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Daniel Cavender

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Daniel Cavender
Image of Daniel Cavender
Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Central Davidson High School

Associate

Davidson-Davie Community College, 2019

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina Greensboro, 2021

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve

Years of service

2015 - 2022

Personal
Birthplace
Lexington, N.C.
Religion
Christian: Methodist
Profession
Technician
Contact

Daniel Cavender (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the North Carolina State Senate to represent District 30. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Daniel Cavender was born in Lexington, North Carolina. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve from 2015 to 2022. Cavender earned a high school diploma from Central Davidson High School, an associate degree from Davidson-Davie Community College in 2019, and a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2021. His career experience includes working as a fire protection equipment technician. As of 2024, Cavender was affiliated with the Davidson County Libertarian Party, the Libertarian Party of North Carolina, and the American Legion.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 30

Incumbent Steven Jarvis defeated Tina Royal and Daniel Cavender in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 30 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Jarvis
Steven Jarvis (R)
 
72.6
 
86,181
Image of Tina Royal
Tina Royal (D) Candidate Connection
 
24.7
 
29,294
Image of Daniel Cavender
Daniel Cavender (L) Candidate Connection
 
2.7
 
3,161

Total votes: 118,636
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Tina Royal advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 30.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Steven Jarvis advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 30.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Daniel Cavender advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 30.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cavender in this election.

Pledges

Cavender signed the following pledges.

  • U.S. Term Limits

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

I am Daniel Cavender. I am a 27 year old Christian, Marine Corps Veteran, and father to be. Growing up, I have always heard the United States referred to as "The Land of the Free". However, I do not believe that we are as free as we should be, nor used to be. That is why I want to start with the state of North Carolina, and work to make North Carolina more free, first and foremost. My two most important issues are recreational marijuana legalization, and Constitutional Carry. I am a firm believer that ALL gun laws are infringements- and therefore violations of the Second Amendment. I also do not think the government has any say whether or not you choose to partake in a plant, grown from mother Earth. Furthermore, I understand that conversations about the legalization of gambling have been coming up. Once again, I take the pro-freedom stance, in letting people do what they want with their own money. Other issues that I maintain this pro-freedom stance include automobile issues, police/justice reform, certain hunting and fishing regulations, and North Carolina's ABC laws.
  • If I am elected as District 30's State Senator, I will work relentlessly to push legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, and Constitutional Carry.
  • I am THE pro-freedom candidate. If you wish to be more free as a citizen, I am your best option.
  • I can, and will work with both Democrats, and Republicans. There are certain issues that I, as a Libertarian, can agree with either side on.
I am most passionate about victimless crime laws. I do not think our fellow North Carolinians should be robbed, or held hostage by the state because they chose to grow or use a plant, gamble, or exercise their Second Amendment rights.
I look up to Spike Cohen. I think he is a great, outspoken advocate of Liberty. I hope he becomes President one day.
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Abiding by this document is the most important principle any elected official should have.
I am stubborn. Some might say that's a bad thing. I disagree. It means I will not stop working towards the policy goals that I have, in order to make us more free.
I believe the core responsibility of any elected official is to be a public servant. This means that elected officials work for the people, and should serve their best interests.
I would like to leave a legacy of government officials pulling back outdated laws.
I vaguely remember 9/11. I was only four years old. I remember seeing the news footage, and my parents' eyes glued to the TV screen. While I did not understand what was happening then, I do now. I believe we should never forget.
My first job was when I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. I stepped on the yellow footprints on July 6, 2015. I got out, right at the end of my contract in 2022.
Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As a history buff, it was interesting to read about animals that were paralleling the formation of the Soviet Union. It highlighted the abuses- something that I think is good for most Americans to see.
"The Law is for the Protection of the People", by Kris Kristofferson
Trying to juggle work, school, a campaign, and my role as a husband and father has certainly been a struggle.
In order to get anything done, the governor and state legislature ought to work together. That means that the state legislature ought to be open to add, or subtract some verbage that could be the deciding factor on whether or not the Governor signs a bill into law.
Infrastructure, at large will likely be North Carolina's greatest challenge. There are many people moving here (and I can understand why- this is a great state!). However, the roads need to be up to par with having a greater number of people here. The same can be said about the energy grid.
It can be beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics- but not always. This is something that goes way to far, when it comes to career politicians.
I think it is beneficial to build relationships with other legislators. I think two minds are better than one. Two legislators being able to work together to draft a bill would make for a better bill.
I would like to model myself after Representative Thomas Massie.
I heard a story of someone that was pulled over by state trooper. The trooper had a headlight out- yet, still issued a ticket.
This is impactful, because I believe law enforcement should be setting the example. What kind of message are they presenting, if they extort others for not following the law, yet, they cannot bring themselves to follow it either?
No. In fact, I believe that the use of emergency powers by Governor Cooper during the COVID pandemic was an abuse of power. Many North Carolinians were negatively impacted by the forced shutdowns that never should have occurred.
The first bill I would introduce would seek to legalize recreational marijuana, and free any North Carolinians that are imprisioned, soley for the use thereof.
Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee, the Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural, and Economic Resources Committee, the Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety Committee, and the Judicial Committee.
I believe that taxation is theft. Thus, what the government does with the money that they stole from us should be 100% transparent. If the government misuses that money, they should certainly be held accountable.
I do think a state ballot initiative process would be good for North Carolina. I believe it is healthy to let the people decide sometimes, and have a more active role in policy decisions.

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


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.


Daniel Cavender campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* North Carolina State Senate District 30Lost general$296 $235
Grand total$296 $235
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal 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

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 6, 2024


Current members of the North Carolina State Senate
Leadership
Minority Leader:Sydney Batch
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Dan Blue (D)
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Amy Galey (R)
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
Paul Lowe (D)
District 33
Carl Ford (R)
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
Republican Party (30)
Democratic Party (20)