Orange County Republicans back to work in burned out headquarters

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – N.C. Republicans in Orange County are working on folding tables Tuesday morning outside the burned out shell of their former headquarters, firebombed and vandalized over the weekend. Volunteers and staff are sifting through what remains, eager to get operations in the county running again. Meanwhile, investigators say they have few leads on who set the headquarters on fire over the weekend and spray painted on an adjoining building the words “Nazi Republicans, get out or else.”Governor Pat McCrory toured what’s left of the building Monday evening. The attack made national news after images of the burned out building, torched Republican campaign signs and threatening graffiti were released. After viewing the damage, McCrory said it is clear that the perpetrators want anarchy. He said it goes beyond political differences, calling the violence an ‘attack on democracy.’ The governor said he is concerned about copycat attacks. “That’s what they do in other countries, not in North Carolina,” McCrory said. “…This is someone who wants anarchy. And that’s not our country and that’s not our state.””Violence has no place in our society – but especially in our elections. Fortunately no one was injured; however, I will use every resource as governor to assist local authorities in this investigation,” he added. The attack has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans. “The N.C. Democratic Party strongly condemns this attack. We hope the perpetrators are brought to swift justice and we are thankful that no one was hurt. Our deepest sympathies are with everyone at the N.C. Republican Party,” said NCDP Chairwoman Patsy Keever in a statement. In Hillsborough, McCrory was joined by leadership of the state Republican Party, including NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes and Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse. “Whether you are Republican, Democrat or Independent, all Americans should be outraged by this hate-filled and violent attack against our democracy,” Woodhouse said. “Everyone in this country should be free to express their political viewpoints without fear for their own safety.”Woodhouse also announced yesterday that his email account had been hacked hours after the attack, leading him to send out a followup email warning users not to open an email from his account that said ‘GOP-Financial_Document’. He said the email attempts to get the users email addresses and passwords. North Carolina has been on a shrinking list of battleground states where the presidential election could go either way. Throughout the campaign Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have traded leads but generally within polls’ margins of error. Trump has drawn crowds in the state’s rural areas, manufacturing centers and agriculture communities, while the Clinton campaign has garnered support in the state’s more urban areas and liberal university towns, including Orange County, with nearby UNC- Chapel Hill, where the the attack on GOP headquarters occurred. ALL SAFE IN ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all! @NCGOP— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
While volunteers have been burning midnight oil with just weeks to go before the election, no one was in the building at the time of the attack so there were no injuries.