Former North Carolina governor accuses man who defeated him of canceling his dog

Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is currently seeking the 2022 GOP nomination for an open Senate seat. But rather than focus on that race, he is attacking the man who defeated him five years ago — accusing him of canceling his dog.

McCrory tweeted a photo of himself walking his 13-year-old dog Moe on Thursday, complaining that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper opted not to keep a monument to the canine — at Cooper’s own house.

“A statue was placed by the Humane Society at the Governors [sic] Residence in Asheville in honor of Moe and [McCrory’s wife] Ann for them helping rescue dogs throughout NC. The statue and plaque were removed by Governor Cooper,” he complained. The Governor’s Western Residence in Ashville is one of two state-owned residences for North Carolina’s chief executive.

“It is time for the statue and plaque to be found and returned to its rightful place overlooking our beautiful mountains. Moe was first North Carolina casualty of CANCEL CULTURE! Why? Moe was never told. Ruff!”

Voters canceled McCrory’s governorship after just one term in 2016 — even as Donald Trump carried the state on the same day. His tenure was most notable for his infamous anti-LGBTQ H.B. 2 legislation, which prohibited local governments from enacting nondiscrimination protections and banned transgender people from using bathrooms and other facilities that correspond with their gender. McCrory fiercely defended the legislation, even as it spurred an economic boycott of the state that cost its economy billions in revenue.

It is not unusual for governors to make renovations and adjustments to their residences while in office. Donald Trump — who McCrory endorsed — moved portraits of predecessors he disliked out of view during his time at the White House.

After working as a right-wing radio talk show host since his defeat, McCrory announced on April 14 that he will seek the Republican nomination to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R) next year.

Since declaring, he has kept his focus on “cancel culture.” In an April 3 tweet, he expressed that he is “disgusted with cancel culture” and railed against attempts to boycott Georgia over its voter suppression laws.

In an accompanying video, he accused New York’s governor of having “cancelled [sic] North Carolina” in 2016 over its anti-LGBTQ law by getting “the NBA and corporations to do the same thing — and rock stars.”

McCrory has also frequently attacked Cooper, who is not running for the Senate seat, rather than his actual opponents. Polling shows him trailing against other Republicans in hypothetical primary matchups.

McCrory’s campaign website proclaims: “It’s time to elect a senator who has risen above the rhetoric and delivered results for North Carolina.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.