State Senate District 34 is in Cabarrus County and includes Concord, Harrisburg and Mount Pleasant.
April Cook is the Democratic nominee who will face Republican Kevin Crutchfield this election cycle.
April Cook (D)
Why are you running?
I am running for North Carolina Senate District 34 to bring experienced, service-centered leadership and commonsense solutions to Raleigh. For more than 20 years, I led the Lake Norman Community Health Clinic, helping thousands of uninsured North Carolinians access quality healthcare. Today, as CEO of the NC Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, I advocate for healthcare access statewide.
I’ve seen firsthand how rising costs and legislative decisions affect working families. I’m running to put people over politics, strengthen public schools, make healthcare more affordable, and ensure our government works for the people it serves.
Are you in favor of the three constitutional amendments on North Carolina’s ballot? Why or why not?
Income Tax Amendment: I oppose capping the income tax rate at 3.5% in our Constitution. This would primarily benefit wealthy North Carolinians while limiting future funding for schools, healthcare, and essential services. When Raleigh reduces state revenue, local governments often face pressure to raise property taxes. Working families should not shoulder that burden while the wealthiest receive additional tax breaks.
Property Tax Amendment: I want to carefully evaluate its impact on local government funding, schools, and essential services before taking a position. My priority is providing meaningful tax relief without shifting costs onto working families.
Voter ID Amendment: I oppose this amendment because North Carolina already requires photo identification for voting. Constitutionalizing the requirement is unnecessary and could allow future legislatures to narrow existing exceptions. Election laws should remain flexible enough to protect eligible voters while maintaining election security.
What should the state do about data centers?
Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, and taxpayers should not subsidize their infrastructure costs. I support legislation requiring operators to pay for the additional energy and infrastructure their facilities demand, while protecting local water resources and utility customers.
Local communities must retain meaningful authority over these projects without fear of retaliation. Until adequate protections for ratepayers, natural resources, and local decision-making are established, I support a moratorium on new data centers.
CMS has faced numerous controversies over the past month. What, if anything, should state lawmakers do?
The concerns surrounding CMS deserve transparency and accountability. State lawmakers should establish strong oversight standards for every district receiving taxpayer dollars.
My priority is strengthening Cabarrus County’s public schools. North Carolina’s teachers are underpaid, and our schools remain underfunded. I will advocate for competitive teacher salaries, increased per-pupil funding, smaller class sizes, and expanded student mental health services. NC ranks last in the country in public school funding efforts and 46th in then nation for teacher pay.
I also support restoring income limits on Opportunity Scholarships and ensuring every school receiving taxpayer dollars meets meaningful accountability standards. Our students and teachers must come before corporate tax cuts.
What legislation will you pursue to bring down costs?
Affordability will be one of my top priorities. I will support restoring the earned income tax credit, expanding first-time homebuyer assistance for public servants, eliminating sales taxes on diapers and feminine hygiene products, and protecting consumers from unfair grocery pricing practices.
I will also fight for responsible, timely passed state budgets that adequately fund essential services instead of shifting costs onto local property taxpayers.
Healthcare affordability is equally important. Drawing on more than 30 years of healthcare experience, I will work to fully fund Medicaid, expand community-based and rural healthcare access, improve maternal healthcare access, and help offset rising State Health Plan costs for teachers and state employees.
Families should not have to choose between paying their bills and getting healthcare.
What sets you apart from your opponent?
What sets me apart is my record of service, proven leadership, and commitment to putting people over politics.
For more than 30 years, I’ve worked with community leaders, healthcare providers, and elected officials across party lines to solve problems and improve lives. I’ve managed complex organizations, built partnerships, and delivered results.
I believe public office is a public trust, not an opportunity to advance personal or business interests. I will bring integrity, transparency, and independent judgment to Raleigh, always putting the people of Cabarrus County first.
Kevin Crutchfield (R)
Why are you running?
I’m not doing this for me. I have nine grandchildren, and my goal is to hand them the North Carolina and the America I grew up with.
I built my business, Casco Signs in Concord, from an office in a 1,200-square-foot house where my three boys shared a bedroom. I know what it takes to make a payroll and stretch a dollar, and I know families across Cabarrus County are stretching every dollar right now.
Cabarrus is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. When I served in the North Carolina House, I worked to make sure our roads, water and infrastructure could keep up with that growth. That work isn’t finished. I’m running to keep taxes low, keep our communities safe, and make sure Cabarrus County has a strong voice in Raleigh while we grow.
Are you in favor of the three constitutional amendments on North Carolina’s ballot? Why or why not?
Yes on all three.
Property tax limits: After the 2024 revaluation, a lot of Cabarrus families saw their tax bills jump by hundreds of dollars. I own a business in Concord, and I pay that bill too. This amendment tells the legislature to put guardrails on how fast local governments can raise property taxes. A limit isn’t a freeze. The details get written in the Senate next session, and I want to be at that table making sure they protect homeowners while still funding our schools, deputies and first responders.
Income tax cap: As a House member, I voted to make the first $25,000 of a family’s income tax-free. Lowering the constitutional cap from 7% to 3.5% protects that progress so a future legislature can’t reverse it.
Photo ID: Requiring every voter, in person or by mail, to show a photo ID is common sense, and it gives everyone more confidence in the results.
What should the state do about data centers?
Data centers bring jobs and tax base, and North Carolina should compete for that investment. But they have to pay their own way. A family in Kannapolis or a small business in Concord should never see their power bill go up to cover grid upgrades for a facility that uses as much electricity as a small city.
I support the approach in the Ratepayer Protection Act: large data centers cover the full cost of the new power and transmission they need, they use cooling systems that protect our water supply, neighbors get a say on noise and siting, and no data center in North Carolina is owned by China or another foreign adversary.
Growth is good. Growth that sticks working families with the bill is not.
CMS has faced numerous controversies over the past month, what, if anything, should state lawmakers do?
CMS isn’t in our district, but a lot of Cabarrus families work in Charlotte, and every school district in this state runs on taxpayer dollars. A public fight over how contracts were handled, the superintendent’s firing, a State Auditor review, a request for an SBI investigation, and threats against board members should concern everyone.
First, let the State Auditor and the SBI finish their work and follow the facts. If laws were broken, people should be held accountable. Threats against board members are wrong, period.
Second, school boards set policy, but the legislature writes the rules they operate under. We should tighten those rules statewide: post every district contract above a set amount online, require a public board vote on consulting contracts, close the door on routing work through subcontracts or outside firms to avoid that vote, and require clear conflict-of-interest disclosures.
Third, whatever the adults get wrong, kids shouldn’t pay for it. That’s why I’ve championed Opportunity Scholarships. Parents need options.
What legislation will you pursue to bring down costs?
Families feel it at the gas pump, the grocery store and on the power bill. I’ll focus on the costs the state can actually do something about.
Keep cutting the income tax. As a House member, I voted to make the first $25,000 of a family’s income tax-free, and I want the rate to keep coming down.
Write property tax limits that work. Once voters approve the amendment, the Senate writes the details, and I’ll push for limits that give homeowners real predictability.
Protect power bills by making large data centers pay for the grid upgrades they require.
Bring transparency to health care costs. Hospitals should post real prices before you get care, not after the bill arrives, and families should be protected from aggressive medical debt collection.
Get government out of the way of small businesses. I’ve run one for years, and every hour spent on red tape is an hour not spent serving customers or hiring.
What sets you apart from your opponent?
Resumes matter in this race. I’ve spent my career running a small business in Concord: making payroll, managing debt, and answering to customers.
I’ve also already served Cabarrus County in Raleigh, so you don’t have to guess what I’ll do. You can look at what I’ve done. I helped pass the HOPE Act to fight human trafficking, the work I’m proudest of. My colleagues and I brought home $180 million in appropriations for Cabarrus infrastructure. And I voted to make the first $25,000 of a family’s income tax-free.
I know how the budget process works, I know the people, and I’ll be ready to go to work for Cabarrus County on day one.