David Lewis, Sr.
David Lewis, Sr. (Republican Party) is a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 53 from 2003 to 2020.
On August 20, 2020, Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for late filing of taxes and a felony for false statements to a bank. He resigned on August 20 of the same year.[1] Click here to learn more.
Lewis ran for re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 53. His last re-election bid was in 2020 when he advanced from the Republican primary on March 3, 2020. He withdrew from the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020.
Lewis served as the national committeeman for the Republican Party of North Carolina from 2008 to 2016.[2]
Biography
Lewis earned his B.S. in business administration from Campbell University in 1994. He served as a member of North Carolina's House of Representatives from 2003 to 2020. His professional experience includes serving as the President of Harnett Tractor Company Incorporated.[3]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Lewis was assigned to the following committees:
- Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform
- House Finance Committee
- House Redistricting Committee, Senior Chair
- Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee, Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Appropriations, Vice chair |
| • Elections and Ethics Law, Chair |
| • Finance |
| • Health Care Reform |
| • Health |
| • Homelessness, Foster Care, and Dependency |
| • Insurance |
| • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House, Chair |
| • University Board of Governors Nominating |
| • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Lewis served on the following committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Appropriations |
| • Commerce and Job Development |
| • Education - Universities |
| • Elections, Chairman |
| • Finance |
| • Health |
| • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House, Chairman |
| • University Board of Governors Nominating |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Lewis served on the following committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Vice chair |
| • Commerce and Job Development |
| • Elections, Chair |
| • Finance, Chair |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Lewis served on the following committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Vice chair |
| • Commerce and Job Development |
| • Elections, Chair |
| • Finance, Vice chair |
| • Health and Human Services |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Lewis served on the following committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Alcoholic Beverage Control |
| • Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform |
| • Finance |
| • Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs |
| • Insurance |
| • Judiciary III |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2020
See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53
Incumbent Howard Penny Jr. defeated Sally Benson and Zach Berly in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Howard Penny Jr. (R) | 61.0 | 26,228 |
 | Sally Benson (D)  | 35.2 | 15,129 | |
 | Zach Berly (L) | 3.9 | 1,658 | |
| Total votes: 43,015 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- David Lewis, Sr. (R)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53
Sally Benson defeated John Fitzpatrick Sr. in the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sally Benson | 65.9 | 4,045 |
| John Fitzpatrick Sr. | 34.1 | 2,097 | ||
| Total votes: 6,142 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent David Lewis, Sr. advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Zach Berly advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53.
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53
Incumbent David Lewis, Sr. defeated Richard Chapman in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Lewis, Sr. (R) | 63.0 | 17,201 |
| Richard Chapman (D) | 37.0 | 10,108 | ||
| Total votes: 27,309 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 53
Richard Chapman defeated Alan Longman in the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Richard Chapman | 77.8 | 1,640 | |
| Alan Longman | 22.2 | 467 | ||
| Total votes: 2,107 | |||
| = 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 House of Representatives District 53
Incumbent David Lewis, Sr. advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | David Lewis, Sr. |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the North Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016.[4] The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.[5]
Incumbent David Lewis, Sr. defeated Jon Blum in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 general election.[6][7]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, District 53 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  David Lewis, Sr. Incumbent |
60.66% | 19,548 | |
| Democratic | Jon Blum | 39.34% | 12,678 | |
| Total Votes | 32,226 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Jon Blum ran unopposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 Democratic primary.[8][9]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, District 53 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Jon Blum (unopposed) | |
Incumbent David Lewis, Sr. defeated Chuck Levorse in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 53 Republican primary.[10][11]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, District 53 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | David Lewis, Sr. Incumbent |
78.64% | 6,007 | |
| Republican | Chuck Levorse | 21.36% | 1,632 | |
| Total Votes | 7,639 | |||
2014
Elections for the North Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Incumbent David Lewis, Sr. was unopposed in the Republican primary, while Susan Byerly defeated Thomas Ellis in the Democratic primary. Byerly was defeated by Lewis in the general election.[12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Lewis, Sr. Incumbent |
55.7% | 10,966 | |
| Democratic | Susan Byerly | 44.3% | 8,707 | |
| Total Votes | 19,673 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Susan Byerly |
81.3% | 2,356 |
| Thomas Ellis | 18.7% | 542 |
| Total Votes | 2,898 | |
2012
Lewis ran for re-election in 2012. He ran unopposed in the May 8, 2012, Republican primary and defeated Joseph Langley (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Lewis, Sr. Incumbent |
56.5% | 17,365 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Langley | 43.5% | 13,370 | |
| Total Votes | 30,735 | |||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Lewis won election to the North Carolina House of Representatives. Ibrahim Oudeh defeated Thomas Ellis in the Democratic primary.[16][17]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, General Election Results, District 53 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| David Lewis, Sr. (R)
|
13,533 | 66.61% | ||
| Ibrahim Oudeh (D) | 6,784 | 33.39% | ||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Lewis won re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives.[18] $197,791 was raised for this campaign.[19]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, District 53 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| David Lewis, Sr. (R)
|
16,135 | |||
| Joseph Lindsey Tart(D) | 14,431 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Lewis, Sr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Lewis' campaign website highlighted the following issues:[20]
Economy
- Excerpt: "I believe that North Carolina should be a land of opportunity where everyone can reach their God given potential. This is best realized by advocating for entrepreneurship, supporting small businesses, and reducing regulatory and tax burdens in order to grow our economy. Small businesses are the economic drivers of this state, which means that hiring employees should be an easy and seamless process. Making North Carolina business friendly means reducing regulations and taxation that cause unpredictability in the market."
Education
- Excerpt: "Education is a fundamental necessity to developing individual potential. As a father of three beautiful children and as a committed leader, providing quality education for Harnett County is a top priority of mine. I believe that teachers need to be free to teach their students without excessive, burdensome paperwork and needless regulations. Education is about teaching children and helping them learn the skills that will propel them far in life."
Heath Care Reform
- Excerpt: "North Carolinians are feeling the affects [sic] of rising insurances costs and plan cancellations. It is vital that we work hard to stop the cost of healthcare from spiraling out of control by looking at market-based alternatives."
Energy
- Excerpt: "Like everyone else, high-energy prices affect my family, my neighbors, and my constituents and continue to hurt working families. I am proud to say that during the 2013 Session, we put forth much effort on keeping energy prices low. Part of the comprehensive tax reform package included capping the gas tax which will provide some relief for motorists at the fuel pumps. Additionally, the removal of the hidden franchise tax embedded in folks electricity bills will also lead to a decrease in energy rates."
Family and Social Issues
- Excerpt: "I am pro-life and pro-family. To me, the fundamental responsibility of government is to make sure each citizen has the opportunity to develop to the fullest extent of their abilities. Abortion is the ultimate failure in that key responsibility because the aborted human life was never given the same chance that you or I are so fortunate to have."
Noteworthy events
Federal charges and resignation (2020)
On August 20, 2020, Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for late filing of taxes and a felony for false statements to a bank. He resigned on August 20 of the same year.[1]
As reported by WRAL.com, Lewis offered the following response:
"These are my mistakes, and my mistakes alone. I am very sorry for these mistakes, and I apologize...I was raised on a farm, and I've been a farmer all my life. But farming has been tough for me for the past six years in a row and the financial stress I've been under has been tremendous. However, that is the reality facing many family farms, and it does not excuse my mistakes."[21]
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.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of North Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from April 28 to September 3. The legislature was in recess from July 8 to September 1 and then reconvened September 2 to September 3.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills relating to family issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environment and conservation issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 9 through August 27.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 10 through July 4.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 11 through June 30. Before the legislature adjourned its regular scheduled session, the legislature scheduled the following additional session dates: August 3, August 18 to August 25, August 28 to August 31, and October 4 to October 17.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from April 25 through July 1.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 14 through September 30.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the General Assembly of North Carolina will be in session from May 14 through a date to be determined by the legislature.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 9 to July 26.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from May 16 to July 3.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 26 to June 18. A special session dealing with redistricting began July 13 and ended July 28.
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2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
| David Lewis | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | RNC Delegate |
| State: | North Carolina |
| Bound to: | Unknown |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
Lewis was an RNC delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from North Carolina.[22] In the North Carolina Republican primary election on March 15, 2016, Donald Trump won 29 delegates, Ted Cruz won 27 delegates, John Kasich won nine, and Marco Rubio won six. Ballotpedia was not able to identify which candidate Lewis was bound by state party rules to support at the national convention. If you have information on how North Carolina’s Republican delegates were allocated, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.[23]
Delegate rules
Delegates from North Carolina to the Republican National Convention were elected at congressional district conventions and the state convention in May. Delegates from North Carolina were required by state party rules to declare themselves in public "as a representative of a Candidate on the Presidential Preference Primary ballot" prior to their election as a delegate. At-large delegates were required to list their top three presidential candidates in order of preference and indicate whether they would be willing to commit to a candidate whom they do not personally favor.
North Carolina primary results
| North Carolina Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
40.2% | 462,413 | 29 | |
| Ted Cruz | 36.8% | 422,621 | 27 | |
| John Kasich | 12.7% | 145,659 | 9 | |
| Marco Rubio | 7.7% | 88,907 | 6 | |
| Ben Carson | 1% | 11,019 | 1 | |
| Jeb Bush | 0.3% | 3,893 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 0.3% | 3,071 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.2% | 2,753 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.1% | 1,256 | 0 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 929 | 0 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0.1% | 663 | 0 | |
| Jim Gilmore | 0% | 265 | 0 | |
| Other | 0.5% | 6,081 | 0 | |
| Totals | 1,149,530 | 72 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and North Carolina Board of Elections | ||||
Delegate allocation
North Carolina had 72 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 39 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's 13 congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated proportionally according to the statewide vote.[24][25]
Of the remaining 33 delegates, 30 served at large. North Carolina's at-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis according to the statewide primary vote. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[24][25]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Lewis and his wife, Michelle, have three children. They currently reside in Dunn, North Carolina.[3]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- David Lewis on Facebook
- David Lewis on Twitter
- Campaign contributions via OpenSecrets
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 North State Journal, "Rep. David Lewis resigns from N.C. House after federal charges," August 20, 2020
- ↑ Fay Observer, "David Lewis: My RNC story: State's list of successes," April 18, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Official campaign website, "About David," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ The primary for U.S. congressional elections was rescheduled to June 7, 2016, following legal challenges to North Carolina's district maps. State races were unaffected.
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Filing," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election results lookup," accessd December 21, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results For 2014," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "General Election Candidate List Grouped by Contest," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2012 Primary Election Results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2012 General Election Results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2010 Primary Election Results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official North Carolina General Election Results- November 2, 2010," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2008 General Election Results," accessed August 14, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed August 14, 2014
- ↑ David Lewis, "Issues," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ WRAL.com, "Top NC lawmaker, facing a felony over campaign money, resigns," August 20, 2020
- ↑ NC GOP, "ICYMI: NCGOP 2016 State Convention Recap," accessed June 16, 2016
- ↑ To build our list of the state and territorial delegations to the 2016 Republican National Convention, Ballotpedia relied primarily upon official lists provided by state and territorial Republican parties, email exchanges and phone interviews with state party officials, official lists provided by state governments, and, in some cases, unofficial lists compiled by local media outlets. When possible, we included what type of delegate the delegate is (at-large, district-level, or RNC) and which candidate they were bound by state and national party bylaws to support at the convention. For most delegations, Ballotpedia was able to track down all of this information. For delegations where we were not able to track down this information or were only able to track down partial lists, we included this note. If you have additional information on this state's delegation, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
North Carolina House - District 53 2003–2020 |
Succeeded by Howard Penny Jr. |
