Charlotte Ledger Election Hub
2024 N.C. General Election Voter Guide:
Everything On Your Ballot
North Carolina Auditor Candidates
The N.C. State Auditor “examines the records, files, and finances of every agency or private entity that receives state funds to check for waste and abuse of tax dollars. Reports are submitted to the legislature for public record.”
The Democratic incumbent, Jessica Holmes, is relatively new to the auditor role, having been sworn in last December following the resignation of longtime auditor, Democrat Beth Wood.
-
Bob Drach
LIBERTARIAN
Drach is a certified management accountant and appears to be a chief information officer for a door manufacturing company. He says he has an accounting background and believes that an auditor that is affiliated with one of the major political parties faces conflicts of interest. He responded to The Charlotte Ledger/The Assembly’s question on what voters should know about him with the following response: “I am the only certified accountant for State Auditor. Both the other candidates are lawyers. When you hire an auditor, do you want the accountant, or a lawyer?” He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and has an MBA from Stanford. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania in his 20s and lives in Wilmington. (Age ~64)
-
Jessica Holmes
DEMOCRAT
Holmes is the current state auditor and was the first African-American woman to hold the role; she was appointed to the role after the departure of longtime auditor Beth Wood, who resigned following scandals surrounding the personal use of state property and a hit-and-run. Holmes previously ran for N.C. Commissioner of Labor in 2020 and lost by fewer than 100,000 votes. In why she is running for the auditor role, Holmes says: “I’m unbossed, unbought and most importantly for this role, I understand the value of a dollar and impact of government services on our everyday lives.” She cites accountability, integrity and transparency as her key priorities. She has taught at N.C. State (in the Department of Social Work) and was the youngest commissioner elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners in 2014. She holds her bachelor’s and JD from UNC Chapel Hill. (Age ~40)
-
Dave Boliek
REPUBLICAN
Boliek says he will “be the auditor who looks after your money.” He is a North Carolina native who was a former assistant district attorney in Cumberland County and a lawyer in private practice. Boliek is a trustee of UNC Chapel Hill. He is a former Democrat, according to Axios Raleigh. In an email to The Ledger, he said that voters should pick him because “My experience as a prosecutor, cleaning up a multi-billion dollar budget and having the courage to stand firm in the face of fierce opposition to affect change make me the best candidate to lead an office that is currently in desperate need of reform and competent leadership.” He was one of four trustees who voted against the tenure of Nicole Hannah-Jones, the journalist who was criticized by conservatives who dismissed her 1619 project as “junk history.” He has a bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and received his JD/MBA from Campbell. (Age 56)
If you see an error in our voter guide, or want to provide more information about one of the candidates, please email us at elections@cltledger.com.
The Charlotte Ledger’s election information is presented for free to all, with no ads, through the support of Charlotte Ledger members.
You can support this effort to make unbiased civic information publicly available with a one-time gift.