Matthew Clements
Matthew Clements ran for election to the Carrboro Town Council in North Carolina. Clements lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.
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Clements was a Libertarian candidate who sought election to the North Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 56. Clements lost the general election on November 6, 2018.
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Carrboro, North Carolina (2019)
General election
General election for Carrboro Town Council (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Carrboro Town Council on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Susan Romaine (Nonpartisan) | 29.8 | 3,099 | |
| ✔ | Damon Seils (Nonpartisan) | 28.4 | 2,950 | |
| ✔ | Sammy Slade (Nonpartisan) | 24.0 | 2,495 | |
| Steve Friedman (Nonpartisan) | 12.5 | 1,298 | ||
 | Matthew Clements (Nonpartisan) | 2.8 | 286 | |
| Matt Neal (Nonpartisan) | 2.3 | 234 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 24 | ||
| Total votes: 10,386 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 56
Incumbent Verla Insko defeated Marcus Cooke and Matthew Clements in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 56 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Verla Insko (D) | 86.2 | 32,286 |
| Marcus Cooke (R) | 11.3 | 4,235 | ||
| Matthew Clements (L) | 2.5 | 955 | |
| Total votes: 37,476 | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 56
Incumbent Verla Insko advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 56 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Verla Insko |
| ||||
| = 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 56
Marcus Cooke advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 56 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Marcus Cooke | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matthew Clements did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Matthew Clements completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Clements' responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Non-partisan redistricting, decriminalization of cannabis in North Carolina, reducing licencure requirements
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Freedom of speech, protecting constitutional rights, lowering taxes, shrinking government,
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
Gary Johnson, Laura Ebke, Justin Amash
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
The Road to Freedom by Friedrich Hayek, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein, Tomorrow 3.0 by Michael Munger
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Ethics, compassion and reason
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I have a lot of management and problem solving experience and have excellent communication skills
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
To responsibly ensure that government works efficiently and does NOT pick winners and losers
What legacy would you like to leave?
End the War on Drugs in North Carolina. Establish non-partisan redistricting
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The explosion of the Challenger
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
Bag Boy at Food Lion - worked there in high school and college
What happened on your most awkward date?
Had a car accident
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Thanksgiving - it is a celebration of what the ideal United States is, with a undercurrent of genocide of the Native Americans and Manifest Destiny
What is your favorite book? Why?
Dune by Frank Herbert
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
Bruce Wayne
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
A metal fish sculpture
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
Gone Away - by the Offspring
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Balancing work-life stress
Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?
Very little
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Only if you want the same thing we have now - a corporate kleptocracy where government sells itself to the highest bidder
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Health care costs for the State
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
Veto, veto, veto
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes it is very important especially in the hyper-partisan environment in Raleigh. A Libertarian could showcase the insanity of doing the same thing and expecting different results
What process do you favor for redistricting?
The Iowa model of non-partisan redistricting
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Appropriation - Information Technology, Ethics, Regulatory Reform,
If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?
Yes
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Justin Amash
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
Yes - Carrboro Alderperson
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?
Hearing young people excited to see a Libertarian on the ballot
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.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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