NC candidate apologizes to primary opponent for ‘offensive’ campaign video
A Democratic candidate for insurance commissioner apologized to his primary-election opponent, Sen. Natasha Marcus, after his campaign released a video questioning her loyalty to the party and criticizing her New York roots.
The video posted by Democratic activist David Wheeler, known for starting a PAC to oust former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, begins with a clip of Marcus saying that her father was an elected Republican.
It goes on to say “(Have) North Carolina Democrats learned anything since Tricia Cotham stabbed us in the back?”
Cotham, who like Marcus is a state lawmaker from Mecklenburg County, switched parties this spring, giving Republicans a supermajority in the legislature.
“David grew up in a rural town and doesn’t have New York roots or New York money,” the video, posted on Tuesday evening, goes on to say. “He’s not even close to being rich.”
On Thursday, Wheeler tweeted a screenshot of an email apology he sent to Marcus, in which he said that a volunteer staffer created the video.
“I saw it but coming out of a 2 day flu and Robitussin induced stupor, I didn’t get the gist of what was posted,” he said in the email. “That is on me, not the staffer. Regardless, we took it down and going forward the marching orders are to keep our campaign positive.”
Wheeler went on to ask her if she would be willing to participate in a debate.
“I appreciate that Mr. Wheeler apologized and removed the offensive video,” Marcus said in a statement to The News & Observer on Thursday. “I remain focused on my campaign against the incumbent, Mike Causey.”
Chaotic insurance commissioner race
For a position that rarely garners much public attention, the race for insurance commissioner has gotten off to a chaotic start.
Until this week, Wheeler was the only Democratic candidate for commissioner.
Then, on Monday, Marcus, a three-term state senator, officially joined the race after being redistricted into a heavily Republican Senate district, making her reelection prospects near impossible.
In a now-deleted Tweet, Wheeler announced that he would leave the race to clear the path for Marcus.
On Tuesday, however, Wheeler retracted his withdrawal, saying in a statement “My decision to run was made in consultation with many folks in Raleigh, Charlotte, out west and down east. My decision to run was not because I didn’t have anything else to do or I got redistricted out of my legislative seat.”
With only one day left in candidate filing, Marcus and Wheeler may be the only Democrats in the race.
Causey, a Republican who has been commissioner since 2017, has himself drawn controversy in recent months after he fired top fire safety officials in connection with a political fight against fellow Republicans in the legislature. Last month, Causey reinstated the dismissed employees, saying that new legislation forced him to bring them back on.
A November N&O investigation revealed a pattern of hires with political and personal ties under Causey’s leadership at the Department of Insurance.
