CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — In Cabarrus County, it's an interesting race to win the Republican nomination for an open state house seat.
What You Need To Know
Cabarrus County has an open seat for the N.C. House after incumbent Larry Pittman is not seeking re-election
Three candidates are vying for the Republican nomination: Catherine Whiteford, Brian Echevarria and Parish Moffitt
Candidates only need to win 30% of the total votes to win the nomination, but if no one reaches that threshold, a runoff will be held between the top two vote getters
After five and half terms, Larry Pittman is not seeking re-election. District 73 has a new look after the once-a-decade redistricting process.
The open seat without an incumbent attracted candidates from different paths of life.
Candidate Parish Moffitt is a pilot for American Airlines.
“I like fixing problems for constituents. I like when somebody has a problem, taking care of them. I like being a servant leader," Moffitt said.
Moffitt worked with late Rep. Linda Johnson as a volunteer at her events and meetings across the state.
"There was some folks that reached out to me after that last round of redistricting, and they said 'Hey we think you would be the ideal candidate for that and the ideal legislature for that,'” Moffitt said.
Candidate Brian Echevarria decided to run for the seat during the 2021 holidays.
“Family is literally our story, and I’ve come to realize everything about government touches our home in one way or another. It reaches our front door, sometimes it reaches our kitchen table," Echevarria said.
Echevarria's speech at the Cabarrus County School Board meeting in February shot him into the spotlight.
"We need to make sure the right things are doing down the pipe. I don’t want to be in conflict with the school system while my kid is in the school. I want to be a partner, not a co-parent, but a partner in seeing them educated well," Echevarria said.
The youngest candidate and the only woman joining the men in the race is Catherine Whiteford.
“My family fled communist China when my mom was 16, so that’s part of my story," Whiteford said.
Whiteford says her family's determination inspired her to get involved in government.
"I ended up meeting my state rep when I was 18, and she wrote a House bill on my idea on higher education reform," said Whiteford, who has been leading the state's young Republicans since 2019.
All three candidates are from different backgrounds, none currently holding an elected government position but all jumping at the opportunity at the open seat and the changing face of the new district.