The major contributions largely poured in from out of state and also from donors who have faced sanctions over unlawful drug and gambling operations, longtime money and politics expert Bob Hall, ex-director of the left-leaning watchdog Democracy North Carolina, said in a report released this week. More than half of the $530,000 came from people who have never given to any legislators in the Tar Heel State before 2022, the document noted.
The single largest donor to North Carolina legislators in the first six months of this year was Clint Patterson of Owasso, Oklahoma, who gave $137,900 to 26 lawmakers and four caucus committees, according to the report. He's the CEO of Mockingbird Cannabis, a licensed medical marijuana grower in Mississippi that faced violations of state regulations over its greenhouse operation.
“Suddenly, they’re writing checks for $2,000 or $5,000 to a legislator," Hall said."It looks like a lobbyist or somebody told them that this is a pay-to-play state — you need to put in the money if you want your bill passed this year or next."