Political Bio
I’m so cool I get TWO badges! Take that fledgling one badge holders. Bwahaha! …oh man, Washington power is starting to take hold. Get me out of here!
Christian Hine recalls waving a Ronald Reagan for President sign while meeting Vice-President Bush during the New Hampshire primary as his first political memory. He was 7 years old at the time and hasn’t stopped waving the banner of Conservative philosophy since.
A 1999 Cum Laude graduate of UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business, Christian was an active participant in the College Republicans. He rose through the ranks to attain the Chairmanship for the 1998-1999 school year.
An interest in global politics led Christian through six years of Model UN (two in High School, four in College) where he won both individual and team awards for debate and resolution writing as well as becoming the recipient of the Edward Collins Scholarship for distinguished service to the UNC Charlotte team.
The Right Worshipful The Lord Mayor of Swansea, Wales, Gareth Williams
A semester abroad at the highly ranked University of Wales, Swansea allowed Christian the opportunity to serve an internship with the City/County Government of Swansea. Highlighting this experience was Christian being asked to deliver a report on the importance of constituent service during a meeting of the City Directors.
After graduation, Christian continued with GOP activism as part of the Young Republicans. During the 2000 elections, he volunteered full time with the Bush campaign and numerous local and regional candidates. The respect and name recognition he gained as someone to count on set up a very busy 2001.
In early 2001, Christian was appointed the Executive Director of the North Carolina Federation of Young Republicans at the organization’s State Convention. Shortly thereafter, he became a founding member and co-chair of Charlotteans Opposed to Sports Taxes with former Charlotte City Council member Don Reid and fellow activist Charles Held. Against all odds and outspent roughly 25 to 1, the group defeated the Charlotte Arena referendum through a vigorous grassroots campaign.
On the same day as the Arena vote, Christian was awarded the 2001 Activist of the Year award by North Carolina Citizens for a Sound Economy for his efforts during the 2000 election cycle.
In 2002, Christian became the Vice Chair of the Mecklenburg Young Republicans and served as the County Chairman for Jim Snyder’s run for US Senate. He again volunteered countless hours before the November elections to help a wide range of candidates win election. In February he was asked to help with the visit of then President George W. Bush by driving in the Presidential Motorcade from Air Force One to each of Bush’s two stops in Charlotte that day.
Presidential Limo at Wilson Air Center
In 2003, Christian was elected Chairman of the Mecklenburg Young Republicans. In March he co-chaired Charlotte’s Rally for America Committee and astonished many by organizing in three days a “support the troops” rally which drew 300 in attendance despite rain and temperatures in the 40’s.
In 2004, Christian provided consulting services for several North Carolina General Assembly candidates including House Representatives Jeff Barnhart, Mark Hilton, Minority Leader Joe Kiser, and Senator Eddie Goodall. He also acted as campaign manager for district 88 candidate Mark Hollo. He guided Mr. Hollo to victory in a four way GOP primary battle (without need for a runoff) and ultimately took the seat against his Democratic opponent.
The Joe Kiser race was of particular interest to many. In order to combat an onslaught of negative local press (his opponent was publisher of the News at Norman newspaper) Christian and his business partners at the time literally fought fire with fire by forming their own newspaper, the Lincoln Tribune. Paid for with advertising dollars from various candidates and businesses, the Tribune published 5000 papers twice monthly and distributed them free of charge into targeted precincts via direct mail. During its short run as a publication, it’s website attracted a national readership when Rush Limbaugh read on air an essay by aspiring columnist John Pleknic, a friend of Christian’s from the Nathan Tabor for Congress campaign.
Christian also became a familiar voice on WZRH radio as a morning co-host of the popular Z-crew morning show in Gastonia, North Carolina.
In 2006, Christian returned to South Carolina. As an avid supporter of the FairTax, he and fellow activist Coit Morrison established York County for Fair Taxation. The group seeks to have an impact on local races by growing a dedicated army of FairTax supporters who will rally behind pro-FairTax candidates.
Mike Huckabee in Columbia, SC
In 2007, Christian began SaveTalkRadio.com. He strayed from it’s original purpose and quickly turned it into one of the first blogs supportive of GOP Presidential Primary candidate Mike Huckabee. Excerpts from stories written by Christian appeared multiple times on the official Mike Huckabee for President website. Through the networking brought about by that exposure, Christian became one of the first 100 members of Huck’s Army (hucksarmy.com) and soon became a moderator and administrator of that web forum. His leadership with Huck’s Army was one of the most valuable experiences he has had to date. Newspapers from all over the country, including the New York Times, conducted interviews with Christian regarding Huck’s Army campaign efforts. There were also interviews with CNN, the BBC, and television stations from across the globe.
After a brief hiatus from politics, Christian returned to North Carolina politics in 2010 when he co-founded PunditHouse.com with the former editor of the Charlotte Rhinoceros Times, Mark Pellin. With Mark providing local political news coverage and Christian building the brand via activist group participation, PunditHouse quickly gained readership.
Early on, PunditHouse received the support of WBT talkshow host Pete Kaliner. Pete welcomed the duo on air on Wednesday’s for the “House Report”, an hour long segment covering stories featured on the website throughout the week.
PunditHouse also has achieved “news partner” status with the Charlotte Observer. Stories featured on the site often appear on the Charlotte Observer website’s front page.
In 2012, Christian became the Mecklenburg County Campaign Chair for now Lt. Governor Dan Forest. He also co-created the statewide campaign strategy with manager and now Chief of Staff Hal Weatherman. Part of his duties included a county by county assessment of potential voters and the creation of voter contact lists based on voting history and demographics. A solid tea party base and wildly exuberant activism propelled Forest through a tough primary, a runoff, the first general election, and a potential recount.
Christian was elected President of the Charlotte Tea Party, a group called CAUTION, in January of 2013. The organization has been very active in fighting growth of local government.
Endorsements: (Years old at this point, want to reach out and get some more…)
“Christian Hine has a demonstrated ability to organize and mobilize Conservatives to accomplish great things. He gets the job done.”
US House Representative Sue Myrick
“Mr. Hine is a focused, creative professional who understands the
importance of meeting organization objectives. He has consistently
demonstrated a commitment to excellence. Any organization, political or
otherwise, would benefit from his work ethic and attention to detail.”
NC Court of Appeals Judge Eric Levinson
“When working with Christian on campaigns, I’ve always found him to be a dedicated worker and very reliable.”
State Senator Fern Shubert
“Christian has worked tirelessly to promote grass root Conservative Republican values and hold elected officials accountable. He is an asset to the Republican cause and continues to work hard in his efforts as a Republican activist”. “We are fortunate to have him working at the grassroots level.”
State House Member John Rhodes
“Christian Hine has been a valuable asset in both my Board of Education and County Commission races and a major reason that we have been successful at true grass roots campaigning.”
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Jim Puckett
“Christian Hine is one of the brightest, most talented young men in our area. Christian is honest, dependable and responsible—a man you can count on to complete a job and do it well.”
Former Charlotte City Councilman Don Reid