Rhonda Amoroso: Rising Star in North Carolina Republican Party

Rhonda Amoroso (left) is a rising star in the North Carolina Republican Party.  In photo above she is depicted with former Navy SEAL Benjamin Smith making the rounds at NCGOP Convention in Charlotte.

Excerpt from WHQR article by Rachel Lewis Hilburn

It wasn’t until the addition of Sarah Palin to the Republican Presidential ticket in 2008 that Rhonda Amoroso’s desire to create political change in the Cape Fear region re-ignited.

Several years later, the New Hanover County Republican Party re-elected Rhonda Amoroso to a second two-year term as Party Chair.  Then, almost immediately, Governor Pat McCrory appointed her to the State Board of Elections.

In the meantime, her passion for election law reform will be put to work at the State level.  The self-described conservative is championing changes to election laws in the state – particularly the new voter ID law.

"My main goal really is to recruit and get Republican candidates elected to office.  The next thing up we have is the City elections – City Council.  Filing is in July.  As you know the demographics in the City do not favor the Republicans.  Right now we have one lone guy on there, so it’s tough.  But we are trying to recruit professional types, credible, qualified, competent people."

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JUNE 15, 2013

Rhonda Amoroso was interviewed by conservative journalist Verne Strickland regarding her new role as a member of the North Carolina Board of Elections, and the modern ascendancy of the North Carolina Republican Party:

"I’m honored to have been appointed by Governor McCrory. It will be a big challenge. Kim Strache we like very much. She replaced Gary Bartlett, long-time liberal ideologue. So he’s out and Kim has already started working. She’s going to be great.

"I think that what you’re going to see is once the new election laws are passed and signed by the Governor, there will be a time of new outreach, education required – and I’m talking about the Voter ID law. My guess is in July. So we’re going to see a lot about that. June 25 is when we’ll meet to appoint local board of elections members in all 100 counties. There are three people in each county serving – two from the majority,Governor’s party, and the third from the other party.

"The Republicans haven’t been in power in over 20 years, so that balance shifts now. We will have two Republicans here in New Hanover County and one Democrat on our local Board of Elections. We’ll continue to work with the current chairman of the local Board of Elections. I’m excited to move forward. 

"I’ve been on the ground with elections over the last five years and I’ve seen what goes on.  I’ve been a poll observer, and ran election operations here in New Hanover as chairman of the party, and have a pretty good sense of what we’re up against, trained hundreds of people to become poll observers, so I come in with that knowledge. I also am an attorney in regulatory law. That’s what I used to do. So I’m really looking forward to it.

"The folks I will be serving with, at least on the Republican side, are excellent attorneys as well. My goal is to ensure election integrity. To make sure your vote counts and my vote counts. We won’t accept irregularities or fraudulent voting. That’s really what it’s about – to have fair and honest elections. 

"People need to stay in touch with what’s going on. Here in New Hanover County we need judges. We’ll have the chief judge spot, and we need a second judge and lots of assistants and poll workers. Those are paid jobs, and if people want to get in the game for next year, 2014 – coming up we have a municipal non-partisan election and poll observers are not needed for that.  But we do need judges. Chief and assistant judges. That’s something people need to step up and do.

"It's gratifying to consider how much we can accomplish now following Republican victories in the Governor's Office, N.C. Senate, NC House of Representatives, plus growing strength on the bench. At all levels, the GOP team is in place and we are ready for the challenge."