From Staff Reports 

ASHEVILLE — Challenger Rondell Lance defeated incumbent Doug Brown to claim the chairmanship of the Buncombe County Republican Party during the Buncombe GOP convention on March 8 at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium in Asheville. 

Lance won on a one-ballot vote of  66 to 41, he said in a telephone interview with the Daily Planet on March 30,  

“They then automatically voted in my slate,” Lance said, noting that it includes Gloria Michaels, first vice chair; Barbara Hudgins, second vice chair; Beth Gurnack, secretary; and Loretta Reynolds, secretary.

Also automatically voted in with Lance’s victory, he noted, were five at-large members — Jerry Green, Lauren McCue, Abby Carson, Ken Portt and C.J. Domingo.

In other key action at the party convention, Lance said the BCGOP members adopted — unanimously — a revised Buncombe County GOP Plan of Organization.

As for Brown’s reaction to Lance’s victory and his own defeat, Lance said, “Doug was very gracious about it... Me and him have met... He gave me all the information. He’s been great... Doug worked hard” during his term as BCGOP chair,

Speaking of his own motives to seek the party’s local chair, Lance told the Daily Planet, “I personally had no intent on running... I just had stepped down as (local) president of the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) after 28 years — and I thought I could enjoy myself” for his remaining years.

However, a group of local Republicans — who he did not name—kept asking him to run for the BCGOP chair and “At first, I said ‘no.’ “

Then, when he was approached again, “I said, ‘Let me think about it.’”

When approached yet again, “then I said, ‘Let me pray about it.’” 

The last time he was approached by the determined BCGOP group, “I said, ‘Alright already — I’ll run!’... So I didn’t go into it for any other reason than that people said we needed a change.” 

The Asheville native added, “After the last two elections, I thought the BCGOP would never accomplish anything. I thought: ‘Buncombe’s gone!’”

However, he emphasized, “Two things changed my mind — No. 1, (Donald J.) Trump won” the U.S. presidency “and, No. 2, Trump and (Elon) Musk have exposed all the corruption in the U.S. government... People are seeing how corrupt the Democrat-run government was” on all levels — federal, state and local.

“Then I felt the local Democratic Party, which is in (total) control (in Buncombe), had dropped the ball on the (post-Tropical Storm Helene) flood (assistance) — and was not helping the people.”

He noted that “two of our closest races in the last election,” involving Bruce O’Connell and Ruth Smith for two different seats, were close enough that the party should simply focus in the next election on winning those two seats.

“We need to try to bring unity to the party... I’m a very simple-minded person and thinkgs can be done and structured in a straight-forward and not-difficult-to-understand way — a simple common-sense agenda. We lost for the last term and previous two terms — let’s focus on that goal” of winning.

“If Trump keeps continuing working on his promises — the people here will see the damage the Democrat Party” has committed, noting that, in contrast, he espouses, “everyday common-sense mountain values.”

Meanwhile, a press release from the North Carolina Republican Party on March 10 stated the following regarding the change of chairs at the BCGOP:

“The North Carolina Republican Party extends congratulations to Rondell Lance on his election as Buncombe GOP chairman.

“Following the successful 2024 election cycle, 2025 is important to organize county parties, register voters, and identify candidates to run for office. This month is designated per the NCGOP Plan of Organization to hold elections for party leadership.”

What’s more, NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons offered congratulations in a statement:

“Congratulations to Rondell on his election to lead the Buncombe County GOP. The work we do to elect Republicans across North Carolina cannot be done without leaders who raise their hand and take on this responsibility. I look forward to working with the Buncombe GOP to continue making North Carolina the Red state we know it to be.”