WOODSON BRADLEY FAILED TO VOTE FOR IRYNA’S LAW, AND NOW SHE’S LYING ABOUT IT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Stacie McGinn, Republican nominee for Senate District 42, responds to her opponent Woodson Bradley’s lies to the Charlotte Observer as to why she missed the final vote on Iryna’s Law. 

In the article, Senator Bradley claims, 

“I was ready to vote for the bill the morning it came on to the floor at 10 a.m. I had an excused absence to leave at 4 p.m. to attend Iryna’s Vigil, but voting was postponed and I was unable to stay any longer. If I had had the opportunity to vote for Iryna’s Law, I would have done so. I was elected to make judgments, not blindly follow party positions.”

Bradley shared this same false narrative with the local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police when she sought (and ultimately received) their endorsement. She told the FOP: "I left at 4pm to get back to Charlotte and participated in the somber evening memorial event."

Woodson Bradley is lying as to her whereabouts during the final vote on Iryna’s Law

First, at 10 a.m., the day of the vote, the bill was still making its way through the Judiciary and Rules committees, according to Senate records. The bill was never expected to come to the floor until the afternoon, and the vote on the first amendment did not occur until 4:36pm.

Second, the only “vigil” we are aware of that was being held that evening in Charlotte was a vigil to mark the one-month anniversary of Iryna’s death sponsored by the Mecklenburg County Republican Party at 8pm.  Bradley did not attend that vigil. The Republican Party leadership did not see her, and she does not appear on any televised coverage of the event. 

Third, it would have been a physical impossibility for Bradley to have made it back to Charlotte in time for the vigil, because she was voting on amendments up until 6:13pm. 

The day after the vote, Bradley took to social media to complain about the Berger substitute amendment.  See Bradley’s Facebook Post on September 23rd: “Iryna’s Law Hi-Jacked to bring back hanging and fire squad to NC.” 

Bradley is lying when she says she would have voted for Iryna’s Law

The Senate Democratic Caucus sent Governor Stein a letter urging him to veto Iryna’s Law. The Assembly – a reputable news source that covers political events in Raleigh – published an early version of this letter (presumably leaked by a member of the Senate Democratic Caucus) that includes a line for Bradley’s signature. The final letter sent to Governor Stein was sent with a cover letter from Sen. Sydney Batch, NC Senate Democratic Leader. Senator Batch notes the letter is being sent “On behalf of the North Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus…”  She continues, “…our Caucus stands in opposition to this bill…because we believe the bill as passed is deeply flawed, constitutionally questionable and unlikely to make our communities safer.” While Woodson Bradley’s name does not appear on the final veto request, she was, and is, a member of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Even taking as true her claims she “broke from her Caucus” on sending the letter to Governor Stein, her Facebook rant against the Berger amendment the day after the vote, noted above, and the fact she walked out before the final vote was taken – not to attend a vigil, but in defiance – make it clear Bradley opposed Iryna’s Law, and had no intention of voting for it.  

Not a single Democratic Senator voted in favor of Iryna’s Law. Are we really expected to believe Woodson Bradley was prepared to be the ONLY Democratic Senator to stand up and support it? Far from showing her leadership, she took the coward’s way out: taking an excused absence; using a made-up excuse and walking out before the final vote was taken.

Bradley’s pattern of attempting to rewrite history to explain away decisions she later regrets is beneath the dignity of a sitting state Senator.

This latest fabrication regarding her failure to vote for Iryna’s law is not the first time Bradley has tried to rewrite history.  Her continuously changing explanations regarding her involvement in a notorious pyramid scheme, for example, and her failure to simply take responsibility for this mistake, recently described by two journalists [Andrew Dunn, WFAE], shows a decided lack of character. The lies she is now telling to explain her ill-advised decision to walk-out on the final vote on Iryna’s Law compounds questions being raised regarding this freshman Senator’s honesty and integrity. 

According to Stacie McGinn, Republican Nominee for NC Senate District 42, “Recent chaos and alleged dishonesty within our CMS school board has made it abundantly clear to voters in Mecklenburg County that we must elect representatives with proven character, honesty and integrity. Senator Woodson Bradley has been lying to the public about her role as a ringleader in a major pyramid scheme that scammed nearly 20,000 North Carolinians out of their hard-earned savings. Now she’s lying about her failure to vote on the most consequential anti-crime legislation in decades. This pattern of dishonesty makes her unfit to serve in the North Carolina Senate.”