State elections officials agreed Wednesday to delay a legal hearing on the eligibility of a Republican running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, who is alleged to live out of state.
Elections officials have been investigating whether Margot Dupre is actually a Florida resident following a complaint by Jerry Reinoehl, a Fayetteville Republican, suggesting that she might be living in Marion County, Florida, near Orlando, and that she last voted in Florida in the April 1, 2025, primary election.
Dupre, one of seven Republicans seeking to replace retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, has denied the allegation. She told WRAL in a previous interview that she’s a North Carolina resident. In a subsequent written statement, she said has a home address in North Carolina, but she declined to share what it is. Her voter registration lists her home as being a UPS store.
During Wednesday’s hearing she again declined to provide proof the she’s a North Carolina resident, saying she only learned of this challenge a week ago when WRAL called her to ask about it, and that she hasn’t had enough time to hire a lawyer. A state board staffer said he first emailed Dupre two weeks ago, and followed up with multiple other emails and phone calls, but never received an answer. Dupre indicated she missed the earlier attempts to contact her.
“A simple one-week notice is not enough time,” Dupre told the elections board Wednesday, asking for the hearing to be delayed to give her more time to prepare a defense.
People don’t have a right to a lawyer in an administrative hearing like the one the board held Wednesday. But the board voted to grant the continuance anyway, to give Dupre time to find a lawyer.
Board chairman Francis De Luca, a Republican, didn’t want to give Dupre extra time but was out-voted by the rest of the board.
“If continuances are granted for traffic tickets, I think this is a matter that’s extremely significant,” said board member Jeff Carmon, a Democrat, who proposed the continuance for Dupre.
Candidates for office must be North Carolina residents. Dupre swore she was, under penalty of perjury, when she registered to run for office during the candidate filing period in December. State law requires anyone registering to vote to list their home address or, if they’re homeless, to describe where they typically stay.
Board members had several questions for Dupre Wednesday, but she met them with silence, after having previously told them she wouldn’t provide further details.
“I will not be able to make any further statements nor answer any questions at this time,” she had said.
When she filed to run for office, she listed her address as 601 S. Kings Drive in Charlotte. That’s the address of a UPS store next to a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in a strip mall just outside Charlotte’s city center. She also lists the same address as being her home residence on her voter registration.
While some people receive their mail at post office boxes, it’s state law that people register to vote where they live, not where they pick up their mail. If people don’t get their mail at their house, they’re supposed to list both locations.
Dupre said she doesn’t think she’s breaking any laws by listing her home address as a UPS store. “I am following all applicable State and Federal laws,” she said in her statement. “I do not appreciate someone trying to smear me and my campaign efforts by suggesting otherwise. I will be in attendance at the hearing to defend myself.”
In her brief comments at the hearing, Dupre said she believe the challenge against her was politically motivated.
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