Familiar Names (and Residency Issues) Add Drama to SD 34 Primary | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Kari Travis, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

GOP veterans Daoud and Rucho got temporary housing to live inside newly drawn district. Longtime resident Sawyer and political newcomer Howell claim inside track to victory


    Republican primary, state Senate District 34 (Iredell and Yadkin Counties)

  • A.J. Daoud. Education: B.S. Barry University, MBA University of Phoenix. Occupation: Funeral director, including Huff Funeral Home in Yadkin County. Career highlights: Former police officer. Sixth Congressional District Chairman for NCGOP. N.C. Lottery Commissioner.
  • William "Bill" Howell. Education: A.S. Wingate College. B.A. Catawba College. Occupation: Retired N.C. school teacher. Career highlights: Iredell Statesville School Board member.
  • Bob Rucho. Education: B.A. in biology, Northeastern University. D.D.S., Medical College of Virginia. Advanced Degree in Prosthodontics from Boston University School of Dentistry. M.B.A., UNC-Charlotte. Occupation: Dentist, retired. Career highlights: Serves on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. Former member N.C. Senate, 1997-2004, 2007-2016. Former member Mecklenburg County Commission. Former president of the Charlotte Dental Society.
  • Vickie Sawyer. Education: B.A. in Special Education, UNC Charlotte. Occupation: Small business owner, Sawyer Insurance in Mooresville. Career highlights: Iredell County Planning Board member. Iredell County Republican Party treasurer.

    Bob Rucho, Vickie Sawyer, A.J. Daoud, and William Howell are packed into a primary race where points of view are vaguely similar - but backgrounds span from experienced to outsider.

    Where the candidates live (or have lived) also is an issue. Since 2016, the district was redrawn, moving three incumbents to new districts - setting up opportunities for newcomers to seek the open seat. Daoud, whose family lives in Surry County, to establish residency in the district, moved into a funeral home he owns in Yadkin County. He and his wife Angie plan to buy a home in the district.

    Rucho, a former state senator from Mecklenburg County, moved to an apartment in Mooresville before filing. He says his family also will buy a home in the district and move there.

    Howell and Sawyer have no residency issues. Indeed, Sawyer says she should have a home-court advantage over her two better-known opponents.

    Rucho is banking on his conservative track record and looking to abandon political retirement for another round at the General Assembly. Sawyer is a small business owner and Iredell County Planning Board member.

    Howell is an Iredell Statesville School Board member with limited political experience but a 30-year background in public education. Daoud, the former 6th District Chairman for the GOP, has a long political resumé; he's leveraging his record as a small business owner, police officer, and Republican activist.

    Iredell and Yadkin want a "real conservative with a record to prove it," Rucho told Carolina Journal.

    He believes he is the man for the job.

    "Too many candidates make promises to the voters that they have no intention to keep. My record [stands] on tax cuts, balanced budgets with surplus revenue, photo ID for honest elections, economic development and job creation, [and] regulatory reform. As part of the Republican legislative majority, we delivered on every promise."

    Sawyer, who claims deep roots in the district, believes she is a more qualified than Rucho to represent the people of Yadkin and Iredell Counties.

    "Unlike my ... main challengers, I am from here. I am raising my family here. My husband and I built a successful small business here. ... I know the conservative values our residents hold dear and I understand the unique opportunities, needs and challenges facing our district because my family and I live them everyday."

    Daoud, though armed with experience in the GOP, claims a fresh perspective sets him apart.

    "I am not tied with the political insiders. I am only out for the people. As an outsider, I have a clean slate and don't owe anyone, except the voters for the privilege to represent them."

    Howell's political aspirations didn't sprout until earlier this year. In January 2018, after seeing a consulting firm provide inaccurate information on education trends to the state legislature and State Board of Education, Howell decided to jump in with both feet.

    "It was then I realized that if the N.C. legislature can receive poor information in education then they can also receive poor information on many other items. I am willing to research and ask the hard questions in order to be a good representative. It is my feeling that I truly want to serve the people of Iredell and Yadkin County and will be assertive in those duties."

    Every candidate expressed concern for farmers and agriculture. Rucho proposed regulatory reforms and protections for the industry, while Howell suggested more incentives and protection for independent farmers.

    Small farmers are wrongly marginalized by large corporations such as Walmart and Costco, Howell said.

    Daoud and Sawyer are equally concerned by opioid addiction issues across the state. Daoud and Howell want to tackle problems with the Interstate 77 toll project, an undertaking that's adding private toll roads to the route.

    "Citizens that will use that road when completed will be paying additional tax [tolls] to a foreign company," Howell said. "The citizens of Iredell and Yadkin counties, along with others, deserve the same kind of road system that we see in Greensboro and Raleigh - without having to pay daily toll fees."

    On other issues, Daoud is focused on creating jobs, lowering taxes, and tackling crime.

    Rucho wants to undertake a redesign of county economic tier systems to "better reflect the economic differences within a single county." The tier system affects funding and incentive programs. The former senator also said he is focused on lowering personal income tax rates, increasing the standard deduction, and supporting working families and small businesses.

    Sawyer is concerned about the "expansion of sales taxes on small businesses like auto repairs, home-repairs and barber shops." Regulatory reform for small businesses is a must, she told CJ.

    All four candidates support the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline project - but Daoud, Rucho, and Sawyer argued that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's so-called "pipeline slush fund scheme" was unconstitutional. Howell also opposed the deal, but was less specific on his stance.

    Earlier this year, the governor orchestrated a deal with pipeline operators to place nearly $58 million in a discretionary fund under his direction. The money would have paid for economic development and renewable energy projects, among other things, in the eight state counties affected by the pipeline. In February, the legislature passed House Bill 90, a measure to instead funnel the money to school districts in those eight counties.

    Cooper shouldn't be allowed to channel funds without the legislature's input, Daoud said.

    Daoud's opponents agree.

    "The FBI should be looking into the Cooper slush fund scheme and take a hard look whether 'pay to play' was part of that scheme," Rucho said.
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