Notorious GOP elections official out after revelations he broke the law

An infamous former Republican state lawmaker recently appointed to the North Carolina State Board of Elections is resigning, after it emerged he violated state law to contribute money to political candidates while serving in that role.

According to The Assembly, Robert Rucho "donated to two county sheriffs" since joining NCBSE last year. According to public records, "Rucho wrote a $259 check to Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell in October and a $1,000 check to Catawba County Sheriff Don Brown in January. Brown has since returned the contribution. Both Campbell and Brown are up for reelection this year."

This is against North Carolina law, which says election board members cannot “make a reportable contribution to a candidate for a public office over which the State Board would have jurisdiction or authority.”

Rucho has also faced criticism for social media posts defending his former legislative colleague Phil Berger, one of the most powerful Republicans in the state — which is also a violation of the same law. As of Thursday, Berger trails his primary challenger, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, by just two votes, with a recount set to take place.

"Rucho didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In announcing Rucho’s resignation, neither the State Board of Elections nor the Office of the State Auditor cited a reason," noted The Assembly.

Rucho is most famous in national politics for having helped draw an extreme congressional gerrymander for Republicans in North Carolina, and being named as the principal defendant, then later appellate plaintiff, in the landmark Supreme Court case Rucho v. Common Cause, which ended with the right-wing majority of justices curtailing lower courts' ability to review gerrymandering on partisan grounds.