RALEIGH — North State Journal’s Editor-in-Chief Matt Mercer departed the newspaper after four years to take over as director of communications for the North Carolina Republican Party.
“After four years in journalism, I’m going back to my roots and joining the fight for America,” Mercer said. “In discussions with Chairman Michael Whatley and the party’s leadership, it was the right fit at the right time. This year’s elections are monumental and I’m committed to doing all I can for our candidates from the White House to the governor’s mansion to the legislature and across all 100 counties,” Mercer told North State Journal in an interview.
Mercer joined North State Journal in 2020. Under his tenure as editor-in-chief, the newspaper continued to see strong growth, including expansion of local editions in multiple counties as well as last year’s acquisition of the Chatham News & Record.
North State Journal, now entering its ninth volume, also continued to add to its typically high tally of annual awards from the North Carolina Press Association while under Mercer’s leadership. Mercer is a multiyear individual winner for reporting during the 2022 election as well as accountability and public records requests relating to Gov. Roy Cooper and his administration during the COVID pandemic.
“The first principles of what makes our country great are embodied in the platform of the Republican Party. Support for families, a culture of life, rule of law, free markets, secure elections … all things today’s Democratic Party stands against,” said Mercer. “Over the next eight months, the North Carolina Republican Party will be a relentless advocate for our party to restore the American Dream from Murphy to Manteo, the state house, Congress and the White House.”
The NCGOP issued a press release on Mercer’s hiring, noting that he will “manage and guide the party’s message during the 2024 election cycle.”
“Chairman Whatley and I are ecstatic to have someone of Matt’s caliber joining the team this year,” NCGOP Executive Director Jason Simmons said in the press release.
“I couldn’t be happier to join the NCGOP at this critical time in our nation’s history,” Mercer said in the statement.
