North Carolina GOP Senate Candidate Faces Scrutiny After Convicted Sex Offender Delivers Rally Prayer

A high-profile campaign stop for North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley has come under intense scrutiny after the event’s opening prayer was delivered by a registered sex offender who has twice been sentenced to prison for crimes involving children. The occurrence has introduced a contentious issue into a critical contest that holds major implications for the balance of power in Washington.

The prayer occurred during an August 28 political appearance held in the coastal city of New Bern, North Carolina. Pastor Daimon L. King opened the gathering by asking the Lord to grant both "integrity and honesty" to the event, while also petitioning for divine intervention to right various wrongs that he stated had been "hammered down on the conservative movement."

While religious invocations are a standard staple of political campaign stops throughout North Carolina, the background of the pastor leading the prayer quickly drew attention. According to state criminal databases and court records, the 60-year-old King is listed on the official sex offender registry following two separate prison sentences for convictions related to minors.

King's criminal record dates back approximately three decades to when he worked as a marching band assistant at a high school located outside Raleigh. During that period, authorities charged him with statutory rape as well as taking indecent liberties, culminating in his conviction and subsequent incarceration.

The development emerges at a critical juncture in the election cycle, taking place just two months before voters head to the polls. The battle between Whatley and his Democratic challenger, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, represents a marquee Senate race that is widely expected to determine which political party secures majority control of the chamber.

The presence of King at the campaign stop threatens to complicate Whatley’s primary campaign platform. Throughout the race, the Republican nominee has repeatedly centered his messaging on criminal justice themes, attempting to persuade voters that Cooper has adopted a soft-on-crime approach during his years in public service.

In addition, the episode arrives amidst an aggressive advertising push by Democrats focused on Whatley’s prior associations. Democratic campaigns and groups have already been broadcasting advertisements targeting the Republican candidate's connections to Harvey L. West Jr., another former Republican Party official who is a convicted sex offender.

When asked about the gathering, Whatley’s campaign moved to distance the nominee from the pastor, stating that the candidate had no personal relationship with King. Campaign spokesman DJ Griffin clarified that the campaign neither organized the rally nor drew up the invitation list, explaining that King had been invited directly by the event’s organizers with the Craven County Republican Party.

The Whatley campaign did not make the candidate available for an interview to address the incident. Attempts to reach leadership officials within the Craven County Republican Party for comment were unsuccessful, and King did not provide responses to inquiries regarding his role in the program.

Whatley previously built a long career within state and national party machinery before launching his bid for the Senate. He presided over the North Carolina Republican Party as state chairman from 2019 until Donald Trump chose him to lead the Republican National Committee in 2024. Whatley later stepped down from the top RNC position to enter the Senate race at Trump’s urging.

The incident could create friction for Whatley among the GOP’s conservative base, according to Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper, who shares no relation to the former governor. The analyst observed that the candidate has faced challenges unifying the far right of the party, suggesting that public revelations of this nature will only make solidifying that support more difficult.

Grassroots conservatives have shown heightened sensitivity toward allegations of sexual misconduct and institutional wrongdoing, particularly following intense pressure from Trump’s base that led the president to sign legislation releasing government records regarding the late Jeffrey Epstein. Those disclosures regarding Epstein’s connections with elite business and political figures amplified long-standing suspicions that had circulated on the political right.

In New Bern, King has cultivated an increasingly prominent profile within local party politics. Leading the New Beginnings Celebration church, he presents himself as a pro-Trump Black conservative and has served as a Craven County GOP precinct chairman. Through YouTube sermons, he has denounced what he terms "fake news," praised Trump, and delivered what he characterizes as the unvarnished word of God.

The rally in New Bern also featured Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former television host currently serving as the Trump administration’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In video footage published by Whatley's campaign on X, formerly Twitter, King stood directly behind Whatley and Oz as they spoke out against healthcare fraud, with the pastor nodding in agreement and offering a double thumbs-up.

The following day, King shared his reaction to the rally on his church’s Facebook page, writing that the room was filled with patriotism and prayer during the Pledge of Allegiance. He added an enthusiastic endorsement, declaring that he and his congregation are fully behind Whatley’s senatorial campaign.