News

Meadows lands national name for annual rally

By Bill Moss, Published: June 6, 2015

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows landed a national name for his second annual Faith and Freedom Rally.

Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who anounced his candidacy for the presidency last month, will speak at Meadows' second annual rally at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, at the WNC Ag Center. Last year's keynoter was U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican spearheading the House investigation of the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi.

Carson is a hot commodity among conservative audiences and a favorite of the Tea Party. His campaign operation has been less than smooth since he announced his candiacy, the Washington Post reported Friday. According to the Post, Carson's campaign chairman, national finance chairman, deputy campaign manager and general counsel have resigned since Carson formally launched his bid last month in Detroit.

"The moves gutted the core of Carson’s apparatus and left the 63-year-old first-time candidate with only a handful of experienced advisers at his side as he navigates the fluid, crowded and high-stakes contest for the Republican nomination," the Post said.

Even so, Carson's appearance would give Meadows the cache of a national figure, a Republican candidate for president who shares many of Meadows' conservative views.