Feb 29 2008
Embattled Wright Files for 9th Term
His own party has called for him to quit. He’s facing six felony charges. And his peers in the General Assembly are speeding through an ethics hearing that could make him the first member of the state House to be expelled since 1880.
But Rep. Thomas Wright is running again. The beleaguered Democrat filed Thursday for a ninth term, ignoring the fallout from allegations he bilked business and campaign donors out of $350,000.
Accompanied by his wife, Wright entered the New Hanover County Board of Elections shortly after 3 p.m. paying the $207 filing fee with a money order. He refused comment.
Oh, I’m sure he doesn’t have much to say. Does this guy have some gall or what? Fortunately, he’s not unopposed. In addition to a Republican challenger in November, Wright has to fight the Democratic nomination out with two others in the May primary.
To face Goolsby, Wright would first have to win the Democratic primary in May where he is facing Sandra Spaulding Hughes, a former Wilmington City councilwoman, and Hollis Briggs, a community activist. He’s unlikely to receive much support from party officials, who have urged him to step down.
