Holly Springs Town council candidate feels targeted by GOP

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (WTVD) -- One candidate running for Holly Springs Town Council feels targeted by the Wake County GOP.

Jack Turnwald, who identifies as non-binary, is running for one of the three open seats in the November election.

Turnwald has been very involved in the LGBTQ+ fight to get Holly Springs to sign on to Wake County's non-discrimination ordinance, which ABC11 has covered since last year.

An email sent in August to Republican supporters doesn't mention Turnwald by name but said it is concerning "because the town's politics and policies will be about advancing the ideologies of a small minority here in Holly Springs. It will not be about the general welfare of the people."

"The email indicated a lot of bad things are going to happen if Democrats get elected to get positions," Turnwald said Monday. "Things related to race, gender, sexuality and even to the possibility of pedophilia."

Several Democratic supporters found the August email printed and mailed to them in the last two weeks and in turn reached out to ABC11.

"I didn't run because I wanted to spread some gay or trans agenda," said Turnwald. "I ran because not only did I not feel entirely safe in my town, but lots of my neighbors were telling me that their experiences were not being represented on the town council."

The Wake County GOP said the email simply informs voters of the platforms that candidates are running on and "that agenda does not identify with the citizens of Holly Springs and our family values here," according to Steve Bergstrom, chairman of the party.

He said those values are in jeopardy if candidates such as Turnwald are elected.

"The evidence shows we are an extremely accepting and tolerant town, and that's what makes Holly Springs great," Bergstrom said. "What doesn't need to happen is have a radical agenda brought in that pushes parents out of the decision-making for their children."

Three of the five seats on the Town Council are open in next month's election. Nine people are running.

The Wake County GOP held an event in town Monday night to meet one of the candidates; Democrats are having an event Thursday at the Holly Springs Cultural Center.