Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Although GOP leaders in Raleigh have been silent on the cyberstalking charge against state Rep. Cody Henson, two local Republicans named Johnson say they’re eyeing the seat if Henson quits.Henson has been accused of cyberstalking and the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether he committed a crime against his estranged wife, Kelsey Henson, Carolina Public Press reported. Last week, after the media reported the criminal summons, the N.C. Democratic Party, Democratic Women of North Carolina and a House Democratic leader called on Henson to resign.“Now that a judge has seen fit, after a hearing on the merits, to grant a permanent restraining order against Rep. Henson, there has been a finding of domestic violence on his part,” House Democratic Whip Rep. Deb Butler said. “There is no place for domestic violence in our society, particularly on the part of an elected official who purports to be a role model for our youth. In my opinion, he should resign.”At the Henderson County Republican Party Convention on Saturday, a Polk County commissioner said he’d look at running if Henson resigns while another Republican declined to rule out a primary challenge if Henson stays.“Let’s just say testing the water,” said Gene Johnson, a 57-year-old attorney who practices in Henderson and Buncombe counties and lives in Polk. “I’m more interested to see what happens with Rep. Henson. I’m not going to step on his toes. I’m just waiting to see what happens. … At this point I’m not ready to say” whether he would challenge Henson in a primary.Jake Johnson, the 24-year-old chairman of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, plans to announce a campaign for Secretary of State. That could change, he said, if Henson’s seat becomes vacant.“I’m getting a lot of calls on it,” said Johnson, who was elected in 2016. “If the seat came open it would be something I would consider.”Last month a judge granted Kelsey Henson a yearlong restraining order against Henson after she filed a complaint that he “will not quit ‘texting’ the plaintiff at all hours of the day.”Henson has declined to comment on the cyberstalking charge, saying it’s a family member he hopes to resolve privately. “Rep. Henson looks forward to addressing this allegation in due course through our judicial system and will not attempt to litigate the matter through the media,” Henson’s attorney, Michael Edney, said in a statement. “Cody will continue to focus his love and energy on his two beautiful children and will continue to represent the people of District 113.”
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Carolina Public Press contributed reporting. Read Story »
Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics
RALEIGH — Glancing over a House calendar, Chuck McGrady pronounced the taking of the annual members’ photo — “it’s always like herding cats” —the most challenging part of the afternoon floor session.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
State Rep. Cody Henson has received a copy of the criminal summons filed by the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, his attorney J. Michael Edney told Carolina Public Press late Thursday.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Patsy Keever, a retired schoolteacher, former Buncombe County Commissioner and one-term state House member, announced on Thursday that she is running for the 48th N.C. Senate District, setting up a primary next March for the Democratic nomination.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Amy Brantley, assistant county manager for Henderson County, has been honored as assistant county manager of the year in North Carolina. The N.C. City and County Management Association presented the award to Brantley during its annual convention on Feb. 7 in Winston-Salem.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
State Sen. Chuck Edwards joined three other senators on Tuesday to announce a proposal that they said would allow small businesses to cover employees at a lower cost.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Mills River Councilman Brian Caskey announced on Monday that he is running for North Carolina’s 48th Senate District, challenging Republican Chuck Edwards.
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North Carolina Four Seasons Politics
State Rep. Cody Henson, R-Transylvania, was served with a domestic violence protection order late last month, records from the Transylvania County Courthouse show.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows continues to enjoy broad influence with President Trump despite being passed over for the White House chief of staff job, Politico reports.
In a story under the headline "Mark Meadows, Trump whisperer," the website describes Meadows as the president's "go-to guy," a close ally who talks on the phone frequently with Trump and serves to enforce the conservative hard-line positions that the Freedom Caucus stands for. Meadows and Trump speak several times a day on some days and sometimes for an hour.
"The result is that a three-term congressman little known outside the Beltway has earned an outsized influence on shaping the direction of the Trump administration — and the country," the report said. "Meadows has the president’s ear on any number of topics, from immigration and border security to criminal justice and international affairs. And he’s used that access to push Trump toward stances aligned with the rapidly ascendant House Freedom Caucus, the hard-line conservative and libertarian caucus founded in 2015 that Meadows chairs.
"In other words, Meadows — who many people, even those in D.C., probably couldn’t pick out of a lineup — might be one of the country’s most powerful lawmakers."
The story traces Meadows' close relationship with Trump to the presidential campaign when Meadows, one of the first members of Congress to endorse him, became "the de facto chairman of Trump’s operation in North Carolina." While other congressional leaders were putting distance between themselves and Trump when the Access Hollywood tape broke, Meadows and his wife, Debbie, sprang to his defense.
“Debbie was on a bus with Christian women on Billy Bush Saturday, which was basically the acid test for hardcore Trump supporters," a Trump campaign official told Politico. "She and Mark were at the barricades with us.”
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