Registered Sex Offender's Prayer at Michael Whatley Campaign Event Sparks Scrutiny in North Carolina Senate Race

A recent campaign stop for North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley has drawn intense political scrutiny after the event opened with a prayer delivered by a convicted sex offender. The invocation, delivered before attendees at a county gathering, quickly became a flashpoint in an already fiercely contested battle for control of the upper chamber of Congress.

The prayer was led by 60-year-old Daimon L. King, who called upon God to grant honesty and integrity to the political gathering. King, who pastors a local ministry, also asked for divine intervention to correct what he characterized as grievances and injustices that had been unfairly directed against the modern conservative movement.

While religious invocations are standard fixtures at political events across the state, public records reveal a troubling criminal past for the man selected to lead the prayer. King is a registered sex offender who has served two prison sentences resulting from convictions that involved children, according to state administrative and court documentation.

Decades prior to his involvement in local politics, King worked as a high school marching band assistant in an area just outside of Raleigh. During that period roughly thirty years ago, he faced formal charges including statutory rape along with taking indecent liberties with a minor.

The emergence of King's criminal record comes at a critical juncture in the campaign, occurring just two months ahead of an election that could determine the balance of power in the United States Senate. Whatley is locked in a high-stakes contest against his Democratic opponent, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, in one of the most closely watched races in the nation.

The controversy directly threatens a central pillar of Whatley's campaign strategy, which has relied heavily on accusing Cooper of being soft on law enforcement and criminal justice issues. Having a convicted sex offender take a prominent role on stage complicates the Republican candidate's ability to present himself as the uncompromising law-and-order choice in the race.

Furthermore, the episode provides fresh material for Democratic organizers and allied groups, who have already launched extensive advertising blitzes attacking Whatley. Those campaign advertisements have focused on Whatley's previous ties to Harvey L. West Jr., a former Republican official who is also a convicted sex offender.

In response to the incident, Whatley's campaign attempted to distance the candidate from the pastor and the event's planning process. Campaign spokesman DJ Griffin stated that Whatley had no prior personal relationship with King and did not invite him to participate in the gathering.

Griffin emphasized that the event was entirely arranged and managed by the Craven County Republican Party rather than Whatley's campaign staff. Representatives from the local Craven County party organization could not be reached to clarify how King was selected to deliver the opening blessing, while King himself did not respond to requests for comment.

Whatley entered the Senate race after spending years rising through the ranks of the Republican party apparatus. He served as the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party starting in 2019 and was later elevated to chair the Republican National Committee in 2024 with the backing of Donald Trump, before stepping down from the national post at Trump's urging to seek the Senate seat.

The controversial appearance occurred on August 28 during a rally hosted inside the Craven County Republican Party headquarters located in the coastal community of New Bern. In addition to Whatley, the gathering featured Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former television host who currently serves as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Trump administration.

Following the rally, Whatley's campaign posted video footage on the social media platform X showing both Whatley and Oz addressing the audience about alleged fraud within the medical establishment. Throughout the presentation, King positioned himself clearly in the frame behind the speakers, nodding his head in approval and gesturing with a double thumbs-up toward the crowd.

King, who leads the New Beginnings Celebration church in New Bern, has established an increasingly public footprint within regional political circles. Presenting himself as a pro-Trump Black conservative, he has previously served as a local precinct chairman for the Craven County GOP and regularly posts sermons online decrying mainstream media while praising Trump.

The day after the New Bern rally, King took to his congregation's social media page to praise the event's patriotic energy and prayerful atmosphere. In his online message, the pastor affirmed that both he and his church assembly offered their complete and enthusiastic endorsement for Whatley's senatorial bid.

Political analysts note that the incident could create friction among base voters whose support Whatley needs to solidify. Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University who is unrelated to the Democratic candidate, observed that far-right conservatives have not completely unified behind Whatley, and associations with convicted offenders could worsen that divide.

The professor pointed out that conservative grassroots voters have shown acute sensitivity to sexual misconduct issues, particularly following public demands that led Trump to sign transparency legislation regarding the files of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein. In a political environment where institutional scrutiny runs high, ties to convicted individuals risk alienating crucial conservative factions in the closing weeks of the election.