Political Beat Preview: NC District 55

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — There will be a new representative in District 55, which represents Anson and Union counties.

Republican Mark Brody opted not to run for reelection. Three Republicans are vying to take his spot: Republican activist John Powell, businessman Richard Miller, and Union County commissioner Clancy Baucom.

The Political Beat’s Joe Bruno talked to all three candidates.

Clancy Baucom gave a tour of his farm. He’s in the nursery business and grows shade and ornamental trees. 90 percent of them stay in the Charlotte area. He says he is Union County through and through

“I’ve been in this district 61 years, but that’s how old I am. I grew up in the district,” Baucom said. “We grew up farming over on Morgan Mill Road. We had a feed mill. We were raised hogs, and we had row crops, and that’s what we that’s what we did for a living. I often tell people I grew up in a feed meal, and it was a great it was a great childhood.”

He is a Union County commissioner, and he says his farming background will be beneficial in the General Assembly.

“Something that would set me aside from the others, is have a very close relationship with agricultural community; all the farmers in the area, I know them. Agriculture is such an important part of this district, and we have to, on the board of commissioners and at the General Assembly, I would bring one component of knowing agriculture and knowing How important it is to preserve it,” said Baucom.

This is Baucom’s first foray into elected office, but he has been behind the scenes. His cousin, Stony Rushing, was a longtime Union County commissioner and former congressional candidate before he passed. The Union County Republican Party wanted Baucom to replace Rushing on the commission, but the vote deadlocked. He later was appointed to the commission when Commissioner Richard Helms resigned due to health reasons.

He says his time on the commission prepares him well for Raleigh.

“Let me say this, being a county commissioner, I think is a great springboard for the General Assembly because I know the struggles at that level, and plus, I have colleagues on the Union County Board, and I have colleagues or good friends on the Anson County Board,” Baucom said.

John Powell is Republican through and through. A longtime GOP activist, if there’s a GOP event happening, odds are you’ll see him there. His 2015 race for Charlotte City Council at large was closer than any Republican has gotten for that seat in more than a decade. He lost by around 250 after tens of thousands of votes were cast.

“I pray about this all the time, because if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If this is my path, I’m great,” Powell said. “I’m ready to serve. I want to serve. I feel like I’m called to serve. But if it’s not, God has a path for me. So that’s why I don’t stress about any of this. I’m really at peace with whatever’s going on.”

He says he is ready to commit himself to that hard work. He is retired now. He says that will allow himself to treat this position as a full-time job.

“I’ve served in so many capacities, but people know me, and I have a I feel like I have a good reputation. People tell me I do because I’m willing to work hard, you know. And they say it,” Powell said. “I think what really sets me apart is this. I’ll be real careful how I say this when I decided to do this, you know, it’s a part-time job. No, for me, it’s full time. You know, you can’t go up to Raleigh for two days out of the week and think you’re done when you have other things to do, other distractions. I’m blessed because, you know, I’m retired now, I can give that undivided attention to the constituents, to Anson and to Union County.”

This is Richard Miller’s second run for the seat. He lives in a rural part of the district and says he understands the need for critical infrastructure investment.

“I’m not a Raleigh Insider. I do not plan on working with lobbyists or special interests. So I feel like I can focus more on the people. And I feel like, over the years, that a lot of parts of Union and Anson County have been looked over by the state,” Miller said.

He now uses Starlink, but up until last year, he still had to rely on dial-up internet.

He says he is running for this seat as an outsider solely focused on getting improvements for Union and Anson Counties

“I’m doing it on a shoestring budget, financing it all myself. I’m sure not doing it for the money. I mean, I think you make $15,000. Yeah, I literally will be losing money to do this. But, you know, I have a little girl, and I want to see that area thrive and grow for everybody. So that is why I’m running, you know, and it’s scary, it’s exciting, and it’s terrifying,” Miller said. “You know, you’re putting yourself out there in front of like you said, everybody, but there comes a point where you stop complaining and do something, you know.”

Miller says he is ready to focus on jobs, traffic, internet expansion and school safety

“Like I said, not an insider, and not owing anybody favors, I feel that I can go up there and say, Look, we need money, you know, and I have a little more power, because I don’t. I’m not embedded with somebody else, you know. And and I can’t see, I can’t see a change coming, to be honest with you, the same people have been running Union County for 25-30, years, you know,” Miller said.

Powell says his long-standing relationships with Republican leaders will help him effectively push his top priorities, public safety, economic development and preserving Anson and Union County’s character

“I think the strength that brings me to doing this and wanting to do this. I’ve already built these relationships on both sides of the aisle. Up in Raleigh, people are saying, you know, the Mecklenburg contingency came up and said, Are you here now? I said, No, no, haven’t, haven’t run yet,” Powell said. “So you know, I want to have, you know, the opportunity to be a strong voice for my community, for Union and Anson County and fight for what we need to have, you know, done.”

Baucom says his lifelong ties to the district give him a unique perspective to advocate for the area’s needs

THE WINNER OF THIS GOP PRIMARY WILL FACE JOHN KIRKPATRICK THE FOURTH IN THE GENERAL ELECTION IN THIS REPUBLICAN FAVORED DISTRICT.

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