Mecklenburg politicians pile into NC races — with a lone Republican. (He’s used to it)
State Rep. John Bradford found himself in a familiar position as he announced a campaign for North Carolina treasurer last month.
Mecklenburg County Democrats have announced bids for lieutenant governor, labor commissioner and state treasurer. And Bradford, a north Mecklenburg Republican, is so far the only GOP candidate in a field of Mecklenburg politicians that’s likely to grow. U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, a Charlotte Republican, is also weighing a run for attorney general, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Bradford — the most well-known Republican in the treasurer race — is launching a campaign focused on maintaining the state’s AAA bond rating, starting an entrepreneurial leadership program for high schoolers and making investments to grow the state’s pension plan. He’s also staying tuned to the emerging race for his 98th District seat in the N.C. House — the only Mecklenburg seat in the chamber represented by a Republican until a seismic party change last month.
“Charlotte is predominantly blue, but the idea that it should be all blue, I don’t think that’s healthy at all,” Bradford said. “I hope this seat can remain with someone with Republican registration to help bring a different perspective. Eighteen blues and zero Republicans, I’ve always tried to kind of gently make that point that having one or two Republicans in the mix is a good thing.”
Aside from Bradford, the county’s GOP legislators include Rep. Tricia Cotham, who was elected to represent eastern Mecklenburg County as a Democrat and flipped to the Republican Party. GOP Sen. Vickie Sawyer’s 37th District, which heavily favors the GOP, covers Iredell County and dips into north Mecklenburg.
‘Real-world experience’
Bradford, 48, enters the treasurer’s race with more than $200,000 left over from last year’s N.C. House election. His only declared Republican competition is James Upchurch, a Guilford County commissioner who was previously registered as a Democrat.
The only declared Democrat is Rep. Wesley Harris, an economist whose 105th District covers the Ballantyne area.
Current Treasurer Dale Folwell, a Republican, is running for governor.
“I plan on making an honest run at it no matter what the field looks like,” Bradford said. “I think I have real-world experience that will resonate very well with voters across North Carolina.”
Bradford is senior chairman of the House Finance Committee and CEO and founder of a company called PetScreening, which helps residential and commercial companies create pet policies. He’s also created a system for missing pet alerts and is one of 37 finalists in the Southeast region for Ernst and Young’s entrepreneur of the year.
His public service started as a parks commissioner in Cornelius and then the town board from 2011 to 2014. He won his first term in the legislature in 2014 and has served as deputy majority whip.
He’s a South Carolina native who was born on Fort Jackson near Columbia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Clemson University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Memphis.
Policy priorities
Bradford’s campaign website keeps his priorities short: that he wants to maintain the state’s AAA bond rating, the highest possible, while also making money available for education, roads and other programs; work with state education officials to start an entrepreneur leadership program for high schools; and make investments that “will maintain the health and integrity” of the state’s pension plan.
The treasurer is also responsible for the state health plan and leads the Local Government Commission, which oversees the finances and debt of N.C. cities, towns and counties.
Bradford said money isn’t red and blue, and that politics can’t creep into the treasurer’s office. The job is to “make sound responsible decisions” and “to protect public money.”
“So, keeping politics out of that is something very wise,” Bradford said.
Competitive race for north Meck
As for Bradford’s District 98 House seat, declared candidates include Huntersville Mayor Melinda Bales, a Republican, and Christy Clark, a Democrat who’s faced Bradford three times and won once.
District lines could shift before filing begins for the November 2024 election because of a state Supreme Court ruling last month that it can’t strike down district maps when there’s political gerrymandering.
But Bradford thinks District 98 will stay within the north Mecklenburg area. He said legislators will prefer to keep boundaries within Mecklenburg’s lines because the county’s population can support it. And none of the county’s current House districts extend outside of its boundaries.
He won by less than 2 points in 2022 and expects the race to be competitive.
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
