all of whom were donors or fundraisers to his 2012 campaign.24 In all, the appointees and their spouses donated a combined $34,894.25 Appointee Mike Smith, a fundraiser, raised $106,000 for Gov. McCrory’s campaign.26 Gov. McCrory named Aldona Wos as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.27 Ms. Wos, a retired doctor and ambassador to Estonia from 2004-2006, was a co- chair of Gov. McCrory’s 2012 campaign and donated $5,717.28 In addition, her family, their company, New Breed Logistics, and the company’s employees collectively contributed more than $260,000 to Gov. McCrory’s 2012 campaign.29 PARTISAN POLITICS Voter ID In 2011, while running for governor, Gov. McCrory voiced support for a voter identification bill later vetoed by then-Gov. Beverly Perdue (D).30 He urged his supporters to make videos showing the places where they were already required to produce photo identification.31 In April 2013, the state House passed a bill to require voters to show government-issued photo identification.32 The law is now pending before the state Senate, where it is expected to be taken up this month.33 Gov. McCrory has said he supports the legislation.34 23 Mark Binker, McCrory Stands Behind DOT Appointee Despite Donations, WRAL-TV, April 8, 2013; Bruce Siceloff, Gov. McCrory Appoints Fundraisers to Board After Candidate McCrory Vowed Not To, News & Observer, April 5, 2013. 24 Id.; Bruce Siceloff, 10 Board of Transportation Appointees Helped McCrory Campaign Raise $156,394, News & Observer, April 3, 2013. 25 Id. 26 Binker, WRAL, Apr. 8, 2013; Siceloff, News & Observer, Apr. 5, 2013. 27 Rob Christensen, McCrory Picks Outside the Box for DHHS Secretary, News & Observer, December 15, 2012. 28 Follow the Money, Contributions Lookup, Pat McCrory, 2009–2012; http://estonia.usembassy.gov/wos.html. 29 Gerrick Brenner, Op-Ed: Brenner — McCrory Donors Win Big Payback, Fayetteville Observer, January 27, 2013. 30 McCrory Not Wedded to Photo ID Requirement to Vote, Associated Press, January 10, 2013. 31 Id. 32 Rob Christensen, GOP Rolls Out Less Restrictive N.C. Voter ID Bill, Charlotte Observer, April 5, 2013; Herbert L. White, N.C. House Passes Voter ID Bill, Charlotte Post, April 25, 2013; http://ncleg.net/ gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013&BillID=HB+589&submitButton=Go. 33 Id.; North Carolina Senate Delaying Voter ID Bill for Another Week, Associated Press, July 1, 2013. 34 Jim Morrill, McCrory Meets with African American Lawmakers, Educators, Charlotte Observer, April 29, 2013. .
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