The Political Beat Candidate Guide: North Carolina State Senate District 41

Senate District 41 includes areas from central and west Mecklenburg County to Plaza Midwood.

Incumbent Democrat Caleb Theodros and Republican Kevin Gray are vying for the seat.

Theodros did not respond to our candidate guide questionnaire.

If we receive his response, we will post it here.

Kevin Gray (R)

Why are you running?

I am running to represent the common sense citizen, to let them know they have a voice in Charlotte. In my 42 years of living in major cities and working on both sides of the political aisle, I’ve seen how what policies corrode communities over time, up close. Growing up in a Black conservative household and tight-knit community, I lived out the formula that took working class families like my own, to the middle and upper-middle class, without the help of government. That formula is what I want to inject into our politics. At that same time, Democrats proved to me that their leadership leads to a rise in crime, substandard education, children being harmed, homelessness rising, cost of living rising, and overall quality of life declining. Charlotte is too amazing of a city for me to sit back and watch this predicted decline without stepping up and being a canary in the coal mine with the lived experience to be a voice for what our communities truly need.

Are you in favor of the three constitutional amendments on North Carolina’s ballot? Why or why not?

Voting YES for all three amendments is the common sense way to go! Working and middle class North Carolinians should definitely want to KEEP TAXES LOW! That 3% doesn’t sound high, until you realize that’s the percentage of your income that goes to your phone bill. Why give that to Uncle Sam? Protecting our elections through voter ID is a no-brainer as well. An 85/15 issue. I will not let common senses policies go the way of the asterisk of an issue because special interests groups are paid to make a fuss about them.

What should the state do about data centers?

The state should educate the public on data centers, and leave it to local jurisdictions to decide. They aren’t for every community, but they will benefit some. However, as I talk one-on-one to voters, data centers are not a personal priority. It’s a news headline. They’re way more concerned with the decline in safety in our streets. When I ride the light rail, the potential nuisance of data center noise is not on my mind. The lack of security in our city and rise in the mental health crisis, is. We should be talking about what the state should do about safety in our big cities.

CMS has faced numerous controversies over the past month. What, if anything, should state lawmakers do?

It’s time to clean house, for our children’s sake! CMS is under investigation by the State Auditor, SBI, and FBI. I’m not prejudging the outcome, but if the allegations prove true, the General Assembly must step in. Current law lets the State Board seize the district’s finances, but it wouldn’t be able to remove the elected school board. North Carolina needs the power to dissolve a board that fails its students, parents, and taxpayers, through more reconstitution authority. I would sponsor that legislation.

What legislation will you pursue to bring down costs?

Bring down taxes! When taxes increase, your bank account shrinks. When your bank account shrinks, prices don’t shrink…and everyday purchases become more costly to you. Lawmakers can easily lower costs by lowering taxes. Mecklenburg just experienced an increase in taxes, which made our trips to the grocery store more expensive! Plus, with the amount of local corruption we’ve seen in recent years, giving even more money to this government would personally make me feel complicit in lining the pockets of fraudsters and scammers. Don’t get fleeced by politicians who say they want to make things more affordable, by taking more of your money. It literally makes no sense!

What sets you apart from your opponent?

”Woven into the American fabric” is what comes to mind. And undoubtedly, I come from a long line of American weavers. My (Harris/McWhirter) roots in the piedmont region date back to the early 1700s. We’ve helped make this area the beautiful and unique place that it is today through business and land ownership, conservative Godly values, civil service, and understanding how fortunate we are to add value to American society in any capacity we see fit…because we know it gives back in return. In my mid 20s, I didn’t honor that legacy. I succumbed to left wing propaganda and revisionist history, and saw socialist policies I pushed for degrade the Black community in particular. Thankfully, I had a history to look to and see better outcomes. My opponent doesn’t have the legacy and wisdom to fall back on to see how Democrats and leftist policies have stagnated and hurt the Black community in every era of history when everything around him is blaming White people and republicans for holding us back. I see right through it. TLDR: I’ve lived the American dream, and I’ve seen what turns America into a nightmare. My opponent hasn’t.