Bob Drach

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Bob Drach

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

College of William and Mary, 1982

Graduate

Stanford University, 1989

Personal

Birthplace

Baltimore, Md.

Religion

Lutheran

Profession

Auditor

Contact

Campaign website

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Personal LinkedIn

Bob Drach (Libertarian Party) ran for election for North Carolina State Auditor. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Drach completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bob Drach was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He earned a bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary in 1982 and a graduate degree from Stanford University in 1989. His career experience includes working as an auditor. He has been affiliated with the Institute of Management Accountants.

2024 battleground election

See also: North Carolina Auditor election, 2024

Ballotpedia identified the Nov. 5, 2024, election for North Carolina Auditor as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.

Dave Boliek (R) defeated incumbent Jessica Holmes (D), and Bob Drach (L) in the general election for North Carolina Auditor on November 5, 2024.

The North Carolina auditor is the head of the Office of the State Auditor and a member of the Council of State. The auditor's office examines all facets of state government for the misuse of tax dollars through a variety of means including financial statement audits, performance audits, investigative reports, and information technology audits. The office also conducts special studies as requested by the general assembly.

Jessica Holmes assumed office in 2023 after Gov. Roy Cooper (D) appointed her to replace Beth Wood (D) following Wood's resignation. This meant that while Holmes was an incumbent, 2024 was the first year she was running for auditor. Democrats had controlled the office of North Carolina Auditor since 2009 following Beth Wood's (D) 2008 general election victory over then-incumbent Leslie Merritt (R). At the time of the election, Republicans controlled both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly and Democrats had a Democratic triplex, meaning Democrats controlled the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.

Holmes received a bachelor's degree and J.D. from the University of North Carolina. Holmes worked as an attorney for the North Carolina Association of Educators and as a lecturer at North Carolina State University and was deputy commissioner for the North Carolina Industrial Commission from 2021-2023. Holmes' campaign website said she would continue to focus on holding government agencies accountable, leading with integrity, and ensuring government transparency through the auditing process.

Dave Boliek received a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina and a master's degree and J.D. from Campbell University. Boliek was a field director for the Healthcare Leadership Council, assistant district attorney for North Carolina, and attorney for Williford, Crenshaw, Boliek and Frangakis, LLP. Boliek served on the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees since 2019. Boliek completed Ballotpedia's candidate connection survey. In it, he said he believed he had organizational leadership experience that would benefit him as auditor and that he would implement conservative policies.

Bob Drach received a bachelor's degree from William & Mary and a master's degree from Stanford University. Drach worked as a science teacher, senior consultant and manager at Deloitte, president of HMF Express, and chief information officer at Senneca Holdings. Drach completed Ballotpedia's candidate connection survey. In it, he said, "I am the independent, qualified, and scrupulous choice for North Carolina State Auditor. I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican and can therefore best protect the interests of all North Carolina citizens. As the State Auditor, I will focus on retaining the excellent audit staff, recruiting additional talent, continuing key investigations, and keeping technology current."

Elections

2024

See also: North Carolina Auditor election, 2024

General election

General election for North Carolina State Auditor

Dave Boliek defeated incumbent Jessica Holmes and Bob Drach in the general election for North Carolina State Auditor on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dave Boliek (R)	49.4	2,729,780
		Jessica Holmes (D)	47.6	2,633,607
		Bob Drach (L)	3.0	167,701

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,531,088
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for North Carolina State Auditor

Dave Boliek defeated Jack Clark in the Republican primary runoff for North Carolina State Auditor on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dave Boliek	53.2	67,173
		Jack Clark	46.8	59,130

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 126,303
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jessica Holmes advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Auditor.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Luis Toledo (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Auditor

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for North Carolina State Auditor on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jack Clark	23.2	198,793
✔		Dave Boliek	22.1	189,071
		Charles Dingee	18.6	159,351
		Jeff Tarte	15.0	127,981
		Anthony Wayne Street	11.2	95,863
		Jim Kee	9.9	84,302

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 855,361
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• James Upchurch (R)

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Bob Drach advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Auditor.

Endorsements

Drach received the following endorsements.

• North Carolina Forward Party

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bob Drach completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Drach's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the independent, qualified, and scrupulous choice for North Carolina State Auditor. I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican and can therefore best protect the interests of all North Carolina citizens.

As the State Auditor, I will focus on retaining the excellent audit staff, recruiting additional talent, continuing key investigations, and keeping technology current.

Professionally, I have been a Certified Management Accountant, Treasurer, CEO, and CIO. I have earned my Master's in Business from Stanford University. My public service experience includes teaching in public schools, serving on the board of a local non-profit and on the county Board of Equalization and Review.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Qualified - I am a former Certified Management Accountant, Treasurer, CEO, CFO, and CIO. I have earned multiple other professional certifications and taught in public schools. I bring a wider and deeper understanding to the job than others. I am uniquely both a former Peace Corps volunteer and graduate of a highly competitive MBA program.
• Independent - The State Auditor protects the citizens of North Carolina from negligence and worse. Because the government is dominated by Republicans and Democrats, candidates from these parties have a conflict of interest. It is like the fox guarding the henhouse. Bob will be the independent auditor that integrity demands.
• Scrupulous - Throughout my career, I have exemplified the character, honesty, and diligence which make good organizations great. This is important right now for the Office of the State Auditor, rocked by the resignation of the prior elected auditor under a cloud of disgrace and with the unelected incumbent installed by the state political machine.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

We all just want to have competent, qualified candidates in the elected offices of our government. Especially the office of Auditor, which is a technical, cut-and-dried job that calls for a certified accountant -- not a lawyer, political appointee, or other unqualified person. I am very excited about this specific job in our state government. I will work passionately.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Just as investors demand timely and accurate financial reporting from public companies, the citizens of North Carolina deserve the same level of scrutiny over the billions of dollars spent on their behalf.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Chuck Horngren, my accounting professor at business school. He encouraged me to get my accounting certification. This is where I really leared about professional ethics and the vital role of accurate financial reporting and management information systems.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder. This is not so much about politics as it is about a culture that sets high goals and makes the trade-offs to acheive them within the time and budget available. This is what we want from our government.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Competent. Independent. Scrupulous. Beyond that, being compassionate, fair, and inclusive are all very important as well. We need to have the whole package from our elected leaders.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I like working with people to see them and their organizations succeed.

I am thrifty, almost to a fault.
I have been successful in many different companies, organization and academically.

I have been humbled both by mistakes I've made and circumstance beyond my control.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Retain the excellent audit staff, recruit additional talent, continue key investigations, and keep technology current.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Leave the office of North Carolina State Auditor in better shape than when I started.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Age 7, my parents took me to see the funeral train for Senator Robert Kennedy.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I cut grass for neighbors for many years through high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Gravity's Rainbow. I was living in East Africa at the time near a village of subsistence farmers. It was so weird to have these two worlds in my head at the same time.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I recently saw the show "Girl from the North Country" and since then I've been replaying "All Along the Watchtower" in my head.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Career pressure is a struggle. I respect people who make different trade offs than I have. I am fortunate to have familiy and friends who help me pull back when I push too hard, but who also appreciate my desire to always do more.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

First, the many recurring audits of public universities, agencies, and other entities that receive state funding. Also the specific requests from the legislature to provide financial review of programs, such as disaster relief spending.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The most important power of the Auditor is that of omission. This is why it is concerning when a Democrat or Republican is making decisions on what to Audit and what resources to assign. If there is even the possibilty of partisan bias in what and how to audit, then one has to assume that bias happens.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Most important is experience and qualification in accounting. For example, the Attorney General office requires that candidates be certified to practice law in North Carolina. No amount of other experience can offset that. The office of NC Auditor is similar. Accounting experience should be a prerequisite.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Accounting and experience leading professional organizations.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Libertarian Party of North Carolina

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Bob Drach campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	North Carolina State Auditor	Lost general	$24,320	$26,222
Grand total			$24,320	$26,222
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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North Carolina State Auditor

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