GRNC vs NRA – And the Winner Is….

Neither.

In the two races where Grass Roots North Carolina and the NRA sparred over endorsements, they each won one race.

In the 11th Congressional District, Heath Shuler won 54% of the vote or about a 20,000 vote margin. Until I have the complete precinct by precinct results, I can only speculate his win came because he took the Democrat (and hippie) stronghold of Asheville big while holding his own in the rest of the district.

Both candidates in this race were rated A by the NRA so gun rights won’t suffer though I might not say the same for civil rights given Shuler’s votes on union card check and the DISCLOSE Act. I will also say the race was vicious with the negative ads starting almost immediately after Labor Day.

The other race where GRNC worked to defeat a candidate with the NRA’s endorsement was between NC House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman (D-Davidson Co) and the Republican challenger Rayne Brown. GRNC targeted Holliman for his refusal to push for a vote on a Castle Doctrine bill that had already passed the State Senate. It was held in the Judiciary I committee by the chair Deborah Ross (D-Wake).

Rayne Brown won almost 58% of the vote in her successful effort to unseat Holliman. Brown had been ranked 4 stars in the GRNC’s 0 to 4 star ranking system. Her victory knocked off the number two Democrat in the General Assembly.

In general, this was a good election for gun owners in North Carolina. Control of the North Carolina General Assembly appears to have completely switched hands from Democrat to Republican. If the close races hold up, it will be the first time in over a century that the GOP has controlled both houses of the General Assembly. I anticipate that this time the Castle Doctrine will be enacted as will changes to the NC law enacting a ban on off-premises possession and carry of firearms during declared states of emergency.