{{Short description|American political activist (1960–2025)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Greg Brannon | image = Greg Brannon (9911612105) (cropped).jpg | birth_date = {{birth date|1960|8|17}} | birth_place = Inglewood, California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2025|07|27|1960|8|17}} | death_place = | party = Republican | spouse = {{marriage|Jody Brannon|1988}} | children = 7 | alma_mater = University of Southern California (B.S.)<br>Chicago Medical School (M.D.) | profession = Physician (ret.)<br> Medical director | website = }}
'''Gregory J. Brannon''' (August 17, 1960 – July 27, 2025) was an American physician, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, and political activist. A native of Los Angeles, California, Brannon was a graduate of the University of Southern California and Chicago Medical School. After completing his residency, Brannon established a private obstetrics practice in Cary, North Carolina.
An ally of the Tea Party movement, Brannon unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the 2014 and the 2016 elections. He came in second place both times, losing the 2014 race to Thom Tillis and the 2016 race to Richard Burr.<ref name=2019CivilJudgment/>
==Early life and education== Brannon was born in Inglewood, California, on August 17, 1960.<ref name=AP2014Sets>[https://journalnow.com/news/state/brannon-again-sets-goal-this-time-for-us-senate/article_35019562-e17b-58a7-867a-23e3930f1027.html Brannon again sets goal, this time for US Senate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402011415/https://journalnow.com/news/state/brannon-again-sets-goal-this-time-for-us-senate/article_35019562-e17b-58a7-867a-23e3930f1027.html |date=2023-04-02 }}, Associated Press (March 30, 2014).</ref> Brannon was raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Los Angeles.<ref name=AP2014Sets/>
Brannon received his bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California in 1982, his medical degree from Chicago Medical School in 1988, and completed his residency at University of Southern California Women's Hospital, Los Angeles, in 1992.<ref name="sfgate1">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Republican-Greg-Brannon-s-life-at-a-glance-5359578.php |title=Republican Thom Tillis' life at a glance |accessdate=March 30, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406161038/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Republican-Greg-Brannon-s-life-at-a-glance-5359578.php |archivedate=April 6, 2014 }}</ref>
==Medical and business career== After completing his residency, Brannon served as assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of North Carolina School of Medicine, with work at Wake Area Health Education Center.<ref name="sfgate1"/> He was an ob-gyn in Cary, North Carolina,<ref name=2019CivilJudgment>Gary D. Robertson, [https://apnews.com/article/0c7446111102428f8f2ca90614d68137 NC Supreme Court upholds civil judgment against Brannon], Associated Press (May 10, 2019).</ref> having entered private practice in 1993.<ref name=AP2014Sets/> He retired from the practice in 2020, moving on to serve as the medical director for a company in the southeastern US specializing in hormone replacement therapy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=wissam-sharkieh |date=2021-11-02 |title=Greg Brannon, MD., FACOG - Optimal Bio |url=https://optimalbio.com/teams/dr-greg-brannon/ |access-date=2023-11-02 |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102171453/https://optimalbio.com/teams/dr-greg-brannon/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In a February 2014 civil trial, a jury determined that Brannon made false and misleading statements to potential investors of a technology company, which later went out of business.<ref name=AP2014Sets/><ref name=2019CivilJudgment/> Brannon, who was a board member of the company, Neogence Enterprises, and was ordered to pay $250,000 to the investors, plus $132,000 in attorney fees and court costs.<ref name=2019CivilJudgment/> The jury verdict damaged Brannon's 2014 primary campaign for the U.S. Senate.<ref name=AP2014Sets/> The civil judgment against Brannon was upheld by the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2016 and by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2019.<ref name=2019CivilJudgment/>
== Political activism == A staunch critic of President Barack Obama, Brannon was an early leader in the Tea Party movement in North Carolina.<ref name=AP2014Sets/> He was strongly anti-abortion.<ref name=AP2014Sets/> He opposed the Affordable Care Act, asserting that the law "attacks the fabric" of constitutional rights, and favors a largely unregulated health care market.<ref name=AP2014Sets/> He supported a return to the gold standard and a phase-out of Social Security.<ref name=AP2014Sets/>
In 2012, Brannon urged a vote for a third-party president candidate over Republican nominee Mitt Romney, asserting that "Casting a vote for either Obama or Romney will advance tyranny since both candidates are committed statists who despise the Constitution."<ref name="Morill">Jim Morill, [https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article9103082.html GOP hopeful said vote for Mitt Romney was vote for 'tyranny'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517220437/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article9103082.html |date=2020-05-17 }}, ''Charlotte Observer'' (March 10, 2014).</ref> Brannon's comments garnered scrutiny in his 2014 Republican primary campaign.<ref name="AP2014Sets" /><ref name="Morill" /> During his 2016 primary campaign, Brannon said he would work to abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), asserting that the agency was unconstitutional; during his campaign, Brannon acknowledged that he owed $175,000 in tax debt to the agency.<ref>Tim Funk, [https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article61385937.html In second run for Senate, Brannon hopes to tap into anger at Washington establishment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102124149/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article61385937.html |date=2019-01-02 }}, ''Charlotte Observer'' (February 19, 2016).</ref>
=== 2014 U.S. Senate campaign === In 2013, Brannon announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to challenge incumbent Kay Hagan. He won the endorsements of FreedomWorks, U.S. Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul, and RedState's Erick Erickson.<ref>[https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article10296878.html Utah Sen. Mike Lee endorses Greg Brannon in contested Senate primary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106010444/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article10296878.html |date=2018-11-06 }}, ''News & Observer'' (March 6, 2014).</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://projects.newsobserver.com/node/28153 |title=RedState's Erickson bashes Tillis bid, backs Greg Brannon|date=August 6, 2013|newspaper=News & Observer|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20140606152301/http://projects.newsobserver.com/node/28153 |archivedate=2014-06-06 }}</ref><ref>Katie Glueck, [https://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/freedomworks-greg-brannon-north-carolina-103128 FreedomWorks backs Brannon], ''Politico'' (February 4, 2014).</ref>
Brannon lost the primary to Thom Tillis, the speaker of the state House.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/thom-tillis-wins-north-carolina-gop-senate-nomination-n98836 Thom Tillis Wins North Carolina GOP Senate Nomination] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222224506/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/thom-tillis-wins-north-carolina-gop-senate-nomination-n98836 |date=2021-12-22 }}, NBC News (May 6, 2014).</ref><ref name=NYT2014>[https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2014/results/primaries/north-carolina North Carolina Primary Election Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224161631/https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2014/results/primaries/north-carolina |date=2021-02-24 }}, ''New York Times'' (2014).</ref> Tillis received about 46% of the vote, Brannon about 27%, and Baptist pastor Mark Harris about 17.5%.<ref name=NYT2014/>
=== 2016 U.S. Senate campaign === In December 2015, Brannon announced he would again run for the U.S. Senate in the 2016 election, challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Richard Burr in the Republican primary.<ref>Bertrand M. Gutiérrez, [https://journalnow.com/news/elections/carys-greg-brannon-files-for-u-s-senate-against-republican-incumbent-richard-burr/article_98bbeb7b-5a2f-5c71-97b9-f2bd5ed15775.html Cary's Greg Brannon files for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Richard Burr] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402011414/https://journalnow.com/news/elections/carys-greg-brannon-files-for-u-s-senate-against-republican-incumbent-richard-burr/article_98bbeb7b-5a2f-5c71-97b9-f2bd5ed15775.html |date=2023-04-02 }}, ''Winston-Salem Journal'' (December 21, 2015).</ref> He lost to Burr in the 2016 Republican primary.<ref name=AP2014Sets/> Burr received about 61% of the vote, while Brannon received about 25%.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/primaries/north-carolina North Carolina Primary Results], ''New York Times'' (2016).</ref>
Brannon later launched a weekly conservative talk radio show.<ref name=2019CivilJudgment/>
==Personal life and death== Brannon and his wife, Jody, had seven children, three of whom are adopted.<ref name=AP2014Sets/> As a young adult, he became an evangelical Christian.<ref name=AP2014Sets/>
Brannon died at his home on July 27, 2025, at the age of 64.<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 August 2025 |title=Funeral held for Dr. Greg Brannon, North Carolina tea party favorite and ex-Senate candidate |url=https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-greg-brannon-physician-senate-candidate-d7f979783fef4b5a476838e278734ef2 |access-date=6 August 2025 |work=AP News}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Portal bar|Politics|United States}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brannon, Greg}} Category:1960 births Category:2025 deaths Category:20th-century American medical doctors Category:20th-century evangelicals Category:21st-century American medical doctors Category:21st-century evangelicals Category:Activists from Los Angeles Category:Civil rights activists from California Category:Activists from North Carolina Category:American evangelicals Category:American gun rights activists Category:American libertarians Category:American political candidates Category:American radio hosts Category:Homeschooling advocates Category:Monetary reformers Category:North Carolina Republicans Category:Medical doctors from Los Angeles Category:Medical doctors from North Carolina Category:Tea Party movement activists Category:University of Southern California alumni