David Bankert

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

David Bankert

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Carnegie Mellon University, 1978

Graduate

University of Pittsburgh, 1982

Personal

Birthplace

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Religion

Presbyterian

Profession

Engineer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

David Bankert (Republican Party) ran for election to the North Carolina State Senate to represent District 15. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

David Bankert was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 1978 and a graduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982. His career experience includes working in engineering, manufacturing, construction, computer programming, and data.

Elections

2024

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 15

Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri defeated David Bankert and Kat McDonald in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Chaudhuri (D)	65.9	67,355
		David Bankert (R)	30.2	30,867
		Kat McDonald (L)	3.8	3,915

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 102,137
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. David Bankert advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Kat McDonald advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bankert in this election.

Pledges

Bankert signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 13

Lisa Grafstein defeated David Bankert and Michael Munger in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 13 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lisa Grafstein (D)	62.3	50,937
		David Bankert (R)	34.3	28,001
		Michael Munger (L)	3.4	2,769

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,707
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 13

Lisa Grafstein defeated Patrick Buffkin in the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 13 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lisa Grafstein	66.6	11,931
		Patrick Buffkin	33.4	5,987

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,918
= 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 election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 13

David Bankert defeated Jeff Werner in the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 13 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Bankert	52.2	5,230
		Jeff Werner	47.8	4,783

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,013
= 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.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Michael Munger advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 13.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

David Bankert did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

David Bankert completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bankert'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 love this country and I loves it's people. I am a patriot. This is our home and we have to fight for it. I am proud to be an engineer - electrical - retired. Engineers are good. We fix things. We build things. We figure things out. That's what we do and that's how I think. Because of the broad experience I have had, both personally and professionally, I am very creative. I may be a polymath - able very well to "put things together" - data points, concepts and the like to produce solutions. There's no thinking outside the box for me - I DON'T HAVE A BOX ! Other than that, I think of myself as a regular guy - normal, average in most ways. We need to listen to each other and come together. Bringing people together is job # 1 for a leader. And this I will do to the best of my ability. We can, we must and we will move forward together. I have the heart, the brain and the backbone to do this. That's what's inside of me. This is who I am. Power to the people - WE THE PEOPLE - right on ! Elect me and let's get going !

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?

• I will lead and I will bring people together.
• The Constitution was put in place to protect us from our federal government, yet among many other things, the minds and very lives of innocents are under attack. Generally this means children as generally the younger you are the more innocent you are. Of late however, innocents of all ages are being lead to the slaughter. Many things are weaponized and aligned against us in ways we do not even know. Government at the state level needs to enact legislation to truly protect us.
• Most if not all specific issues we have these days arises out of things "handed down" from on top that disrupt our lives and take away our freedoms. We need to get back to basics, come together and get these monkeys off our backs. Come together, save our country, our society first and we can solve all else from that point moving forward.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I have a son with a severe mental illness. I am viscerally connected to the issue of mental health.

I was adopted. In this day and age I wouldn't be here. As hard as my life has been with a lot of things, I love my life and I am glad I'm here. I infinitely favor adoption over abortion.

First Amendment Protection / Truth in Media

Election Integrity - a must. It's what stands between peace and something else. If there were ever a "threat to our democracy" - election fraud and voter fraud take first and second place!

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

My parents. Though they have gone home now, I always looked up to them. They were good, salt of the Earth people. Other than the time my dad found me lighting packs of matches on the back porch and took a belt to me and the time I got caught lying and had my mouth washed out with soap and stood in the corner one time, my parents taught by example. If I was engaged in some wrongdoing of some kind or another she had this look and would say to me "oh for shame!". The look and the shame taught me all I needed to know.

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

The Postman Always Rings Twice with the notion that you must do the right thing. If you don't - it will come back to bite.

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

Critical thinking. Being stalwart. Putting "The People" first in all decisions. Getting along with people - for the most part. And last but not least creativity.

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

In a word I would say I am stalwart. Then smart and creative. I am a patient person. I have a good sense of humor. I have a youthful nature still with a good measure of youthful idealism now guided and with temperance.

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

To put in place policies and law that maximize life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all the people and that underpin and bolster robust economies. To contribute to / help bring about the best health possible - physical, mental, spiritual and last but not least financial for all citizens.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That I moved and inspired people. That I was instrumental in helping move the ball inside the 10 yard line in support of mental health and it's treatment.

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

The JFK assassination. I was seven.

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

Other than when I was young shoveling snow and mowing grass ... my very first real job was working labor in a brick mill. I unloaded literally tons of brick from the hot end of the kilns at the plant. On a hot day it would reach 140 F.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Captain Blood in the 1935 film starring Errol Flynn as the symbol of "the unvanquished man" - a great movie

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

My son's mental illness. Schizophrenia. You have no idea unless you have lived it.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Upright and balanced with both considering the people first.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

To enhance protection from the federal government and to keep our state from being further infiltrated by radical leftists and their destructive agenda.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

I would need to study this more in detail. It is not on my radar and hypothetical for me at this juncture.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Marginally perhaps so far as day-to-day functioning - otherwise - no. Much other experience can be way more important. For the most part, age and experience dealing with people portend wisdom so life experience itself can be most beneficial.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. We are all human beings. Listening to the thoughts and feeling of others is of paramount importance. Everyone has a story. Everyone has something to say.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Independent

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Technology, finance.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

no

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

maybe

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

There are so many stories I wouldn't know where to start. People say I am very easy to talk to. I integrate everything everyone has to say into my thinking. So many touching - all impactful. A few memorable - where do I start?

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

absolutely

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is tricky. Yes, sometimes, I do think compromise is necessary. Creative solutions, however and for the most part, preclude necessity and therefore desire.

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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David Bankert campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	North Carolina State Senate District 15	Lost general	$8,940	$9,133
2022	North Carolina State Senate District 13	Lost general	$19,780	$18,101
Grand total			$28,720	$27,234
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

See also

2024 Elections

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Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

North Carolina State Senate District 15

Website

Facebook

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the North Carolina State Senate

Leadership

Minority Leader:Sydney Batch

Senators

District 1

Robert Hanig (R)

District 2

Norman Sanderson (R)

District 3

Bob Brinson (R)

District 4

Eldon Newton (R)

District 5

Kandie Smith (D)

District 6

Michael Lazzara (R)

District 7

Michael Lee (R)

District 8

William Rabon (R)

District 9

Brent Jackson (R)

District 10

Benton Sawrey (R)

District 11

Lisa Barnes (R)

District 12

Jim Burgin (R)

District 13

Lisa Grafstein (D)

District 14

Dan Blue (D)

District 15

Jay Chaudhuri (D)

District 16

Gale Adcock (D)

District 17

Sydney Batch (D)

District 18

Terence Everitt (D)

District 19

Val Applewhite (D)

District 20

Natalie Murdock (D)

District 21

Tom McInnis (R)

District 22

Sophia Chitlik (D)

District 23

Graig Meyer (D)

District 24

Danny Britt (R)

District 25

Amy Galey (R)

District 26

Phil Berger (R)

District 27

Michael Garrett (D)

District 28

Gladys Robinson (D)

District 29

Dave Craven (R)

District 30

Steven Jarvis (R)

District 31

Dana Jones (R)

District 32

Paul Lowe (D)

District 33

Carl Ford (R)

District 34

Chris Measmer (R)

District 35

Todd Johnson (R)

District 36

Eddie Settle (R)

District 37

Vickie Sawyer (R)

District 38

Mujtaba Mohammed (D)

District 39

DeAndrea Salvador (D)

District 40

Joyce Waddell (D)

District 41

Caleb Theodros (D)

District 42

Woodson Bradley (D)

District 43

Brad Overcash (R)

District 44

Ted Alexander (R)

District 45

Mark Hollo (R)

District 46

Warren Daniel (R)

District 47

Ralph Hise (R)

District 48

Timothy Moffitt (R)

District 49

Julie Mayfield (D)

District 50

Kevin Corbin (R)

Republican Party (30)

Democratic Party (20)