None of the six legislative candidates affiliated with NC Educators on the Ballot notched a win in this week’s primary election.
That wasn’t exactly surprising, given that the candidates—all of whom registered as Republicans in the past year—chose to challenge some of the most entrenched Republicans in the state House.
They hoped their candidacy would bring more robust debate about education policy into the GOP.
But that didn’t exactly happen, either.
In January, NCGOP Chair Jason Simmons condemned the six current or retired educators as “counterfeit candidates” on the grounds that they “opposed President Trump’s immigration policy, school choice, tax reform, and do not align with the North Carolina Republican Party platform.” Some county parties followed up with resolutions denying the candidates “recognition, endorsement and utilization of party resources.”
As a result, some NC Educators on the Ballot candidates got kicked out of party events, said Lisa Deaton Koperski, who ran against House Speaker Pro Tempore Mitchell Setzer, now in his 27th year as a legislator.
Koperski, a retired career development coordinator for Lincoln County schools, said the Catawba County Republican Party, which is also part of the district, “started attacking me as soon as I filed.”
“They did not take the time to do their homework” and find out that she supported Republicans throughout the period she was registered as unaffiliated, Koperski said. (Neither Setzer nor the county GOP chair, Ben Devine, responded to interview requests from The Assembly.)
Koperski said she tried to reschedule a “vetting” session party leaders wanted to hold December 22 but never heard from them again. Local GOP groups echoed Simmons’ language in Facebook posts warning voters about her. And the county GOP’s resolution disavowing her made it clear she was unwelcome at their events.
Without many in-person opportunities to share her views, Koperski turned to Facebook, where she highlighted an endorsement from her aunt, former GOP Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry. She also advocated against further lowering the state income tax, saying it would lead to cuts to education, health care, and infrastructure.
In the end, Koperski got 14% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Pointing to Setzer’s 27 years in office and tens of thousands of dollars in donations, Koperski said, “I take it as a win that I got 14%.” She says she would run for office again, but start earlier.
Christopher Wilson, a Polk County middle school band director who challenged Rep. Jennifer Balkcom, got the highest share of the vote of any of the NC Educators on the Ballot candidates, with 24%.
Michele Joyner-Dinwiddie, who challenged Rep. Mike Schietzelt, got 9%.
Kelly VanHorn received 15% in her run against Rep. Tricia Cotham, the Democrat-turned-Republican who co-chairs the House’s Education Committee.
Pamela Zanni, who challenged Rep. Larry Potts, received 17%.
One other party-switcher who was not part of the educators group, Kate Barr, lost in the 14th Congressional District Republican primary to U.S. Rep. Tim Moore. Barr, who had said publicly that she wasn’t really a Republican, got 17% of the vote.