State and local Republicans shared allegations that one voter received text messages offering cash from three Democratic candidates in the Wilmington city council race in exchange for votes. The authenticity of the text messages has not been independently verified and, to date, no other voters in the area have come forward with similar claims.
North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons made the announcement on Friday morning, calling it "troubling" and "an affront to our shared values." GOP officials said the complaint, which had been sent directly to the state party, had been handed off to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE). In a statement on X, Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek said his office would provide any resources necessary for an investigation.
NCSBE confirmed it was aware of the allegations and commented on the seriousness of the claim.
'We are aware of the complaints about text messages in New Hanover County, but we cannot comment on specific investigations," an NCSBE wrote in an email, declining to offer a timeline for an investigation into allegations in Wilmington.
"We take all allegations of voter fraud very seriously," the spokesperson also wrote, adding that state law makes trying to buy or sell a vote a Class I felony and also that it's illegal under federal law, with punishments including fines and up to two years in prison.
Based on redacted texts shared by the GOP, someone contacted a voter, allegedly after meeting them at a recent No Kings rally. In the available texts, whoever sent the messages did not identify themselves, nor did they claim to be affiliated with the Democratic Party or any of the candidates. There are four Democratic candidates running for Wilmington City Council, but because of the redactions, it's not clear which three were mentioned in the texts.
In a statement, a representative of Indivisible Wilmington wrote that "rumors that Indivisible Wilmington endorsed a candidate - and more absurdly, that a small grassroots organization entirely powered by volunteers would facilitate paying voters — are false."
Several of the Democratic candidates have already issued statements saying they had no knowledge or involvement with the texts, including J.C. Lyle and Cassidy Santaguida, who issued a statement.
"On the afternoon of Tuesday, October 28th, I was approached at the Senior Resource Center Early Voting site by NHCGOP volunteer Reuel Sample, who showed me a text message from the NHCGOP Chair about an alleged illegal cash-for-votes scheme. I have not seen any evidence to verify the truth of this message, but I alerted the [New Hanover County Democratic Party] Chair of this accusation on Tuesday afternoon and have no further knowledge about it," Santaguida wrote in an email, adding that she trusted law enforcement and NCSBE to "investigate the legitimacy of these allegations."
The local Democratic party said it supported prosecution for anyone trying to buy votes — but accused the GOP of sensationalizing and fearmongering.
In a statement, party chair Jill Hopman wrote, "one well-known local MAGA activist received a text message from an anonymous untraceable number not affiliated with any candidate or party, with nothing to suggest it’s indicative of a widespread scheme."
Hopman suggeted that, "instead of waiting for the NC Board of Elections to investigate this farce, the NCGOP is trying to turn this into a sensationalized circus to change the subject from their Communications Director being caught threatening journalists with retaliation yesterday," a reference to NCGOP communication director Matt Mercer's comments to ProPublica, pushing the investigative journalism outlet to drop a profile on Republican North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby.
Mercer declined to comment on Hopman's statement.
The NHCDP statement also claimed doubt had been cast on the truthworthiness of the complainant by New Hanover County GOP Chairman John Hinnant.
"The NHCGOP Chair already admitted in writing that he knows exactly who filed this dubious complaint, a 'Trump 47' volunteer who he 'trusts as far as [he] can throw,'" Hopman wrote.
Hinnant dismissed the complainant being a "MAGA activist."
"Define activists. The person allegedly was at the No Kings rally and gave their number to someone. If they were MAGA, I'm sure it would have shown up on social media. To be recognized as a Trump Force 47 volunteer, one had to knock on a bunch of doors, phone bank and other activities. The complainant has not knocked a single door on behalf of the GOP or a candidate this election. I don't recall them knocking doors last year either, but I may have missed it. I don't have access to the dataset," Hinnant wrote in an email.
Asked about the claim that he didn't trust the complainant, Hinnat wrote, "The complainant has campaigned against our candidates, including this city council election," but didn't deny having written what the NHCDP statement claimed.
Hinnant reiterated that the local party took the issue seriously, and emphasized that no allegations had been made against any candidate or the Democratic Party.
"I'm surprised by my counterpart's attitude. As an officer of the court, she should be interested in getting to the bottom of this. If it is a hoax, we (the GOP) will absolutely look for a prosecution if applicable. If it's legit, the same thing. Someone texted this person an offer for $300 compensation. That should be a concern for everybody and it should be investigated. It was submitted directly to the NCGOP by the person who received the offer. Nobody has alleged any wrongdoing by any candidate or party. That's why there are redactions. Candidates were named in the text message. This must be treated seriously regardless of who submitted the complaint," Hinnant wrote.
Meanwhile, at least one Republican candidate for Wilmington City Council has already weighed in as well.
In a statement, incumbent Luke Waddell noted the seriousness of the allegations, calling for a thorough investigation and prosecution of any guilty parties. He also noted that he had retained legal counsel "to closely monitor this situation, and my campaign will aggressively pursue all legal remedies if evidence is found to support these claims."
