NC congressional candidate's viral campaign ad raises profile, prompts apology for HB2 vote

State Rep. Charles Graham's congressional campaign hit the ground running this week with an online ad that quickly went viral.

2021-10-06

But the the attention Graham D-Robeson, garnered from the ad also prompted some people to point out conservative stances he has taken on legislation in the General Assembly, such as limiting transgender individuals' access to public bathrooms.

Graham likely will run for the 9th Congressional District seat held by Republican Congressman Dan Bishop, depending on how new districts are drawn over the next several weeks.

During the ad, he talked at length about a 1958 confrontation between the Ku Klux Klan and members of the Lumbee tribe in Maxton that has come to be known as the Battle of Hayes Pond. The 50 KKK members who showed up for a nighttime rally and cross-burning were met by some 400 Lumbees, who set them running.

"Hundreds of normal folks deciding to stand together against ignorance and hate," Graham said.

A similar stand is needed today, he said, over images of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the 2017 far-right rally in Charlottesville, Va.

The ad was viewed some 3 million times on Twitter by Tuesday, raising nearly $20,000 for his campaign.

But then some of those who had retweeted his ad then started tweeting about his record in the General Assembly, such as his 2016 vote for the infamous House Bill 2, which limited transgender bathroom access and barred North Carolina cities and counties from adopting any nondiscrimination ordinances more expansive than state law.

Other votes he was criticized for included some in favor of abortion restrictions and firearms on school grounds and against the state mask mandate.

Graham, who said in the ad that "human dignity is a human right," issued a formal apology Tuesday for his House Bill 2 vote, calling it a mistake on a rushed piece of legislation.

"To the LGBTQ+ community, and specifically to the transgender community who suffered real pain from this bill and the rhetoric that surrounded it, I am sorry," he said in a statement. "I have always tried to do what is right, but I am not perfect. I’m running for Congress to stand up against hatred and ignorance, and I expect to be held accountable when I fail to live up to my own principles."