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North Carolina's 2nd District

Press Release

Romley boycotts Sinclair

April 3, 2018 in Blog Posts, Press Release

Ken Romley, Democratic candidate for US House in the Second Congressional District, announced today that he will join others in boycotting corporate media giant Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair’s corporate officers this week forced their news anchors at hundreds of stations across the nation to read a script warning viewers of fake news while calling their coverage fair.

“As we’re deciding about where to place our campaign ads, we’ve decided not to support a corporate media giant that bullies its employees into reading propaganda,” Romley said. “That’s a serious breach of journalistic independence.”

President Trump joined the fray over Sinclair’s highly controversial practice by tweeting his support. According to Politico, the Trump campaign had a deal with Sinclair during the campaign to provide access to the media giant in exchange for better coverage. Apparently, that relationship survived the campaign.

“It seems Sinclair is seeking to become yet another propaganda tool of the Trump administration,” Romley said. “The only way we can stop this biased intervention into broadcast news is to hit them where it hurts – in their corporate pocketbooks.”

Romley joins other congressional candidates who opposed corporate influence in the news room and strongly support the independence of journalists.

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Ken Romley is running in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District for the seat held by Rep. George Holding. He is a high-tech entrepreneur who has founded four companies in Wake County over the past 25 years that have employed hundreds of people. Romley lives in Wake County with his wife, Di, and has two adult children.

Congressional Candidate Romley Refuses PAC Money

February 9, 2018 in Blog Posts, Press Release

Congressional candidate Ken Romley announced today that he will refuse to accept campaign donations from political action committees, better known as PACs. The candidate cited the outsized influence of special interest money on the American political system and the need to give power back to the citizens as reasons for the decision. Romley is running in North Carolina’s second congressional district.

“The corrupting influence of special interest money on our political system must be stopped,” said Romley. “PACs represent a serious threat to American democracy. I am proud to announce that I will not be beholden to special interest groups, but will answer only to the people of North Carolina.”

In contrast, 2nd district incumbent George Holding has raised over $140,000 from PACs in the 2017-2018 fiscal year according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Major donors included Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA, and Pfizer Inc, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Romley stated that this is a sign that corporations believe they can influence Holding’s decision making.

“When tobacco companies, big pharma, or any special interest gives to a candidate, they are expecting a return on their investment,” said Romley. “Every citizen of North Carolina should question if Mr. Holding has their best interests at heart.”

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Ken Romley is running in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District for the seat held by Rep. George Holding. He is high-tech entrepreneur who has founded four companies in Wake County over the past 25 years that have employed hundreds of people. Romley lives in Wake County with his wife, Di, and has two adult children.