Republican state Rep. Alan Branson is running for reelection to his District 59 seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and, while he says he believes his experience and record of fighting for taxpayers give him a strong case for another term, he acknowledges that it’s a tough political environment for Republican candidates right now.
In an interview with the Rhino Times, Branson said he’s aware that some voters unhappy with the president might take out their frustrations on Republicans running for other offices.
“I do think it is troubling,” Branson said. “I do think there will be a potential problem with Trump’s approval rating right now. He’s not making a lot of folks happy, that’s for sure.”
Branson is facing Democrat Elma Hairston in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election for the House seat representing portions of Guilford County.
Branson, who previously served eight years on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, said he believes experience is one of his greatest advantages in the race.
He told the Rhino Times that voters are particularly concerned about rising prices, including property taxes, sales taxes, gasoline and groceries.
“People are stretched thin,” Branson said.
Branson said one of his accomplishments in Raleigh has been serving on the House committee studying property tax reduction and reform.
He added that the committee’s work helped bring attention to the growing burden of property taxes and potential limits on how much local governments can increase those taxes.
Branson also pointed to the General Assembly’s recent decision to temporarily suspend North Carolina’s gasoline tax, which amounts to roughly 41 cents per gallon.
The suspension took effect Oct. 10 and is scheduled to remain in place through Nov. 30. The state is using money from its Inflation Reserve to replace the revenue that would otherwise go toward transportation funding.
Branson said the suspension could be extended depending on what happens to fuel prices.
As the owner of a trucking business that serves the construction industry, Branson said he’s seen firsthand how dramatically the price of fuel has increased.
He said that in January, a tanker load of approximately 8,700 gallons of diesel fuel cost his business about $22,000.
Just a few weeks ago, he said, that same amount of fuel cost approximately $45,000 to $46,000.
Branson said businesses have little choice but to pass along those increases to their customers.
His company operates in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and he said fuel surcharges are calculated based on average fuel prices.
Branson questioned whether all of the increases in fuel prices can be explained by supply problems, and said he’s concerned about the enormous profits being earned by major oil companies.
He said higher fuel costs ultimately affect the price of virtually everything consumers purchase because products have to be transported.
“Everything that is driven by truck or taken by rail or taken by air is using fuel,” he said.
Branson also said that maintaining and expanding infrastructure will be a major issue for Guilford County in the coming years.
The former commissioner said the county’s continued growth will require additional investment in water and sewer systems, particularly in smaller municipalities and areas outside the larger cities.
“I think from an economic development standpoint we’re going to have to continue to push the water-sewer regional piece forward,” Branson said.
Branson added that local governments will also have to find ways to work together more effectively on planning and zoning matters if they hope to accommodate the thousands of additional homes expected to be needed in Guilford County in the coming years.
Another issue receiving considerable attention locally is the possibility of large data centers locating in Guilford County.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners has been considering restrictions on data centers – with residents expressing concerns about their enormous electricity and water demands.
Branson said that state lawmakers are working on legislation intended to make certain that the costs of the electricity and water consumed by data centers aren’t shifted onto residential customers. He said those costs should fall on the companies operating the data centers rather than ordinary taxpayers.
However, Branson also said he believes the potential economic benefits of data centers deserve more consideration.
He pointed to American Express – a major employer and taxpayer in his district – as an example of the value large corporate facilities can bring to a community.
Branson told the Rhino that American Express accounts for nearly half the tax base supporting his local fire department.
Branson said he’s heard relatively little discussion from local officials about the additional tax revenue that large data centers might generate.
Education is another priority for Branson, who said one of his biggest frustrations in Raleigh has been the difficulty of reaching agreements on state budgets.
He said he has been reluctant to support spending plans that fail to provide additional money for teachers.
Branson said starting salaries for teachers have improved, but he believes the state still needs to do more for experienced educators who have spent many years in the classroom.
He acknowledged that determining how to improve student performance and appropriately compensate teachers remains a difficult challenge.
Branson’s opponent, Hairston, is a business owner, author and motivational speaker with a background in sales and marketing. She won the Democratic primary in March, defeating C. Bradley Hunt II with approximately 59 percent of the vote.
Hairston has emphasized affordable health care, public education and responsible state budgeting as major priorities of her campaign.
In a candidate questionnaire published earlier this year, Hairston supported teacher salaries ranging from $65,000 to $90,000 annually and called for increased funding for public education.
She also advocated maintaining the state’s individual income tax rate at 3.99 percent rather than moving forward with additional reductions while the state faces growing demands for education, health care and other services.
Hairston said she believes the state can better fund its priorities without increasing taxes.
Branson, meanwhile, said he believes his background as both a small business owner and an elected official gives him a practical understanding of the problems confronting taxpayers.
He said that serving in Raleigh is considerably different from serving on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.
“I explain it to a lot of folks as you drink from a garden hose on the Board of Commissioners and you drink from an inch-and-a-half fire line in Raleigh,” Branson said.
He said the larger number of lawmakers and competing interests makes building relationships and working with others particularly important.
Branson also said that candidates can make all sorts of promises on the campaign trail – but added that those promises mean little unless they know how to work with other elected officials to get things accomplished.
He said that is where his experience gives him an advantage.
“I guess that would be experience being the number one factor,” Branson said when asked why voters should give him another term.
He said he also believes his experience running a business helps him understand the daily financial pressures facing constituents.
“From a small business perspective, I know what it takes to survive and make a living in a tough environment,” he said.
And, Branson said, that experience matters when deciding who should represent Guilford County in Raleigh.
My not voting for Alan Branson has nothing to do with Trump. I am a die-hard republican but hell will freeze before I give Alan my vote. He cannot be trusted. I will not vote for a Democrat ever, but I am not voting for Alan either. I will leave that category blank. For him to have the audacity to put ads out saying he stopped the Guilford County commissioners from increasing our taxes, when they did exactly that? Not even close! I’m sorry that people can’t see him for what he truly is. He did absolutely nothing for his area when he was on the Guilford County commissioners. He rolled over and did everything Skippy told him to do. He does not stand up for anyone. He never has. He does exactly what either Skippy or his wife tells him to do regardless of how it affects the people in his district. When they put the Dollar general out in julian, 90% of the people in Julian signed a petition saying they did not want that dollar general. He came to a town hall style meeting and swore up and down to everybody that he would not vote to pass it through because we did not want it. Then he was caught making a comment to someone that his wife told him he better pass it or else. So when the time came, he laid the petition down and didn’t even bother looking at it and all the names on it and voted to pass it!! He betrayed everybody in his area. He cannot be trusted. He didn’t bother to do anything for us when he was on the commissioner so why would we expect him to do anything for us in Senate. All he’s going to do is what benefits him and nobody else.
I met Democrat Elma Hairston AND like all Democrats she wants to raise our taxes and restrict our freedom.
Like all Democrats she lies and says she won’t do either.
I was born just not yesterday.
Alan Branson will protect us and lower taxes.
He hasn’t earned anything. Only reason he doesn’t work at Dollar general is that his wife happened to inherit her father’s business. And only way he got to be the house rep was when goofy john hardister quit, an branson was appointed. Once again he hasnt earned anything. That’s a set up. The whole damn Republican party is a set up. And the Dems are a bunch of ass hats. All of them need to go and let’s start over
Thank you Rep Alan Branson for making your stand known to all of us. Not enough real info comes out on the candidates, especially our Conservative brothers and sisters. We only hear what the liberals want us to believe, which may be half true, taken way out of context, or just plain false. Remember that the libs have millions of $$$ coming in from Soros and who knows where else. Conservatives don’t, and therefore are frequently helpless to defend against the TV ads which run constantly.
Point in case is the ad against Sarah Stevens who is running for NC Supreme Court. Hearing that ad 5 times a day, you’d never want to vote for her. Then it occurred to me: no date on that accusation. It was probably soon after she graduated from law school, decades ago. The youngest and most inexperienced lawyers get stuck with the cases no one else wants. Sometimes the lawyer is court appointed to defend a criminal, and has no choice. I suspect that’s the case with Stevens. Anyone have any information about that? If so, we need to spread the truth before everyone votes.
North Carolina needs honest judges to defend our Constitution!
I met Democrat Elma Hairston. Like all Democrats, she wants to raise taxes and restrict our freedoms. When queried about those issues, she denies them both.
Alan Branson is one of us and will keep taxes as low as possible and allow us as much freedom as possible. The choice in this election is very clear.
I’m voting for Alan Branson in district 59.