'Pastor' pesters in e-mail
By KRISTIN COLLINS
One big question surfaced Thursday in the heated Fifth Congressional District race: Who is Pastor Randy? The "pastor" is the fictitious signer of an e-mail hoax targeting Republican candidate Nathan Tabor, a Kenansville millionaire who has built his campaign on the support of local clergy. The message, which went out to hundreds of people, appears at first to be from a supporter of Tabor, who is one of about a half-dozen Republicans who want to succeed U.S. Rep. Richard Burr in a district that stretches from Winston-Salem to the Tennessee line.
"Dear Fellow Christian Prayer Warrior," it begins. "Nathan Tabor desperately needs your intercessory prayers today."
The message refers to a court date for a crime that is never explained but appears serious.
"Please pray that it be God's will that Nathan will not have to spend one second behind bars," the e-mail message reads. "He is barely more than a child himself."
The truth about Tabor's legal trouble is that he was charged in Wilkes County in November with speeding and having an expired driver license. His court date was Thursday, and he was in no danger of going to prison.
The e-mail message also refers to a vandalism charge in Scotland County and a Florida lawsuit against Tabor, 30. After mentioning each allegation, the writer beseeches, "Pray, brothers, pray."
Campaign spokesman Jason Saine said both of those things are true but not as scandalous as "Pastor Randy" makes them seem.
As a 19-year-old college student, Tabor was charged with vandalism because he destroyed a farmer's wheat crop while four-wheeling in his field. Tabor paid the farmer damages, and the charge was dropped, Saine said.
And as vice president of his family company, Tabor was sued by an electronic marketing company over a contract dispute. Saine said Tabor hired the company to do marketing for his product, then canceled the contract after he found out the company also marketed pornography.
The e-mail message also insinuates more serious crimes, says that Tabor's campaign is sputtering and makes a few personal jabs.
The writer mentions that Tabor has a 21-year-old wife who is "too young to live on her own while her husband is in prison." It also refers to Tabor, whose family company makes soy supplements for menopausal women, as the "soyboy playboy."
"This is the most asinine thing I have ever seen," said Saine, who spent Thursday fielding calls about the e-mail message. "In a way it's funny. But it's also offensive because it insults people of faith."
Saine said he is working with Yahoo to track down the sender of the message. He said it most likely came from supporters of Vernon Robinson, another Republican running for the seat who is vying with Tabor for the support of Christian conservatives.
Robinson's campaign released a statement Thursday saying, "No one in this campaign is or knows Pastor Randy ... If Nathan Tabor has a complaint about all of this information coming to light, he has no one but himself to blame for his past behavior. It looks like Pastor Randy is simply trying to help him out."