NC Democrat yanks event over Proud Boys ‘threat’ — but headliners were already out
Editor’s note: This story was updated Wednesday night after the Observer learned two candidates were intending to pull out of the event prior to it being canceled by the organizer.
N.C. Sen. Natasha Marcus, a Democrat, canceled a political event in Davidson for this weekend, saying she did so due to safety concerns after a constituent emailed her that he and 18 members of “our local Proud Boys Club” would show up.
But since first reporting that on Wednesday afternoon, The Charlotte Observer has learned that the two candidates headlining the event were already backing out, upset over Marcus’ anti-Trump comments in promoting the meet-and-greet.
Marcus blamed an email, written by Don Dimperio of Mooresville, that said: “Look forward to seeing and listening to the many lies that (continue) to be spilled from Democratic Party. See you soon.”
The event was planned on behalf of Tracy Mattison Brandon and Ryan Fay, two commissioners candidates running for Davidson’s town board. Marcus announced the campaign event Monday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, it had been canceled.
The two candidates for whom the event was planned, though, had said they would back out of the event before Marcus’ decision to cancel. Brandon and Fay told other candidates they did not like the strong anti-Trump political rhetoric that was used in the promotion of the event. (Davidson’s town elections are non-partisan.)
Fay wrote on his campaign website Monday: “Due to some content of the email which was sent out without my prior approval or knowledge, I cannot in good faith say I am running to represent all Davidson residents and still attend this event.”
Marcus maintains she did not know of the candidates’ plans not to attend when she canceled it. During an interview, Marcus emphasized that her words about former President Donald Trump were hers alone, not the candidates.
The Proud Boys are a right-wing extremist group known for street brawls and other violence. At least one member from North Carolina, Charles Donohoe of Kernersville, was charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Dimperio said in an email to the Observer that his note “was nothing more than a joke,” but he didn’t respond to a question about whether he’s a member of the Proud Boys. The Observer could not independently verify whether Dimperio has any affiliation with the Proud Boys.
Marcus announced the cancellation on Tuesday in an email to supporters.
“That’s a pretty clear threat of violence,” Marcus said in an interview Wednesday. “That’s what the Proud Boys are known for: political violence and intimidation.”
Marcus added that the event was scheduled to take place in a historically Black part of town, and that she was concerned about the possibility of racially-motivated violence.
“We just can’t run the risk of drawing the Proud Boys to any part of Davidson,” Marcus said in an interview. “I sometimes have extremist individuals threaten me in various ways … but this is unique.”
Proud Boys threat in local NC election
The alleged-Proud Boys email came just a few hours after Marcus emailed some of her supporters Monday morning to invite them to a meet-and-greet with Brandon and Fay.
In her invitation, Marcus wrote: “We cannot allow the Trump-supporting right-wingers on the ballot to buy themselves a spot on the Board with their fancy fundraisers, huge personal financial investments, and excessive yard signs.”
Within hours Monday, both Brandon and Fay exchanged emails with other town board candidates saying they did not approve of Marcus’ partisan language. They added they would not attend the meet-and-greet.
Their messages came about an hour after the email from Dimperio.
Marcus said there was no connection between their pulling out and the cancellation.
Brandon and Fay have not responded to The Observer’s requests for comment as of Wednesday night.
Dimperio said his email “was nothing more than a joke as a response to the end of her email about the right and Trump.” Dimperio has multiple business ventures around Mooresville, including real estate, according to business filings.
The Proud Boys have expressed interest in diving more deeply into local politics.
Enrique Tarrio, a Proud Boy leader who is currently in jail for burning a Black Lives Matter flag in Washington, D.C., told NPR in June that his goal was to “start getting more involved in local politics, running our guys for office from local seats, whether it’s a simple GOP seat or a city council seat.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 4:12 PM.
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