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Thom Goolsby
Thomas "Thom" Goolsby is a former Republican member of the North Carolina State Senate, representing District 9 from 2010 to August 4, 2014.[1] Goolsby did not seek re-election in 2014.
Biography
Goolsby completed his B.B.A. at the Citadel. He earned an MBA from Golden Gate University and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Goolsby is a partner at the Goolsby Law Firm and teaches law at Campbell University. He served in the United States Marine Corps.[2]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Goolsby served on the following committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety |
| • Appropriations/Base Budget |
| • Commerce |
| • Finance |
| • Judiciary I |
| • State and Local Government |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Goolsby served on these committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Commerce |
| • Education/Higher Education |
| • Finance |
| • Judiciary I |
| • State and Local Government |
| • Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety |
Campaign themes
2010
Goolsby's Website highlighted the following issues:[3]
- Jobs
- Excerpt: "Sen. Goolsby wants a balanced budget and pro-growth policies that allow our state’s vibrant private sector to create new commerce opportunities for New Hanover County. To change the state’s business climate he cut taxes and spending to ease regulations and encourage investment from the business community."
- Taxes
- Excerpt: "Sen. Goolsby protects residents wary of funding a system that only serves the dollar. Opposing tax, tuition and fee increases relieves pressure on the private sector and creates a dialogue on the responsible role of government."
- Education
- Excerpt: "Sen. Goolsby is a staunch advocate for charter schools and homeschooling. He believes competition benefits the state’s learning environment and gives families this important choice for their children. He protects the rights of special needs students to reach their potential and supports the requirement that Pre-K funding help low income families first."
- Health care
- Excerpt: "The recent costs of Medicare reforms, Medicaid IT and state exchange structures in North Carolina preview disastrous outcomes for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act."
- Crime
- Excerpt: "Sen. Goolsby is a former Counsel to the State Crime Commission and co-chairs both the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety committee."
Elections
2012
Goolsby ran unopposed in the Republican primary on May 8. He defeated Deb Butler (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Thomas Goolsby Incumbent |
54.2% | 52,955 | |
| Democratic | Deb Butler | 45.8% | 44,817 | |
| Total Votes | 97,772 | |||
2010
Goolsby won the race for District 9 of the North Carolina State Senate in the November 2 general election. He defeated James Leutze (D) in the general election.[5] He defeated Michael V. Lee in the Republican primary.[6]
| North Carolina Senate, General Election Results, District 9 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Thomas Goolsby (R)
|
36,701 | 57.44% | ||
| Jim Leutze (D) | 27,189 | 42.56% | ||
In polling from the John W. Pope Civitas (dead link) prior to the election, Goolsby held a significant lead over Leutze. Both candidates campaigned on the need to cut state spending and control taxes.[7]
| North Carolina State Senate Republican Primary, District 9 (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Thomas Goolsby
|
8,926 | |||
| Michael Lee | 5,948 | |||
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.
2014
In 2014, the General Assembly of North Carolina will be in session from May 14 through a date to be determined by the legislature.
- Civitas Action: 2014 Full Rankings
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- North Carolina League of Conservation Voters: 2014 Legislative Scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environment and conservation issues.
- N.C. Values Coalition: 2014 Pro-family Scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills relating to family issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to animal issues.
- The American Conservative Union: 2014 Legislative Scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 9 to July 26.
|
2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2012, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from May 16 to July 3.
|
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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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Goolsby and his wife, Rachael, have three children. They currently reside in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "Thom + Goolsby + North + Carolina + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- North Carolina State Senate
- Senate Committees
- General Assembly of North Carolina
- Joint Committees
- North Carolina state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2012, 2010, 2008
Footnotes
- ↑ News Observer, "Goolsby resigns from NC Senate," August 4, 2014
- ↑ Senator Thom Goolsby: Bio (dead link)
- ↑ Senator Thom Goolsby, "Issues," accessed June 3, 2013
- ↑ North Carolina Board of Elections, "Candidate lists," accessed March 9, 2012
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2010 General Election Results," accessed August 14, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina Board of Elections, "2010 Primary Election Results," accessed August 14, 2014
- ↑ Carolina Journal: N.C. Senate candidates call for budget cuts
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Julia Boseman (D) |
North Carolina State Senate District 9 2011-August 4, 2014 |
Succeeded by Michael V. Lee (R) |
