Carver unseats Loftis in NC House 109 race plus more Gaston results
(This story was updated to add new information.) Democrat Mark D. Carver, a longtime Gaston College history instructor, defeated Republican Rep. Donnie Loftis in North Carolina House District 109 on Tuesday, Nov. 3. It ended Loftis’ run in the seat on a night when Democrats made sweeping gains across the state and Republicans held on to most local contests in Gaston County. According to unofficial results, Carver received 18,775 votes, or 51.62%, to Loftis’ 17,598 votes, or 48.38%, a margin of 1,177 votes. The results will not be official until the Gaston County Board of Elections completes its canvass, scheduled for Nov. 13. Loftis, a former Gaston County commissioner and Army veteran, was chosen by local Republican leaders to fill the seat after the October 2021 death of Rep. Dana Bumgardner. Carver: People 'Fed up and tired' Carver said the win is “still kind of surreal.” He credited a national mood. “I think a lot of people are just fed up and tired, and they want government to do its purpose, which is to make people’s lives better,” Carver said. Carver has taught history at Gaston College for 20 years and said he will retire by the end of the
