Macon County commissioner Karl Gillespie formally kicked off his run for the N.C. House on Saturday afternoon in Franklin, telling a crowd of supporters at county GOP headquarters, “Let’s go to the House!”
Gillespie, a native of Macon County, has served on the board of commissioners since 2016. After Rep. Kevin Corbin said in September that he would give up his District 120 seat to run for the N.C. Senate’s 20th District seat in 2020, Gillespie decided to throw his hat in the ring.
The 120th District is composed of Macon, Graham, Cherokee and Clay counties.
As he announced his candidacy, Gillespie thanked those in attendance for their support.
“I’m very humbled for this opportunity,” he said. “I wouldn’t even be a commissioner today if it weren’t for a lot of the people in this room.”
The event was originally going to be held outside the headquarters with a barbecue lunch, but it was moved indoors due to cold weather. The crowd was no less enthusiastic in cramped quarters, however.
Ron Urrutia said he’s confident that Gillespie will continue to be a strong advocate for Macon County’s needs at the state level and will make an even more effective leader when he has access to more resources.
“It has to be said that as much time as he’s put in here, it’ll be easy for him to take Macon County’s concerns with him,” Urrutia said. “At the county commissioner level, you know all of the problems but you may not always have the means or the money to solve them.”
Corbin and state Sen. Jim Davis joined Gillespie for the announcement. Corbin is running to fill Davis’ seat, which opened the initial opportunity for Gillespie. Davis said Gillespie will be another strong link in the chain of Macon County’s representatives in Raleigh.
“He’ll be a great addition to the tradition of Macon County public servants,” Davis said. “I don’t think he’ll have any trouble getting elected.”
Macon County GOP chair Carla Miller said that she and the rest of the party worried about who would fill Davis’ Senate seat when he left and then had the same concerns about Corbin’s House seat when he stepped up.
“This kind of switch is the best thing that could have happened from our point of view,” Miller said. “Now we just need to worry about finding a new commissioner.”
Gillespie apparently is the first Republican to announce his intention to run for the District 120 seat. No potential Democratic candidates have made a public announcement. The official filing period for the 2020 election begins Dec. 2 at noon and ends at noon Dec. 20.
Primary elections are scheduled for March 3, 2020.