The Election Hub has partnered with the Gaston Business Association to bring voters information about Gaston County candidates.
There are 50 members in the N.C. Senate, and they serve as the "upper house" of the General Assembly. Their powers include proposing and passing laws, along with the N.C. House; fiscal oversight of the state budget (more than half of the state budget goes to education); gubernatorial veto overrides; confirmation of certain executive branch appointments; redistricting; proposing N.C. constitutional amendments and providing constituent services.
State residents must be at least 25 years old to run for the Senate and they must have lived in N.C. for at least two years. State senators serve two-year terms with no term limits.
The N.C. Senate has 20 Democrats and 30 Republicans. To override a veto of any bill by the governor, three-fifths of both chambers (30 senators and 72 House members) must vote to override it.
Senate District 44 represents the northwestern part of Gaston County and Cleveland and Lincoln Counties.
Ted Alexander
Party: Republican
Incumbent: Yes
Age: Approximately 65
Previous experience in elected office: N.C. Senate District 44 (2019-present); Mayor of Shelby (2003-2011)
Occupation: N.C. Senator
Description:
Alexander is the former chair of the Cleveland County GOP and is seeking his fifth term as an N.C. Senator. As Shelby mayor, Alexander sought to reduce crime rates and to lower taxes. In a 2023 interview with Spectrum News, Alexander stated his "top legislative priorities include passing anti-human trafficking legislation, working on budget proposals and keeping up with the remaining bills before the legislative session closes." He supports a bill proposing a 50% excise tax on “prurient” or “obscene” sexual material that is harmful to minors as a way to raise money to combat human trafficking. In the most recent legislative session, he was the first primary sponsor of 16 bills, including legislation to protect first responders and provide driver's license reciprocity with Taiwan. He ran for U.S. Senate in the 2014 Republican primary (against now-Sen. Thom Tillis) and placed sixth of eight candidates.
Other personal:
Alexander was born and raised in Morganton. He is married and has two children. Alexander first voted for Ronald Reagan, who he "continues to admire." Alexander spent his career in historic preservation, including working for Shelby's Main Street. Alexander received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2023, the state's highest civilian award. He received a B.A. in political science from UNC Charlotte as well as a master's in historic preservation from Cornell University.
Rod Powell
Party: Democrat
Incumbent: No
Age: Approximately 64
Previous experience in elected office: None; previously ran unsuccessfully for Cleveland County Board of Education
Occupation: Chair of Cleveland County Democratic Party; retired schoolteacher
Description:
The top priorities Powell mentions on his website are creating stronger public education, expanding healthcare access in rural communities, developing adaptable roads/infrastructure and lowering the cost of everyday items. He also plans to increase mental health service funding and organize "community events to promote environmental awareness."
Other personal:
Powell was born in South Carolina and moved to Greensboro for high school. He was a public school teacher for 30 years and lives in Cleveland County with his wife. Powell received a bachelor's in sociology from UNC Chapel Hill and a master's in gifted education and teaching from Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Questionnaire from The Gaston Business Association
What will be your priority issues in the upcoming session and how do you propose to address them?
My priorities are public schools, health care, child care, and the cost of living.
I taught school for 30 years. I’ve seen what happens when we ask teachers, bus drivers, and other school workers to keep doing more with less. I’ll fight for steady funding for public schools and better pay for the people who work in them.
I hear from parents who can’t find child care that fits their work hours, and from people who have to drive too far to get medical care. Those problems make it harder to work and harder to run a business. I’ll bring what I hear in Cleveland, Lincoln, and Gaston counties to Raleigh and work with people willing to fix it.
Voters will see three amendments on the ballot this November: 1) photo ID for all voting methods, 2) an income tax cap, and 3) a directive to limit property tax levy increases. What are your stances on each, and why?
I oppose all three.
North Carolina already requires photo ID for voting, including voting by mail, and the law provides exceptions. I don’t see a reason to put a broader requirement in the constitution. If somebody is eligible to vote, we need to make sure they can vote and have that vote counted.
I also oppose the income tax amendment. It would lower the maximum rate allowed by the constitution from 7% to 3.5%. That’s a ceiling, not the rate people pay today. If the state runs into hard times down the road, I don’t want lawmakers’ hands tied.
And I oppose the property tax amendment. I know people are hurting over property taxes. But this proposal doesn’t tell us what the limit will be or what exceptions there will be. Lawmakers would decide that later. I want to see the actual plan before asking voters to put it in the constitution.
If the income tax cap amendment passes, how would you ensure future revenue shortfalls are mitigated?
First, I want to be straight about this: passing the amendment would not create a shortfall by itself. The income tax rate is already set to fall below the proposed cap in 2027. The trouble comes later if revenue drops and the state has fewer ways to respond.
I’d start by looking hard at the numbers and at tax breaks and incentives that may not be doing what we were promised. I’d use reserves for a real downturn, and I’d make lawmakers spell out what any proposed cuts would do to schools, health care, and other services people count on. I would not call it a solution to cut state support and leave counties to pick up the bill.
Critics say putting tax policy into the constitution removes flexibility from future legislators and local governments. What is your response to that opinion?
I agree with that concern. You can hold lawmakers accountable for a tax vote. You can vote them out. Changing the constitution is a whole lot harder.
Things happen that nobody planned for. A county may need to replace a school or pay for more ambulance service. The state may face a recession. We need elected officials to explain their decisions and answer for them, but they also need room to deal with what’s happening. I don’t think we should put these tax limits in the constitution, especially when voters haven’t even been shown the details of the property tax plan.
