In 1999, a 28-year-old police officer was arrested in Washington, a small North Carolina town outside the Outer Banks. 

The officer, Harvey West Jr., was charged with horrific crimes– the statutory rape of not just one, but three young girls, two as young as 14. He pleaded guilty to 16 charges of taking indecent liberties with a child. He served time in prison, and was placed on the North Carolina sex-offender registry. 

This man– this convicted sex offender– is now one of the most influential leaders within the North Carolina Republican Party. His specialty? Fundraising for GOP judicial candidates.  

The rise of this convicted sex offender to a position of power within the NCGOP was no surprise, no shock. In fact, one GOP leader called it “the worst kept in the Republican Party.”

As recent as September, prominent GOP judicial figures were fundraising alongside West. With the support of Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby, and Associate Justices Trey Allen and Phil Berger Jr., the Down East Judicial Picnic– West’s creation and calling card– has become a featured campaign stop and major fundraising source for GOP judicial candidates. 

He’s not just a prominent fundraiser; West has also led the GOP’s 1st Congressional District Committee, as well as headed up the party’s powerful rulemaking committee. And who gave West that power? Former NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley, who is now the Republican nominee to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. 

If you want a seat on the court, if you want to fundraise in Eastern North Carolina, your path seems to run through Harvey West. 

Rep. Sarah Stevens, the GOP nominee for NC Supreme Court this year, fundraised at the Judicial Picnic in September. She stood alongside West. She spoke to his attendees, in front of a sign that said “Conservative Judges Matter Now More Than Ever.” 

They’re right that these judges matter. This conservative court has blocked public school funding, challenged voting rights, and even a ruled on something called the SAFE Child Act– which determined the statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases. 

The NC Supreme Court matters because it’s one of the last lines of defense for North Carolinians. When our rights are being threatened, our well-being at stake, our safety on the line, the Supreme Court is supposed to be there to protect us. 

And how can we expect those justices to protect us if their path to power runs through a child predator, as well as a party whose leaders empower child predators?

In an interview with the Associated Press in 2012, West didn’t defend or run from his past. “There’s no way you can defend yourself [against such charges]” he said. 

“This is who I am, and this is what happened to me.”

This is who the NCGOP is. Paul Newby, Phil Berger Jr., Trey Allen, and now Rep. Sarah Stevens– this is who they are. They don’t only associate with predators– they must seek and receive their backing in order to continue on their path to power. 

It’s a betrayal of public trust. It reflects poorly on our state. It compromises our safety.
Appalled? You can take action today. Send a letter to Rep. Sarah Stevens’ office and tell her that we expect better than this. For the sake of our state, we have to do better than this.