NC-11: Politico’s Ally Mutnick reports that a mysterious text message recently went out to GOP voters in this Appalachian North Carolina seat that featured 45 seconds of audio where businesswoman Lynda Bennett, who has the endorsement of retiring Rep. Mark Meadows in the March 3 primary, appeared to be trashing Donald Trump.
Listeners heard a woman, who is identified in the message as Bennett, saying, “I’m never Trump. So now what?” and continuing, “What are you going to do? Going to ask me to get out there and help Trump get elected?” The audio finishes with her asking, “And you want me to help organize 100 people to come and work the polls to get Trump elected when I am not for him? I am against him—never Trump!”
Both Bennett and Meadows argued that this audio was edited to hurt the candidate when she was hardly a #NeverTrumper. Instead, they say that, while that was Bennett’s voice, she was actually roleplaying a Republican opposed to Trump at a Haywood County GOP meeting when this was recorded in the fall of 2016. (Note: Never play “Dungeons & Dragons: Donald Trump Edition.”)
Bennett herself told Mutnick that she was trying to convince reluctant Republicans at the gathering to include Trump’s name on party literature along with other candidates, and she insisted, “I'm saying, ‘This is what I've been hearing,’ and then I mimic the 'Never Trumpers.”
Party activist Monroe Miller, who has frequently opposed Haywood County GOP leaders, confirmed that he recorded the audio and posted unedited portions to his website recently. However, while Miller he said that he believed Bennett was actually sharing her real anti-Trump views rather than doing some roleplaying, he denied that he was behind the text message that went out to voters. In fact, no one else seems to know who the culprit was, though in a race with over a dozen candidates, there are plenty of people who could benefit from taking down Bennett.
Meadows himself endorsed Bennett two days after the texts went out, and his support could help her stand out next month. However, plenty of Republicans suspect that the congressman has been pulling for Bennett for a while behind the scenes.
Meadows notably announced his departure in December one day before the filing deadline and after it was too late for anyone running for another office to switch to this race: That decision came as a shock to everyone except for maybe Bennett, who set up a Facebook campaign page five hours before the congressman broke his own news. However, both Meadows and Bennett have denied that he timed his announcement to aid her.
Meadows also recently starred in a TV spot by House Freedom Action, which is the campaign arm of the Freedom Caucus. Meadows, who used to lead the Freedom Caucus, tells the audience, “I've known Linda for years. She's a devout Christian, pro-life, and a defender of the Second Amendment.” He continues, “A lot of people go to Washington D.C. and change, and that just won't happen to Linda.”
Bennett herself is also out with an ad that features her standing in a living room with a herd of CGI elephants meant to represent the other primary candidates in what could pass for a clip from a very terrible sequel to “Dumbo.” (“Dumbo 2: 2 Fast, 2 Freedom Caucus.”)
Bennett informs the audience that she’s the only candidate in the crowded field that’s ready to work with Trump pass his agenda. She also informs the audience she’s the one candidate backed by Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Meadows. As a rhinoceros walks across the screen, Bennett points at the elephants and declares that “in D.C., this boy’s club will become RINOS, but I never will.”
North Carolina requires candidates to take at least 30% of the vote in order to win the primary outright, which is going to be a very difficult task for anyone to pull off in a contest this large. If no one takes that much support, the runner-up has the option to request a runoff that would take place on May 12. That could mean we’re in for an additional two months of strange text messages and CGI animals in this 57-40 Trump seat.