Politics

Ousting incumbent, 11th District Republicans elect Merry Guy as chair

Merry Guy

By Bill Moss, Published: April 25, 2025

WAYNESVILLE — Delegates elected Merry Guy as chair of the 11th Congressional District Committee on Saturday, ousting two-term incumbent Michele Woodhouse in a race that pitted two party activists from Henderson County against one another.

A past chair of the Henderson County GOP, Guy takes the reins as party leaders look build a strong ground game in the crucial mid-term elections next year, when control of the U.S. House hangs in the balance and incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis is expected to be a major target for a Democratic flip.

"Don't make President Trump a lame duck in his last two years," U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards warned in keynote remarks.

Woodhouse said in an interview Friday that she was standing for re-election because many current and former county chairs had asked her to.

"I’m running because people saw what we did and they want our leadership to continue,” she said.

Guy told the Lightning that her experience as Henderson County chair would frame her leadership of the 16-county congressional district.

“All election action takes place at the county level and having been a county chair I understand what it takes to actually run a county party," she said.

In a Facetime Live post from the campus of Tuscola High School, the site of the convention, delegates Kathy Maney of Hoopers Creek and Bill Robinson of Buncombe County said Henderson County, which had the largest voting bloc, was critical in the outcome. When the 431 to 349 result was announced, "The place exploded," Robinson said. "Henderson County went wild."

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Two veteran party activists, both women and both from Henderson County, will be vying for the chairmanship of the Republican 11th Congressional District Committee during its annual convention at Tuscola High School in Waynesville on Saturday. Doors open at 8 a.m.

Merry Guy, a past Henderson County Republican Party chair, is challenging two-term incumbent Michele Woodhouse for the leadership role.
“I’m running because I see a need and I believe I can make a difference,” Guy said. “It’s actually the role of the district chair to take care of the county chairs. Having been a county chair is why I believe I’m most qualified to do that job.”
Woodhouse said she’s running for re-election “because people have asked me and really demanded that I run.” She touted endorsements by the Republican state auditor and state treasurer, 2024 lieutenant governor candidate Hal Weatherman, 2024 state schools superintendent candidate Michelle Morrow and “16-plus current and former county chairs."
Over the next two years, she said, the Republican Party in Western North Carolina needs to recruit, campaign for and elect Republican candidates from city hall to Congress.
“Some (counties) have municipal elections in 2025 where we either need to get Republicans re-elected or get Republicans elected in some key municipal spots,” Woodhouse said. “We have a couple of mayoral seats. Obviously our focus for 2026 is to reelect Congressman Edwards by an even larger margin. We’ve got to deliver the N.C. 11th for the Republican Senate candidate, and then a key focus is going to be the General Assembly races.”
Guy said she’s prepared to sit down with party leaders across the district to draw “a road map for success” for upcoming campaigns.
“Many counties in this districts are doing extremely well,” she said. “We would stay out of their way but leverage what they’re doing right.”
The 11th District convention will also take nominations from the floor for chair.

In addition to the leadership election, the convention is expected to take up six resolutions, including one endorsing a complete ban on abortion and one on “medical freedom” that “condemns post-Covid medical totalitarianism, including mask mandates, lockdowns and vaccine mandates.”

Convention attendees also will honor Hurricane Helene heroes from across the 11th Congressional District and hear from U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards and other speakers.