Free Republic

Former House Speaker Richard Morgan was defeated Tuesday night in a primary in Moore County that was part of a deep schism that has wracked House Republicans in recent years.Political newcomer Joe Boylan, who owns three hair salons, defeated Morgan with 52 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Morgan had 48 percent.Morgan, a 53-year-old insurance agent and cattle rancher, has been a lightening rod in Republican circles since 2003, when he formed a power-sharing arrangement with Democratic House Speaker Jim Black. The move came when the House was deadlocked 60/60 between Democrats and Republicans.The move resulted in an...

Former House Co-Speaker Richard Morgan on Wednesday took legal steps to shut down the independent political campaign being waged against him and like-minded Republicans by his GOP rivals.Morgan, a state House member from Moore County, formally asked for an investigation by the State Board of Elections into whether several groups with strong ties to former state Rep. Art Pope, a Raleigh retail executive, were using illegal corporate contributions to help defeat Morgan and his allies."I see that my colleagues and I are attacked unfairly through the use of corporate dollars that for a long time have been illegal in North...

RALEIGH – In the past couple of weeks, leaders of the North Carolina legislature have faced severe criticism from fellow lawmakers, think tankers, and the news media for their questionable handling of so-called “discretionary funds” within state government. For the most part, the leaders’ response has been surprisingly – and often quite disastrously – defiant. Asked about his role in a secret scheme to fund local projects requested by select legislators, and in one case to fund a state job for a former legislator instrumental in delivering him the reins of power in Raleigh, House Speaker Jim Black dismissed his...

Richard Morgan Falsely Blames Republican Party for 2004 Election Losses Morgan Proclaims Himself Great Leader Despite Giving Control of NC House to Democrats Richard Morgan recently sent out a letter and statement trying to defend his coalition with the Democrats and blame the "NCGOP Establishment," and critics such as myself, for the Republicans not winning a majority of the House seats this year. One would assume from Morgan's statement that he tried as hard as he could to elect a Republican majority to control the NC House.

A federal report showing that a political committee controlled by allies of House Republican Co-Speaker Richard Morgan got $100,000 from a small tobacco company in Virginia has Morgan's rivals raising questions about the donation. The N.C. Republican Main Street Committee, a so-called "527" independent committee controlled by Morgan's closest allies, reported to the Internal Revenue Service this week that it has raised $160,200. The committee has run campaign ads on behalf of Morgan's legislative supporters. But more than half the committee's money - $100,000 - came in a single donation on April 29 from S&M Brands Inc. of Keysville, Va.

GREENSBORO -- North Carolina GOP leaders moved Friday to strip the highest-profile Republican in state government -- House co-Speaker Richard Morgan -- of his party leadership post, saying he was "culpable of disloyalty." In a closed meeting that participants said was filled with angry speeches, the state GOP's 45-member Central Committee recommended overwhelmingly that Morgan be excluded from party leadership -- the political equivalent of a papal excommunication. The 500-member Executive Committee is expected to ratify the decision when it meets Sunday. "I think it sends a strong signal that Republicans in this state are going to stand up for...

The state Republican chairman has issued a statement questioning Rep. Richard Morgan’s “new face” and criticizing him for a legislative redistricting plan drawn up under his watch as co-speaker of the N.C. House. But Morgan, R-Moore, dismisses the faultfinding as “a light scolding” and says the chairman is being urged on by lawyers in the background. The comments by Ferrell Blount, head of the state Republican Party, were contained in a news release issued on the North Carolina Republican Party letterhead. Blount wrote that the state party “has been clear and unequivocal in its position regarding the redistricting controversy.” He...