There may be a RINO on the loose in North Carolina.
Niqab-wearing LaKeshia M. Alston is running as the only Republican for the state Senate’s 22nd district seat — despite being a lifelong Democrat.
With little known about her policy leanings, the 39-year-old sparked outrage the moment the Durham County Board of Elections listed her as a candidate on Dec. 17, just two days before the enrollment deadline.
The board’s initial post declaring her candidacy was accompanied by two head-turning pictures of Alston. One of the snaps showed her face completely covered except for her eyes in a Niqab, while she appeared smiling in the second photo with only her hair concealed by a hijab.
She has claimed her unexpected party switch was the result of a political awakening, previously telling the Daily Caller that she has “converted” to Republican. But conservatives across the state believe she has an ulterior motive.
North Carolina has semi-closed primaries, meaning unaffiliated voters can cast their ballots for either party. Skeptics believe Alston has taken advantage of this policy for the March election.
“NOTHING about this appears to be organic, genuine, or grassroots. Rather, it looks like a deliberate attempt to manipulate the primary and undermine the Republican Party from within,” one passionate conservative declared on a Facebook.
Conservatives believe Alston is pulling the stunt to maintain the area’s liberal stronghold and hinder the chances of a strong Republican challenger entering the race.
Essentially, the GOP has speculated that Alston is merely a placeholder that will allow a Democrat to assume the Senate seat once again without breaking a sweat.
Alston is up against the district’s incumbent, Sophia Chitlik, and former Durham city councilmember DeDreana Freeman, who are both Democrats.
Chitlik won the seat by a landslide in the 2024 general election, securing 86% of the vote against her libertarian opponent, Ray Ubinger.
According to the county’s election board, roughly 124,500 voters are Democrats and 86,000 are unaffiliated. Less than 23,400 voters were Republican as of March 2024.
North Carolina requires candidates to have been aligned with their party for 90 days to file for candidacy.
Public records indicate that she voted for a Republican in the October 2025 primary election, but voted for Democrats in 2024.
“I am calling on all NC General Assembly members in the Legislature and Senate to pass an immediate bill to close primaries in NC,” Robert Burns, the Republican mayor of Monroe, wrote on X.
He elaborated on Facebook: “Partisan elections are crucial, but leftists will always try to find a way around them with the MASSIVE sway away from the Democrat Party.”
The Post was unsuccessful in its attempts to reach Alston via phone and email.
