John K. Powell Jr.
John K. Powell Jr. (Republican Party) is running for election to the North Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 55. Powell is on the ballot in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Powell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
John K. Powell Jr. was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Myers Park High School in 1977.[1] He went on to earn a B.S.B.A. in marketing from Appalachian State University in 1982. He attended The Institute for the Public Trust and the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership.[1] His professional experience working as a consultant, manager, real estate appraiser and broker, and photographer.[2]
Elections
2026
See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 55
John J. Kirkpatrick IV (D) is running in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 55 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| John J. Kirkpatrick IV (D) | ||
| ||||
 = 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
The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. John J. Kirkpatrick IV (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 55 without appearing on the ballot.
Republican primary
Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 55
Clancy Baucom (R), Richard T. Miller (R), and John K. Powell Jr. (R) are running in the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 55 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Clancy Baucom | ||
 | Richard T. Miller | |
 | John K. Powell Jr. | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2017
The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2017. A primary was held on September 12, 2017. A primary runoff was held on October 10, 2017, for the district 5 race. A candidate needed to receive over 40% of the vote in order to avoid a runoff election. All 11 seats on the city council were up for election. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2017.
The following candidates ran in the Charlotte City Council at-large general election.[3]
| Charlotte City Council, At-large General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Julie Eiselt Incumbent |
17.29% | 73,348 | |
| Democratic | Braxton Winston II |
16.51% | 70,030 | |
| Democratic | James "Smuggie" Mitchell Incumbent |
16.45% | 69,777 | |
| Democratic | Dimple Ajmera |
14.59% | 61,882 | |
| Republican | John K. Powell Jr. | 11.38% | 48,277 | |
| Republican | Parker Cains | 10.39% | 44,068 | |
| Republican | David Michael Rice | 8.19% | 34,733 | |
| Libertarian | Steven DiFiore II | 5.07% | 21,514 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 645 | ||
| Total Votes | 424,274 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results," November 16, 2017 | ||||
2015
The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary took place on September 15, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015.[4] At-large city council candidates in the Democratic primary were Laurence E. Bibbs, Darrell Bonapart, Bruce Clark, Julie Eiselt, Claire Green Fallon, Sean Gautam, Shawn Greeson, Mo Idlibby, Vi Lyles, Billy D. Maddalon, James "Smuggie" Mitchell and Aaron Sanders. Pablo Carvajal, John K. Powell, Jr. and David Michael Rice were unopposed in the Republican primary. In the general election, Democratic candidates Lyles, Mitchell, Eiselt and Fallon won election over Republican candidates Carvajal, Powell and Rice.[5][6][7]
| Charlotte City Council At-large, General election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Julie Eiselt |
17.0% | 44,419 | |
| Democratic | Vi Lyles Incumbent |
16.4% | 42,807 | |
| Democratic | Claire Green Fallon Incumbent |
15.8% | 41,352 | |
| Democratic | James "Smuggie" Mitchell |
14.3% | 37,406 | |
| Republican | John K. Powell, Jr. | 14.2% | 37,158 | |
| Republican | Pablo Carvajal | 11.7% | 30,517 | |
| Republican | David Michael Rice | 10.4% | 27,246 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.29% | 764 | ||
| Total Votes | 261,669 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official General Election Results - Mecklenburg County," November 16, 2015 | ||||
| Charlotte City Council, At-large Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
Vi Lyles Incumbent |
18.8% | 19,194 | ||
| James "Smuggie" Mitchell |
17.3% | 17,689 | ||
| Julie Eiselt |
12.7% | 13,011 | ||
| Claire Green Fallon Incumbent |
11.8% | 12,029 | ||
| Billy D. Maddalon | 9.3% | 9,525 | ||
| Darrell Bonapart | 9% | 9,179 | ||
| Mo Idlibby | 6.6% | 6,759 | ||
| Bruce Clark | 3.8% | 3,872 | ||
| Aaron Sanders | 3.4% | 3,434 | ||
| Shawn Greeson | 3.1% | 3,198 | ||
| Sean Gautam | 2.3% | 2,369 | ||
| Laurence E. Bibbs | 2.1% | 2,106 | ||
| Total Votes | 102,365 | |||
| Source: Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed September 24, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John K. Powell Jr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Powell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
For years, John Powell has worked right here in our community — listening to neighbors, meeting with small business owners, and standing up for what’s right. Now, John is stepping forward to serve in the North Carolina House because we need leaders who reflect the people, not the political class.
This campaign isn’t about John Powell. It’s about making sure Raleigh works for our values and our families. That's why John has traveled to Raleigh, beginning in 2024 and continuing throughout 2025 and 2026, to effectively build and nurture relationships in the NC House for years. This will be a full-time responsibility for John, not a part-time job. John's constituents are his focus.
John Powell will oppose tax hikes and wasteful spending, and defend every hardworking family’s right to keep more of what they earn.
John Powell will protect the future of Seniors by introducing policy and legislation for future security.
John Powell has spent years listening and showing up for our communities — now he’s ready to deliver real results in Raleigh.- John Powell is committed to protecting public safety and parental rights, keeping taxes low, growing jobs that serve our families, and defending the values that make North Carolina strong. John won’t back down, and I won’t sell out.
- With strong Republican leadership in Raleigh, John will make sure local growth benefits our families — bringing jobs, infrastructure, and industry that reflect our values in our District. John will promote wise growth by eliminating government overreach, such as seizing governance from local municipalities, and protecting the generational wealth of our agricultural neighbors, including farmers, rural landowners, and businesses.
- John will focus on making North Carolina a friendlier business environment. Decreasing regulations and making sure the additional revenue brought to the state helps offset the tax burden. Not only will this strengthen our economy but will improve the quality of life for our citizens, especially middle-class income families. John Powell will oppose tax hikes and wasteful spending, and defend every hardworking family’s right to keep more of what they earn. John Powell will protect the future of Seniors by introducing policy and legislation for future security.
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.
2017
Powell's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
Public safety
- Excerpt: "I am focused on the public safety needs for Charlotteans, as this is my first priority. I have completed the CMPD Citizen’s Academy, the inaugural CMPD Transparency Workshop, and participating as a panelist on community safety forums. I regularly attends forums across the City, including “No Place for Hate” at the Jewish Community Center held in March 2017, the NAACP Political Forum, The Latin American Chamber Of Commerce."
Economic development
- Excerpt: "By implementing job-training programs that will prepare workers for jobs in cutting-edge industries, we can ensure that our small businesses and entrepreneurs have the talent to compete in a global economy."
Transparent government
- Excerpt: "I believe it is important that the citizens of Charlotte feel they have an effective and responsive city council that listens to their needs and addresses their concerns. If elected, I will commit to reaching out and communicating with you, the people whom I represent."
2015
Powell's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[1]
Accountability
- Excerpt: "Accountability begins with the core beliefs of honesty and ethics, principles I seek to follow daily. I consider it both an honor and a fiduciary responsibility to serve the citizens of Charlotte, and to do so without bias or prejudice."
Accessibility
- Excerpt: "Accessibility is crucial to effective, responsible local government. I strive to be a person who is open and approachable at all times to all persons, regardless of party affiliation or socioeconomic status. "
Common sense economic conservation
- Excerpt: "A Charlotte City Council member is duty-bound to voice the opinion of his or her constituents and to maintain responsible control of the city budget. This entails eliminating unnecessary expenditures, ensuring taxpayers a “return on investment” and prioritizing the city’s economic development and transportation needs."
Trust and transparency
- Excerpt: "A public servant must earn, on a daily basis, the trust and confidence of those he or she represents. Accordingly, a city council member is obligated to fulfill the duties of office with unfailing honesty and diligence, making sound, ethical policy decisions with regard to transportation (long term and short term plans), zoning, budgeting, as well as all other operations and issues."
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate North Carolina House of Representatives District 55 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Official campaign website of John K. Powell Jr., accessed August 18, 2015 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ LinkedIn, "John K. Powell Jr.," accessed August 18, 2015
- ↑ Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed July 23, 2017
- ↑ Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, "Multi Year Election Schedule," accessed September 19, 2014
- ↑ Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, "Official primary election results," accessed September 24, 2015
- ↑ Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, "Official candidate list," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial General Election Results - Mecklenburg County," November 3, 2015
