Republican candidates visit Graham County
Robbinsville – With election day only 10 weeks away, Republicans are making a hard push for Graham County’s vote.
After U.S. House candidate Madison Cawthorn made a stop in Robbinsville on May 29, three more Republican candidates – Karl Gillespie (N.C. House of Representatives, Seat 120); Kevin Corbin (N.C. Senate, District 50) and Kaleb Wingate (30th District Court Judge) – mingled with their constituents at Graham County’s Republican headquarters Saturday.
Gillespie – a Franklin resident who is running against Democrat Susan Landis for Corbin’s seat, which is being vacated due to Corbin’s Senate bid – said his top priority is listening to the voters for the 120th District, which covers Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties.
“I look forward to the opportunity to serve you,” Gillespie said. “One of the biggest things that we will do is when you call, your call is answered. We may not have the answers immediately, but we will find them.”
Corbin shared a laugh with Gillespie before making his speech, as the two are neighbors in Macon County. He is running against Democrat Victoria Fox for Republican Jim Davis’ seat, as Davis is not running for re-election.
“I am so encouraged to see these young people here,” Corbin said, as several in attendance were between 18-30. “We are in a very conservative district, but why do we need to have a huge turnout out here? Guess how Charlotte, Raleigh or Greensboro is going to vote; they’re going to vote Democrat.”
Only 31 years old, Wingate operates a law office in Waynesville. He opposes Democrat Justin Greene for the 30th District Court seat, which covers Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.
“It’s very important that Graham County comes out strong for the Republicans. I know you will,” Wingate said, echoing Corbin’s remarks. “Now – more than ever – we need constitutional, conservative, Republican judges, who follow the law as it is written. As a judge, it is very important to – pardon the cliche – know my role.
“We’re blessed with a very good District Court bench right now, and we need to keep it that way.”