BRUNSWICK — Republican incumbents are vastly outraising Democratic challengers in Brunswick County ahead of the 2024 election.
READ MORE: Democratic DA candidate in New Hanover County has raised 10 times as much as competitor
ALSO: Brunswick residents argue planning board has too much authority
Sen. Bill Rabon is the top fundraiser among Brunswick County candidates with $444,426, far more than the $1,620 raised by his Democratic challenger Katherine Randall.
Rabon was elected in 2011 and described himself as one of the five most powerful members of the North Carolina Senate a decade ago. He is the chair of the Senate Rules and Operations Committee — an influential position over which bills move forward in the General Assembly — and the Finance Committee.
Rabon is also a member of the Appropriations on Department of Transportation and Transportation committees. He received $12,200 from Carolina Asphalt Association Inc Pac, $6,400 from the NC Automobile Dealers Association, $6,400 from Old Dominion executive Matthew Penley, and $12,200 from former Cardinal International Trucks CEO John Alexander. Alexander is a director of Raleigh-based First Citizen Bancshares, one of the largest banks in the country.
The senator brought in $6,400 donations from political action committees including Duke Energy, the North Carolina Hospital Association, the North Carolina Healthcare Facilities Association, Blue Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the North Carolina Realtors Association. Notable corporate donors include $5,000 from Wells Fargo, $3,000 from Pfizer, $3,000 from FinTech firm Rock Holdings Inc, $2,500 from Truist, $2,500 from Carolinas Capital Club, $1,000 from International Paper, and $1,000 from NC Bank PAC.
McGuireWoods — an international law and lobbying firm with 13 North Carolina lobbyists — donated $6,400 to Rabon’s 2024 bid. Partners Harry Kaplan and April Neumann are lobbyists for the City of Wilmington as well as healthcare, charter school, and finance organizations. The senator also received $2,000 from attorney Lisa Ballantine, the wife of Wilmington-based lobbyist and former Senate minority leader Patrick Ballantine.
Rabon, a veterinarian, received $6,400 from the North Carolina Veterinary Association PAC. Rabon has influenced the state’s animal treatment regulations, including blocking a 2014 commercial dog breeding bill he thought could be interpreted to apply to the state’s livestock industry.
The senator also owns real estate firm JBF Investments LLC, with properties throughout the county. Development firms donated large sums to Rabon’s 2024 campaign, including $18,800 from Cape Fear Commercial partners, $12,200 from the North Carolina Home Builders Association, and $7,400 contributions from Zimmer Development and Cameron Management executives.
Rabon’s challenger Katherine Randall is an associate director of nonprofit Church World Service. She raised $1,620 according to her most recent report, including $750 from the North Carolina Democratic Party, $500 from the Brunswick Democratic Party, $50 from retired Brunswick teacher William Flythe, and $50 from Palladium Health policy director Carol Miller.
Rep. Charles Miller (R-Brunswick) has served District 19, which also includes part of New Hanover County, since 2021. He raised $105,825, the second-highest sum among Brunswick County General Assembly contests.
Miller is the executive vice president of Jacksonville-based equipment firm Campus Safety Products. He is chair of the House Appropriations, Justice, and Public Safety Committee and vice chair of the Energy and Public Utilities Committee.
The representative’s top donors include $5,600 from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, $5,000 from Duke Energy, $5,000 from Carolina Beach planning board member and entrepreneur Jeff Hogan, $4,000 from the North Carolina Realtors Association, and $3,200 from NAI Carolantic Realty chair E. Stephen Stroud.
Wilmington-based Southland Amusements owner Bobby Huckabee — who gave $12,200 to Rabon for the 2024 election and large contributions to other local officials — donated $2,500 to Miller’s campaign.
Miller’s Democratic opponent Jill Brown, a partner at Cape Fear Alchemy, has raised $16,463. She received $1,000 from Caswell Beach-based environmentalist Judith Droitcour, $650 from the Brunswick County Democratic Party, $600 from Burgaw musician Mark Weathers, and $500 from Brunswick Democratic Party chair Shelley Allen.
Rep. Frank Iler (R-Brunswick) has raised $38,945 to maintain his District 17 seat. Iler was elected in 2009 and is chair of the House Environment, Homeowners Association, and Transportation committees.
Notable donations include $8,400 from realtor Debbie Sloan, $4,000 from real estate investor Barron Thomas Young, $3,000 from the North Carolina Realtors Association, $2,500 from Carolinas Asphalt Association, $2,000 from Calabash-based developer Dean Clark Spatholt, $2,000 from Brunswick Senior Resources Inc. board member Myong Jensen, and $1,000 from the American Council of Engineering Companies NC.
His Democrat challenger Charles Jones, a former officer with the Wilmington Police Department who works for the International Longshoreman Association, has raised $2,569. Top donors include $500 from NC resident Linda Daniels and $300 from former teacher William Flythe.
Commissioners
Commissioner Frank Williams has raised $109,371 for his District 5 reelection campaign, significantly more than other candidates. He was elected in 2012 and represents Brunswick County as a member of the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and as chair of the Cape Fear Rural Planning Organization.
Williams’ top donors include a cumulative $10,000 from Cape Fear Engineering partners and $6,500 from CaptiveAire Systems owner Robert Luddy. Luddy is the founder of North Carolina-based charter schools Franklin Academy and Thales Academy.
The incumbent received significant contributions from prominent local developers, including $3,000 from Bobby Harrelson, $2,500 from Logan Homes vice president D Logan II, $2,000 from Greenfield Communities owner Yang Song, and $2,000 from Nai Tri Properties executive vice president Steven Stroud.
Williams is the president of public relations firm Pioneer Strategies and co-founder of promotional products dealership Pioneer Specialties. Republican candidates in North Carolina have paid for the firms’ services, including former governor Pat McCrory. Williams’ campaign paid his firms significant amounts for the 2024 election, including $9,250 to Pioneer Specialties for yard signs, campaign shirts, and other apparel and spent $1,739 to Pioneer Strategies for services including email marketing.
Williams’ campaign also paid Raleigh-based JP Campaign Consulting $2,683 for accounting services and spent $14,000 for advertisements with Washington D.C. firm Persuasion Perfected LLC.
Williams’ Democratic challenger Jonathan D’Amico has raised $2,534. Notable donors include $500 from nonprofit Paws-Ability president Anitia August, $500 from the Brunswick Democratic Party, and $350 from Shelley Allen.
Commissioner Mike Forte is the second-highest fundraiser in the race at $59,464. Top donors include $10,000 from Cape Fear Engineering partners, $6,400 from Logan Homes president D. Logan, $5,000 from developer Andrew Sandman, $5,000 from Benjy Hardee of A.O. Hardee and Son Inc, $5,000 from Osha Ridge Plantation builder Becky King, and $5,000 from Coterra Company realtor Donna Cote.
Former planning board member Tom Simmons is Forte’s Democratic competitor. He’s raised $3,272, including $1,000 from Judith Droitcour, $816 from the Brunswick Democratic party and $500 from Anita August.
Commissioner Pat Sykes has raised $53,560 to hold her seat. Her top donors include $5,100 from Medaci Wellness Institute owner Todd Hughes, $5,000 from Dewitt Carolinas chief operating officer Steven Saieed, $4,000 from Cape Fear Engineering, $3,000 from Compass Pointe and Ashton Farms developer Bobby Harrelson, and $3,000 from Whiteville Rentals owner Kenneth Thomas.
Independent candidate Bob Fulton — who raised concerns about excessive campaign contributions from developers in a March interview with Port City Daily — has raised $6,009 for the 2024 election. He’s donated $1,359 to his campaign and received $1,000 from Southport resident Dick Geiger, $500 from Anitia August, $250 from Southport resident Carol Chatham
School board
Brunswick County school board chair Steven Barger is the only school board member who will face a challenger in the general election; he’s raised $12,754 for the contest.
His top contributions include $7,000 in cumulative donations from Cape Fear Engineering, $500 from HCO Innovations owner Michael Bumarch, and realtor Dwayne Redman.
Brunswick EMS procurement and logistics coordinator Nicholas Todd donated $590 to the chair’s 2024 bid. Barger’s campaign also paid Todd’s firm Birchwood Lane Consulting $2,310 for consulting services.Todd’s company has earned large sums from Brunswick County campaigns in recent years, including $53,327 from Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow in 2020.
Barger’s Democratic challenger Janis Simmons, a former Brunswick teacher, raised $1,909 for the 2024 election. Most of her contributors are small donors, but she received $500 donations from the Brunswick Democratic Party and Anita August.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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