New conservative political group formed

by Craig Jarvis, Under the Dome, News and Observer,  April 21, 2014.

Dallas Woodhouse, the sometimes fiery former director of the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, is launching a political nonprofit organization to bolster the conservative tide in North Carolina.

Woodhouse will announce on Monday that he has formed Carolina Rising to support free market, education and government reform policies.

Organized as a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt entity, the increasingly popular use of these groups in politics has been criticized but used by liberals as well as conservatives. They are able to raise money without disclosing their donors, and are often contributors to super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited money to advocate for or against candidates.

Originally conceived as nonprofit groups to benefit civic organizations, so long as their primary activity is to promote “social welfare” they can directly or indirectly support or oppose candidates for public office.

Woodhouse has been involved in North Carolina politics for 20 years. He worked closely with Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger’s office over the past three years as head of the conservative AFP on such issues as medical malpractice, unemployment insurance and tax cuts.

“Right now North Carolina is witness to an astounding set of economic trends,” Woodhouse said in statement that will be issued Monday. “Our unemployment rate is falling faster than any other state, and our business competitiveness ranking is skyrocketing. At Carolina Rising, our goal is simple: Make sure those trends continue and North Carolina’s economy continues to grow.”

Woodhouse said the organization will counter attempts by “proponents of big government” and the “increasingly radical political agenda of the liberal left.”