Pantano hosts friends and supporters at Riverfest event on banks of the Cape Fear

PANTANO FAITHFUL CHEER ON THEIR FAVORITE IN NC/7 CONGRESSIONAL RACE

Conservative GOP congressional candidate Ilario Pantano with guests

By Verne Strickland / October 9, 2012

 The invitation read: 

Come out to Mike McCarley's beautiful riverside garden in Historic Downtown Wilmington to view the Invasion of the Pirates Flotilla and Fireworks on the Saturday night of Riverfest and get 'fired' up for Pantano for Congress.


The event lived up to its billing -- and then some. An estimated 125 guests turned up to cheer on their hero and favorite in what is certain to be a long and arduous struggle for the Seventh District seat in Congress -- a contest that won't be settled until November 2012.

Pantano led the group in prayer, then launched into a patriotic stump speech that pounced on liberal Democrats far and wide, promising that GOP stalwarts in North Carolina would be in the front ranks to rout them from their cushy incumbent lethargy.

A pulse-quickening display of fireworks flared brilliant against the night sky. The "Pirate Flotilla" arrived to the thunder of booming cannon. When the echoes faded, one person onshore --doubtless a Republican --  was heard to inquire: "Is Obama the captain of this boat? He's a pirate isn't he?"

Then it was down to business. I interviewed candidate Ilario Pantano about his campaign and the Riverfest GOP spin-off:

VS: It's a beautiful night, and your supporters are obviously fired up. What is this event all about?

It’s a celebration, and our chance to thank our growing ranks of supporters for all their hard work at the grassroots level. As I said, we’ve been building for seven months, and we have seven months to go. The heavy lifting starts now, and I say it matters. It matters more than ever. And I have a sense they all agree.

VS: Where are you now in your campaign?

We’re actually at the halfway point in this drive for a primary victory. We started this campaign back in February, and we’ve been running hard for seven months. We now have seven months to go before the primary, and we’re focused on that primary.

VS: You've always depended on strength and energy at the grassroots and precinct level. How is this ramping up?

What I will tell you is the support and the excitement in every county in this district is huge. And you know we have twelve counties in the Seventh now, and some of them are new. Even in these new counties, new friends are joining our cause, and are excited about what we represent. Because we are not the establishment, we’re not business as usual. We are just somebody who loves their country, and have sacrificed for it time and time again, who understand how the economy works and how to create jobs. That combination is pretty important right now.

VS: Many in the political game just talk the talk. But you claim to walk the walk. What does that mean actually?

A lot of people can quote the policy all day long, but when you look to their life experience and understand their true motivations, and understand that their heart isn’t a service heart, and what sacrifice really means, you have to wonder – do they know John 15:13? Do they really know? I am insistent on living out my faith, and this keeps me in a positive state of mind. I am really bullish on this country. What I see happening with this Occupy Wall Street movement is they want to replicate this right now.  And this very desperate president wants to foment unrest throughout the country to shore up his chances in 2012. His game plan is a strategy of destruction. It is not in the best interest of the country. It’s not good for my children or yours. I going to fight it and fight it hard.

Joe Agovino of Southport, long-time GOP leader in Brunswick County, was on hand at the GOP Riverfest celebration. He said conservative candidate Pantano has learned much from his experience in the political arena since his challenge to incumbent Mike McIntyre in the last congressional election.

VS: So you feel he has only gained strength and wisdom from being in the political arena?

That's right. I think Ilario has grown a great deal in the last year and a half. He’s even more committed to serving his country. He has also learned a great deal about internal politics. I’ve been close to Ilario through the  last campaign, and now this one. His commitment is genuine, and his loyalty is to his country, which he has served unselfishly.. In so doing, he has faced daunting challenges, but he has risen above all this, and has distinguished himself in many ways. So, today, I think he stands a better chance to win this primary because his supporters and the general public are comfortable with him and are really behind him. 

VS: Ilario will face off in the GOP primary against State Senator David Rouzer of Johnston County. What do you expect from him as a candidate?  

This race is a struggle between the old guard of the Republican Party and the newer members who are committed Constitutionalists and want to take our country back to work for the general well-being of the people. Mr. Rouzer is a bright young man, but is basically a Washington insider, and also a product of the system for a number of years. My personal opinion is that David Rouzer getting into this race will be good for Ilario, because of  the stark contrast between the politician, David Rouzer, and the patriot, Ilario Pantano.

VS: You hang your hat in Brunswick County. How do you size up the conservative Republican base there?

In our county -- Brunswick -- we’re seeing growth and strength at the precinct levels. That will be vital as Obama’s paid volunteers flood into North Carolina with their liberal agenda. We intend to be ready.

What I’m seeing is more cohesiveness in the organization, and more motivation. I’ve been involved in politics for many years, and this is the earliest I’ve seen our Republican Party become involved in statewide or presidential elections in an off-election year. That’s a tremendous plus. Our leadership is proactive and aggressive.We're putting the lessons we've learned to work for us on the road to 2012.

McIntyre grumpy about possible split of Robeson County in redistricting. GOP says prospect makes sense.

By Bob Shiles, Staff Writer
The Robesonian May 15, 2011 
                                                                                                                                                        
Verne Strickland Blogmaster                               The Robesonian

U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre

slideshow

LUMBERTON — U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, fresh off his closest election since he won the District 7 seat in Congress, might have a steeper hill to climb in 2012 — if Republicans in the General Assembly get their way.

 

According to an online article published earlier this month on politico.com, state Republicans are targeting districts now represented by McIntyre and U.S. Reps Larry Kissell, Brad Miller and Heath Shuler — all Democrats — as potential majority Republican districts.

That could mean Robeson County, which is now entirely in McIntyre’s district, could be split into two separate districts. McIntyre doesn’t like that idea, saying it will water down the county’s clout in Washington, D.C.

“We need to keep Robeson County moving forward, and we want to keep Robeson County united as one county in a congressional district,” he said in a statement. “It is critical that Robeson County not be split apart, which would only diminish our voice in expressing our needs and concerns in Washington. Our county’s citizenship and needs are unique, and any effort to split those up only hurt our efforts to move forward with economic progress.

“Many Robeson County citizens have expressed concerns about redistricting to me, and they do not want Robeson County to be split two or three ways with a congressman from Charlotte, Goldsboro, or Morehead City. Putting us in a district with folks from Charlotte, Goldsboro, or Morehead City will diminish our views, needs and our communities of interest here in Robeson County and all of Southeastern North Carolina,” said McIntyre.

The highly political process of redistricting sets legislative boundaries for the next 10 years based on the last census. This will be the first Republican-controlled General Assembly to lead redistricting since Reconstruction.

Gary Strickland, the former chairman of the Robeson County Democratic Party, also worries about a fractured Robeson County.

“It would be best to keep our district the way it is. I don’t think we need to split Robeson County,” he said.

“If we were mixed up with a more conservative Mecklenburg County there would be a lot of static in our voice when it comes to voting. … We would have to woo two different congressmen.”

The current District 7 also includes parts of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Sampson, Duplin, New Hanover and Pender counties.

Phillip Stephens, the chairman of the county Republican Party, said there are several unofficial maps circulating, some showing District 7 being expanded to the east, west, or north.

Stephens said that because of Robeson County’s size and large Democratic population, it can easily swing an election and negate the vote of two or three smaller counties.

The GOP leader said that Robeson County Republicans are lobbying for “common sense” district lines based on the region’s values and beliefs, not party designation.

“We’re keeping our eyes on the Republicans now more than the Democrats,” Stephens said.
Stephens said that because redistricting is a “political process” that occurs only once in a decade, it’s difficult to identify who holds the heavy hand in the process.

“We’re finding no one seems to know where the center of power is in redistricting,” he said. “I don’t think there is one person, Democrat or Republican, who knows how all of this is going to turn out.”

Stephens said there is a chance that local Democrats and Republicans will both be unhappy when the process is complete.

“We want to make sure that Robeson County is adequately represented, and that means by someone who is familiar with Robeson County,” Stephens said. “We don’t want to be represented by someone far distant from the county, whether he’s a Republican or Democrat.”

Stephens supported Ilario Pantano, a Republican who is from the North but has adopted Wilmington as his home, against McIntyre in last year’s General Election. McIntyre won with about 54 percent of the votes, his closest election since his first in 1996. Pantano has indicated he would run again for the District 7 seat.

According to reports, state Rep. David Lewis, a Republican from Harnett County and the senior chairman of the House Redistricting Committee, has said that draft maps will be ready by mid-June. He also has said that an unspecified number of public hearings will be held afterward.

State Rep. Garland Pierce, a Democrat who represents Robeson, Hoke and Scotland counties, serves on the House Redistricting Committee. He cautioned that the process is in its early stages.

“We’re hearing all kinds of scenarios,” he said. “Until we get the maps, everything is just speculation.”

Bob Shiles can be reached at (910) 272-6117 or bshiles@heartlandpublications.com.

 

GOP's Ilario Pantano: McIntyre aggressively working to influence direction of NC redistricting.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster

CONGRESSMAN DENIES HE IS INTERVENING IN DISTRICT POLITICAL MAPPING, BUT HIS WEBSITE URGES McINTYRE FOLLOWERS TO MAKE SHOW OF FORCE IN HIS BEHALF.

By Patrick Gannon
Patrick.Gannon@StarNewsOnline.com

Published: Thursday, April 21, 2011

( page 1 of 3 )

U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre raised $150,000 in the first quarter of 2011, more than doubling the fundraising efforts of Ilario Pantano, a potential Republican challenger in 2012.

Pantano calls the Democratic incumbent’s early fundraising an attempt to send a message to General Assembly lawmakers redrawing congressional district boundaries this year.

McIntyre, by attempting to show that he has strong local support and that he would be a tough opponent in 2012 regardless of where his new district is drawn, hopes to influence map-drawers to largely leave his district alone and focus on other areas, Pantano suggested.

Pantano also said he believes McIntyre is trying to dissuade potential Democratic primary challengers, who may find it difficult to match McIntyre’s fundraising totals.

“Like a turkey, he’s showing his feathers,” Pantano said. “He’s trying to appear bigger and more formidable than he is.”

McIntyre said how the new maps are drawn is “completely up to the state House and state Senate.” But on his campaign website, McIntyre is urging supporters to contact state lawmakers to encourage them to keep Southeastern North Carolina together in one congressional district. “Do you want your next Congressman to be from Raleigh, Goldsboro, or Charlotte?” he begins his website message.

Lawmakers in Raleigh have just begun the once-a-decade task of redrawing the state’s 13 congressional districts based on 2010 population figures. And it’s unclear whether McIntyre, who lives in Lumberton, and Pantano, who lives in Wilmington, will even run in the same district once the process is complete.

U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre raised $150,000 in the first quarter of 2011, more than doubling the fundraising efforts of Ilario Pantano, a potential Republican challenger in 2012.

Pantano calls the Democratic incumbent’s early fundraising an attempt to send a message to General Assembly lawmakers redrawing congressional district boundaries this year.

McIntyre, by attempting to show that he has strong local support and that he would be a tough opponent in 2012 regardless of where his new district is drawn, hopes to influence map-drawers to largely leave his district alone and focus on other areas, Pantano suggested.

Pantano also said he believes McIntyre is trying to dissuade potential Democratic primary challengers, who may find it difficult to match McIntyre’s fundraising totals.

“Like a turkey, he’s showing his feathers,” Pantano said. “He’s trying to appear bigger and more formidable than he is.”

McIntyre said how the new maps are drawn is “completely up to the state House and state Senate.”

But on his campaign website, McIntyre is urging supporters to contact state lawmakers to encourage them to keep Southeastern North Carolina together in one congressional district.

“Do you want your next Congressman to be from Raleigh, Goldsboro, or Charlotte?” he begins his website message.

Lawmakers in Raleigh have just begun the once-a-decade task of redrawing the state’s 13 congressional districts based on 2010 population figures. And it’s unclear whether McIntyre, who lives in Lumberton, and Pantano, who lives in Wilmington, will even run in the same district once the process is complete.

Observers have suggested that McIntyre’s district could be carved up by the General Assembly Republicans who control this year’s redistricting process to give a Republican a better shot of representing the district, which McIntyre has served since 1996.

McIntyre also is asking his supporters to attend scheduled public hearings on state and congressional redistricting. Meetings will be held at 7 p.m. May 5 at Cape Fear Community College’s downtown Wilmington campus and at Brunswick Community College’s Supply campus.

“Please join me in standing up for our homes, our businesses, and our way of life and let’s keep Southeastern North Carolina together – moving forward!” McIntyre says.

Some Republicans have criticized McIntyre, saying he is only trying to protect his job in the U.S. House.

Pantano is also keeping tabs on the redistricting process. He visited the Legislative Building in Raleigh recently, meeting with Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, chairman of the Senate Redistricting Committee, among other lawmakers. He said he wasn’t lobbying for any specific changes to the 7th Congressional District, which now includes all or part of 10 counties in the southeastern corner of the state.

“I live in Southeastern North Carolina, and whatever the district is that’s drawn around the place I live, I will be eager to represent,” Pantano said.

The Battle for the Bucks

McIntyre raised about $150,000 from January through March, while Pantano’s campaign took in about $60,000, according to reports available at the Federal Election Commission’s website, FEC.gov.

Most of Pantano’s contributions – $53,000 worth – came from individuals. McIntyre received more than $95,000, or 64 percent, of his cash from political action committees.

Pantano pointed out that he raised more campaign cash from individuals than McIntyre, who pulled in more than $41,000 in the first quarter from individual donors.

At the end of March, McIntyre had nearly $151,000 in his war chest, with no debt, according to the FEC. Pantano’s campaign had about $47,000, with $43,000 in debt, most of which carried over from his unsuccessful 2010 campaign against McIntyre.

“We don’t have the Washington special interests to bail us out,” Pantano said. “I didn’t get $100,000 in PAC checks.”

McIntyre said he is grateful to the individual donors and political organizations that have given to him because “they want to make sure Southeastern North Carolina continues to have a strong voice.”

The PACs that have given to him, McIntyre said, “represent local farmers, local businesses, local educators, local health care providers, local law enforcement and others who help drive our economy.”

#######

At the end of March, McIntyre had nearly $151,000 in his war chest, with no debt, according to the FEC. Pantano’s campaign had about $47,000, with $43,000 in debt, most of which carried over from his unsuccessful 2010 campaign against McIntyre.

“We don’t have the Washington special interests to bail us out,” Pantano said. “I didn’t get $100,000 in PAC checks.”

McIntyre said he is grateful to the individual donors and political organizations that have given to him because “they want to make sure Southeastern North Carolina continues to have a strong voice.”

The PACs that have given to him, McIntyre said, “represent local farmers, local businesses, local educators, local health care providers, local law enforcement and others who help drive our economy.”

Patrick Gannon: (919) 836-0889

On Twitter: @StarNewsPat

Congressman Mike McIntyre says one thing, does another. Same old Mike.

ILARIO PANTANO CALLS MIKE McINTYRE OUT FOR GOING BACK TO HIS 2010 BAG OF TRICKS TO LAUNCH HIS 2012 CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster   April 19, 2011

Wilmington, NC: Ilario Pantano, conservative Republican candidate for Congress, has issued  the following statement regarding Congressman McIntyre’s  vote in opposition of deficit reduction and his support of Barak Obama’s proposed tax increases:

“In his campaign for re-election last year, Congressman McIntyre told the people of North Carolina that he was a different kind of Democrat – a Democrat they could trust – a Democrat who would stand with North Carolina’s working families.  His recent vote against the budget blueprint for 2012 proved once and for all that his statements were nothing but a sham.”

“When he’s at home in the 7th District Congressman McIntyre likes to talk about cutting spending and promoting fiscal responsibility, but in Washington he votes to continue the status quo of  out of control spending and irresponsibility, Pantano said.  “He’s obviously more concerned about pleasing the special interests and his liberal friends  in Congress that have contributed over $750,000 to his campaign since 2009, than he is in getting serious about cutting spending and reducing the federal deficit. “

“Despite his claims of being an ‘independent voice,’ Congressman McIntyre toed the party line and joined his liberal  colleagues in support of President Obama’s proposed budget  which continues to allow government spending to spiral out of control, raises taxes over $ 1 trillion dollars, and does very little to encourage economic growth or job creation.”

“Congressman Ryan has crafted a balanced budget proposal that protects our seniors, cuts spending by nearly 6 trillion dollars, pays off our debt, and prevents President Obama from raising our taxes. It is the kind of common sense conservative fiscal policy our country needs to grow our economy  and get our deficit under control. “

 ************************************

VS: I caught up with Andy Yates soon after this release hit the streets. Andy is campaign director the Pantano for Congress campaign. I asked him to elaborate on what he sees as the confusing and misleading “McIntyre Factor”.

Yates: It’s the same old Mike McIntyre. Say one thing in the Seventh District and do something else in Washington and hope nobody’s watching. 

VS: So Mike talks a big game, but does his record back in the district match his rhetoric?

Yates: For a guy who brags that he’s looking out for his people back home, he certainly has a disastrous situation to show in Robeson and surrounding counties. I thought it was funny that Mike McIntyre was holding a job fair last week because the best I can tell, for the past sixteen years, the only job he has ever cared about was his own. We’ve had to get to double-digit unemployment before McIntyre even starts to worry about it. The only reason he’s worrying about it now is because it will backlash on him because of the high rates of poverty and joblessness he seems to overlook. 

VS: The 2012 general election is a long way off, but do you see a rematch between Ilario Pantano and Mike McIntyre?

Yates: I do know Ilario is running because he feels the people of Southeastern North Carolina have been misled by somebody who claims to be an independent voice and represent fiscal responsibility, but doesn’t live up to that. I don’t pretend to know what Congressman McIntyre plans to do. He certainly votes like someone who’s going to run.

VS: What kind of scenario would bring them together for another head-to-head battle?

Yates: My crystal ball can’t tell me what district he’s going to be in or whether or not he’s going to run, but it’s clear what Ilario is going to do. He is so disappointed in the poor quality of representation that the conservative people of the District have gotten from Mike McIntyre. He's going to finish the job started in the last election.

VS: How does Mike McIntyre get by with skirting the issues and avoiding responsibility for his own actions and voting record?

Yates: He has taken about $750,000 from liberal members of Congress and special interest groups, and he brings that money back to the Seventh District and uses it to run ads talking about how he’s a conservative and for fiscal responsibility. Then when his liberal buddies fill his campaign fund with money, he votes right along with them regardless of what the conservatives back home may think about it. He's bad news.

info@pantanoforcongress.com

###

Washington Post Preview 2012: Slamming Pantano

Verne Strickland Blogmaster

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO READ THIS PROPAGANDA SPEWED BY THE WASHINGTON POST. TAKE IT WITH A SACK OF SALT, QUESTION IT, AND SUPPLY YOUR OWN ANSWERS.

As Ronald Reagan famously said: "There you go again." So here goes the predictably liberal WASHINGTON POST again -- generating hogwash about conservative Christian Republican Ilario Pantano of Wilmington, NC -- candidate for the U.S. Congress.

Can Ilario Pantano get to Congress?

By Rachel Weiner 02/21/2011

Ilario Pantano knows how to generate headlines.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is time to start offending!" Pantano joked during an appearance on a panel about political correctness and the military during the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month in Washington.

The question for Pantano is whether he can go beyond the headlines -- and the controversies that surrounded him during his 2010 race -- and win a rematch against North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) next November.

Pantano failed to take down McIntyre despite the national Republican wave as two stories from his past complicated the campaign.

First, Pantano worked for on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs, and, second, he was accused of killing two unarmed detainees while serving in Iraq. (The murder charges were dropped by the military when a witness' testimony could not be corroborated). Both issues could well come up again as Pantano pursues a rematch against McIntyre.

In 2010, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee used Pantano's work for Goldman Sachs against him, framing a whole television ad around it.

A prominent tea party activist used it as a reason to support McIntyre.

While Democrats didn't seek to make an issue out of the Iraq story (and Pantano argues that voters were on his side), but it came up often in press reports on the race. In one ad, Pantano used footage from an NBC interview but cut out questions about Wall Street and Iraq.

While Pantano won't be able to change his past, his political future may be brighter due to the upcoming redistricting process in the Tar Heel State.

Gerrymandering helped keep Republicans down in North Carolina in 2010; Democrats won seven of North Carolina's 13 seats last November despite getting only 46 percent of the total congressional vote statewide.

Now, after nearly a century of Democratic control, Republicans are getting a chance to redraw the map. (North Carolina is one of three states where legislators have total power over the process so even though the state's governor is a Democrat, it doesn't matter.)

David Wasserman, a redistricting expert and House race editor at the Cook Political Report, told the Fix he sees two possible scenarios for the map in North Carolina heading into the 2012 election.

Scenario 1: Republicans abandon Pantano. Under this plan, redistricting would move African-American -- and reliably Democratic -- voters from the Cumberland County portions of the 2nd and 8th districts into McIntyre's 7th district. That would help freshman 2nd district Rep. Renee Ellmers (R), who squeaked out a win over longtime Rep. Bob Etheridge (D) last fall, in part thanks to a damning YouTube altercation. It would put 8th district Rep. Larry Kissell (D) in danger. But it would leave McIntyre safer than he was before.

Scenario 2: Republicans alter the 7th District by chopping off the Democratic parts -- Robeson County and Cumberland County -- and adding in very Republican Onslow County to the north, borrowing it from Rep. Walter Jones' (R) safe 3rd District. This more aggressive plan would convert McIntyre's district from one that gave Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) 52 percent in 2009 to one that would have given him 55 percent. Kissell or Ellmers would take on Robeson County and African-American parts of Fayetteville, which would make those districts slightly less favorable for the GOP. Republicans could also cut the black neighborhoods of Wilmington out of McIntyre's district, making it even more competitive.

"My sense is that Republicans will be under heavy pressure to go for the 'aggressive' scenario and may overreach," Wasserman told the Fix. "Obama-level turnout should help McIntyre in a big way, and he could conceivably win a district that was 5-10 points less favorable than it is now, given his appeal and likely 2012 turnout." (McIntyre's district is currently 21 percent African American.)

There's also the possibility that Republicans will put McIntyre and Kissell in the same district, forcing the two Democrats to run against each other. But that would make Kissell's district more Democratic.

For his part, Pantano says he's prepared for any scenario. "Am I aware that redistricting is an issue? Absolutely," he said. "I'm still a relative political neophyte ... but I'm a two-time Marine combat veteran, so I look at this all very pragmatically. We're going to hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

Pantano argues that having the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina will only hurt McIntyre, who has touted his support from Republicans. McIntyre, the only North Carolina Democrat to vote for the health-care repeal, already faces a primary challenge from the left.

Pantano has to hope that he can keep the focus on McIntyre rather than debating his own resume, which wound up being his downfall during the 2010 campaign.

For his part, Pantano isn't spending much time re-hashing what happened in the last campaign. "There's an expression in the military, 'paralysis from analysis,'" he said. "Sometimes you just have to say, it feels right."