IFN Staff

The Iredell Republican Patriot Men on Thursday announced that it had endorsed three candidates for this fall’s Statesville municipal election.

The group is backing Brian Summers for mayor, Trey Robertson for councilman at-large, and John Staford for the Ward 5 seat.  

“We must change the trajectory of Statesville. The current decisions on annexation, housing, and infrastructure are unsustainable and put our future at risk,” Iredell Republican Patriot Men’s President President Michael Moorefield said in a news release. “It’s time to elect leaders who will stand firm on conservative principles—prioritizing responsible growth, protecting taxpayers, and ensuring a stronger, more sustainable Statesville.”

Summers is one of five candidates running for mayor. He was defeated by long-time Mayor Costi Kutteh in the 2022 mayoral race. During that campaign, a former head of the Iredell County GOP and the president of the Statesville Branch NAACP both said they had determined that Summers had previously turned Black voters away from the polls. Summers also created a stir in March 2024 when he referred to combat-wounded veteran and Purple Heart Homes founder John Gallina — who was running for an N.C. House seat at the time — as “Taliban Johnny” in a social media post in which he inferred Mayor Kutteh was a Muslim extremist.

This is Robertson’s first run for public office in Iredell County. He is one seven candidates running for two at-large seats.

Staford, who is one of four candidates in the Ward 5 race, previously served as the Ward 5 representative on the City Council. He lost his bid for re-election in 2022 to Joe Hudson by less than 100 votes in 2022. Hudson decided not to seek another term.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4. Early voting begins October 16 and runs through November 1.