Sanderson takes N.C. Senate District 2 primary

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2012-05-08
N.C. District 3 Rep. Norman Sanderson is one race closer to being N.C. District 3 Sen. Sanderson after winning more than 55 percent of the three-county vote in a three-way 2012 Republican Primary race for the seat.

Sanderson, of Arapahoe, led in Craven, Pamlico and Carteret counties against Randy Ramsey, a Beaufort businessman, and Ken Jones, mayor of Pine Knoll Shoals.

“My feet hurt,” Sanderson said, laughing after hard run he said ended up proving that “message over money” can be victorious. “I just think that we have the message and this victory shows that you can have all the money you want but that doesn’t always win.”

“I’m just amazed at the people in this district,” Sanderson said. “I had faith in them but when you’re bombarded every day with something that you want to scream out ‘it is totally not true,’ they were able to look through it and see the truth.”

Sanderson also had name recognition in the district as the incumbent Republican House District 3 representative who campaigned twice for that seat before this bid for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jean Preston, who is retiring at the end of this term.

His comments were directed at Ramsey, the owner of Jarrett Bay Boatworks in his first bid for public office, who challenged some of Sanderson’s positions in ads on radio, mail and television. Ramsey’s campaign got the attention of other state Republicans, the Associated Press and appeared on the Washington Post website.

CONTINUED:  http://www.newbernsj.com/news/sanderson-106393-district-three.html
© Copyright 2012 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved.

PRIMARY RACE --NC Senate District 2

Note: CCTA is a non partisan organization. We do not endorse any particular candidate or political party. News items are presented for you the reader to help you become informed and reach your own conclusions.


Reprinted from the Carteret News Times

What do Democrats Think About Randy Ramsey? 

TO THE EDITOR:

"As a life-long Democrat, former county party chair, and a current member of the North Carolina Democratic Party State Executive Committee, I thank Randy Ramsey for his donations to Democratic candidates and to the North Carolina Democratic Party.

His donations over the years have helped elect many fine Democrats, and his support of Bev Perdue is almost legendary in Democrat circles.

It does my heart good to see that Republican as he is and that Democrat as I am we can still support the same candidates and programs.

It is no small wonder that at a fundraiser for Gov. Perdue on the Friday of the Seafood Festival last October, held at the Morehead City Country Club, that Gov. Perdue made a point to recognize him and thank him for all his help over the years.

At one time there were many local Republicans that helped Bev Perdue, but by the time of that fundraiser most of them had abandoned her, but not Randy. He was there like he had always been since her days in the NC Senate.

As for the $7,500 he gave to the North Carolina Democratic Party in 2008, it was a Godsend. It helped us elect five members of the Council of State, a lieutenant governor, and the first woman in the history of North Carolina to the office of governor.

2008 was a hard fought election, but with the generous support of people like Randy Ramsey we were even able to carry North Carolina for President Obama.

I thank him again for his generosity, and if he is elected I hope that he will show the same kindness to the Democrats in the state Senate that are now in the minority.

HUGH WILDE”


Sun Journal--Letter to the Editor:

Citing Gov. Bev Perdue’s widespread unpopularity, attorneys for Julia Leigh Sitton and Trawick “Buzzy” Stubbs — who played significant roles in Perdue’s 2008 campaign for governor — have filed motions asking for special treatment during the jury selection process in their upcoming trials. Since Ramsay has also played a significant role in Perdue’s campaign, when will he be indicted? Will he become the state senator and then sent off to jail? The real possibility of this should cause pause for all North Carolinians.

J. E. Parys, New Bern, NC


Jacksonville Daily News: Comparing records provides a clear view--Randy Ramsey's campaign is consistent if nothing else. While he accuses Norm Sanderson of mud-slinging, he has himself wielded a king-sized mud bucket. He gives vague, feel-good references to his intentions and preferences, but his record indicates otherwise. Norm Sanderson, on the other hand, has a record. On bills which had significant opposition, his record is: on delegate bills, he voted Republican 29 out of 32 times; on Senate bills, Republican 11 out of 12; on nine votes on vetoed bills, he voted all nine times to override.
MORE:  http://www.jdnews.com/articles/provides-103501-ramsey-randy.html

Jacksonville Daily News: Ramsey proving to be just what many think--If anyone had any doubt about Randy Ramsey's true political leanings, we have a clincher. We have seen more of the endless stream of slick mailers and now radio attack ads targeting Norm Sanderson. The strange thing is that these attacks only go to show that Ramsey is exactly what a number of us have been saying for weeks, that he is really a liberal just like the folks he has been supporting. The misinformation mailers say that Sanderson voted to implement Obama-care. Anyone who follows North Carolina politics knows this is pure bull as Sanderson co-sponsored the Health Care Freedom Act, which would have outlawed Obama-care in North Carolina. Unfortunately, Ramsey’s best political friend, Gov. Bev Perdue, vetoed it!
Continued:  http://www.jdnews.com/articles/ramsey-103259-proving-randy.html

Statewide News Journal Reports on Randy Ramsey's Suspicious Campaign Contributions

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From Rep. Norman Sanderson, Candidate for NC State Sentate District 2
Our Senate race is again drawing statewide media attention as today's Carolina Journal Online Edition featured a top story about one of my campaign opponents, Randy Ramsey, and his suspicious campaign contributions. Campaign reports show that, despite scrutiny over Ramsey's association with Bev Perdue, there are three contributors to his campaign that were involved in the Easley/Perdue campaign scandals. One of these contributors was McQueen Campbell's wife who used her maiden name to fly under the radar. Another contribution came from Wendell Murphy of Clinton, NC, a major hog farmer who was subpoenaed in the Mike Easley investigation and also appeared with Ramsey on the unreported flights list for Perdue.


Read the full text of the Carolina Journal Article here!

We must not let this type of corruption influence our Senate race.


Polls will be open on Tuesday, May 8 from 6:30am-7pm in your precinct. Make a statement with your vote that your Senate Seat is NOT FOR SALE.

Thanks Randy! A Letter to the Editor in Today's Carteret Times

Note:  CCTA is a non partisan organization.  We do not endorse any particular candidate or political party.  News items are presented for you the reader to help you become informed and reach your own conclusions.

May 6, 2012



A MESSAGE FROM NC HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE NORMAN SANDERSON

I NEED YOUR HELP NOW.

Desperate people resort to desperate measures, and there is no better example than my opponent's recent attacks on not just me but the entire North Carolina Republican Party.

By now you may have received a few of these outrageous mailers from my opponent, Randy Ramsey, saying I voted to implement Obamacare. Political distortion has reached a new low as he has misrepresented a bill designed to LIMIT the power of Obamacare, a bill that was supported by every Republican in the State House. Here are the facts:

The legislation referenced in Ramsey's flyer is House Bill 115 which was a bill that was a safeguard against the Federal Government having total control over Obamacare funding it if became law. There is the full title of that bill: An Act to Preserve State-Based Authority to Regulate the North Carolina Health Insurance Market and Prevent Federal Encroachment on State Authority by Establishing the North Carolina Benefit Exhchange. How can anyone interpret the words Preserve State-Based Authority and Prevent Federal Enchroachment and believe it supports Obamacare? A failure to act would have meant Washington, DC, not North Carolina, would have made all decisions regarding Obamacare. If the Supreme Court rules Obamacare unconstitutional, the bill is null and void.

House Bill 115 was supported by EVERY REPUBLICAN in the State House and even 18 Conservative Democrats. The only opposition came from the most liberal Democrats. Randy Ramsey has taken sides against the Republican Party and said he would have voted with the liberals. Anybody surprised?


The truth is on our side but we have one glaring obstacle to overcome: MONEY. Randy Ramsey is on pace to spend $250,000 in this primary. He has purchased over $100,000 worth of radio and TV this week alone. This type of money spreads his distorted message out to the masses and my campaign needs the money to answer.

As I send out this message, we are rushing to produce radio and television ads to respond to these outrageous claims. I ask you to respond immediately with your financial support so I can get my message out. I need you to respond NOW, as the inventory is limited due to other candidates buying ads. Time is of the essence. Please help me.

Click here to help us fight this attack!

Perdue Aircraft Provider Seeks GOP Senate Seat

More than 90 percent of Ramsey’s campaign donations went to Democrats
(Get out and vote in the Primary, don't let the Democrat Party have 2 Candidates running in the general election. ~ Lynn)
Carolina Journal News Reports

Mar. 29th, 2012

Top photo from Ramsey's website; bottom photo by Don Carrington



Businessman Randy Ramsey (top) is running as a Republican. He has been a long-time Democratic donor and is connected to at least four campaign flights for Gov. Bev Perdue.

RALEIGH — Carteret County businessman Randy Ramsey, who has made substantial campaign contributions to Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue, former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley, and the N.C. Democratic Party, is running in a three-way Republican primary for the 2nd District state Senate seat.

Ramsey is the owner of Jarrett Bay Boatworks, a boat-building company located in Beaufort. He is a registered Republican, but his past support for Democrats, which includes air travel for Perdue and a $2,000 contribution to her campaign in July, has outraged several Republican Party activists.

Before this year, he has given $3,750 to Republican candidates, but more than 10 times that amount to Democratic campaigns and to the state Democratic Party.

Ramsey told Carolina Journal that he gave to Democrats from eastern North Carolina and thought they would help his part of the state, but that he has “been disappointed” in them.

Moreover, either Ramsey or Jarrett Bay is connected with at least four flights provided to the 2008 Perdue campaign, based on records from an investigation by the State Board of Elections. Ramsey says he recalls providing two of the flights, but the records — provided by the Perdue committee — are spotty and incomplete, making it difficult to connect payments with specific flights.

Two former Perdue fundraisers face felony charges related to unreported or improperly reported flights during Perdue’s campaign for governor.

Air travel for Perdue

Perdue was elected governor in November 2008. Investigations and news reports later would reveal that she made extensive use of private aircraft for campaign and official business without paying the owners. Perdue has attributed the initial nonpayments to sloppy work by her campaign staff. A Perdue spokeswoman characterized the free flying for official business as “gifts to the state.”


Through an investigation by the Board of Elections, the public eventually learned that Perdue’s campaign had accepted dozens of free flights. After a hearing in August 2010, the board fined the Perdue committee $30,000.

A spreadsheet listing Perdue’s air travel from 2001 through 2008 became public information during the election board’s August 2010 hearing. That document listed a total of 243 flights, but the details of many of the flights were missing.

The records appear complete for a Sept. 26, 2008, flight in a Beechcraft King Air provided by Crystal Aviation. May 11, 2009, the Perdue campaign committee sent Jarrett Bay Boatworks Inc. a check for $629.34, listing it as a debt payment for air travel related to that flight.

Crystal Aviation is involved in airplane leasing, according to corporation records from the N.C. Secretary of State’s office. Randy Ramsey of Jarrett Bay Boatworks was listed as a managing member in 2004 and as a member in other years.

A Carolina Journal review of Perdue’s campaign reports could not match reimbursements for three other flights involving Crystal Aviation:

• A Feb. 21, 2008, flight listed as New Bern/Charlotte/Chapel Hill/ New Bern was attributed to Crystal Aviation Partnership and Trawick “Buzzy” Stubbs. No cost or payment information was listed. CJ could find no record of payment to Stubbs, Crystal Aviation, Jarrett Bay, or Ramsey.

Stubbs, a longtime friend of Perdue and the law partner of Perdue’s late first husband, recently pleaded not guilty to two felony charges related to the governor’s campaign funding. Stubbs was identified in the Board of Elections’ report on Perdue’s campaign flights as an architect of an “aircraft provider” program, along with Peter Reichard, the campaign’s former finance director. Reichard took a felony Alford plea in February in the state probe of the governor’s campaign.


• A May 4, 2008, flight listed as Beaufort/New Bern/Chapel Hill/Beaufort/New Bern also was attributed to Crystal Aviation and Buddy Stallings. The cost column reads, “cost sheet not completed.” CJ could find no record of payment to Stubbs, Crystal Aviation, Jarrett Bay, or Ramsey.

• A March 8, 2007, flight listed as New Bern/Chapel Hill/Charlotte/Chapel Hill/New Bern was attributed to Crystal Aviation and Buzzy Stubbs. Notes indicate the trip was part official business and part campaign. The total cost was listed as $1,260.60. CJ could find no record of payment to Stubbs, Crystal Aviation, Jarrett Bay, or Ramsey.

Ramsey told CJ the Perdue committee reimbursed him for two flights, but he didn’t remember the details. When asked who asked him to make his aircraft available to Perdue, he said, “I don’t remember — don’t know who asked.”

NCSU board appointment

In June 2009, Perdue appointed Ramsey to the N.C. State University Board of Trustees. Ramsey filled the vacancy left by board chairman D. McQueen Campbell, who resigned at the request of UNC System President Erskine Bowles.


At the time, Campbell was the subject of news stories and investigations involving free campaign-related flights he had provided to Gov. Mike Easley, for his role in helping Mary Easley obtain a job at N.C. State, and for helping the Easleys purchase a lot in the Cannonsgate development in Carteret County.

In November 2010, Mike Easley entered an Alford plea to a felony charge of failure to report campaign expenditures. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that the evidence against him may lead to conviction from a jury. Easley, the first North Carolina governor with a felony conviction, paid a $1,000 fine.

Party loyalty

The 2nd Senate District is made up of Carteret, Craven, and Pamlico Counties.

The other two candidates are current GOP state Rep. Norm Sanderson of Arapahoe and Pine Knoll Shores Mayor Ken Jones. Incumbent Republican Jean Preston decided not to seek another term.

Some local conservative and Republican activists can’t stomach Ramsey as a Republican candidate.

“Randy Ramsey has been a major player in liberal Democratic ‘pay-to-play’ politics and is not representative of the conservative values of the Tea Party, or what we expect of the Republican Party,” wrote Ken Lang of Stella on the Crystal Coast Tea Party’s website.

CONTINUED:  http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=8915