R.C. Soles: no sign of slowing down

Through decades of political change, Soles has stayed the same

Back home in Columbus County, R.C. Soles Jr. is known by many names. The Godfather. The Boss. He's Mr. R.C. to a legal client facing a court date, a teenager with cut-off cargo pants and a tattoo on his neck.

In Raleigh, though, he is the dean. First elected in 1968, Soles is thought to be the longest-serving member in the history of the North Carolina legislature. Soles is in his 40th year as a lawmaker -- and seeking another term in the state Senate.

The legislature has changed considerably in those four decades. Back then, black and female legislators could be counted on one hand. Democrats fought each other for power, with no thought that Republicans could challenge them. Freshmen lawmakers were expected to keep quiet and move up the chain by proving loyalty to their leaders.

Soles seems immune, in many ways, to the changing times. A rich man from a poor county in the southeastern corner of the state, Soles is re-elected every two years despite the influx of Republicans to his district and complaints of corruption that never stick. He never plays to the television cameras that often dominate today's politics. Soles prefers to work behind the scenes to get what he wants.

And though the makeup of the legislature and the state have changed, with more lawmakers hailing from cities and their suburbs, it is often old-timers such as Soles -- white men from small towns who have worked for years to build power -- at the Senate controls.

"There's a history in North Carolina of that part of the state which is more sparsely populated having an outsized influence in the legislature," said David Mills, executive director of the Common Sense Foundation, a liberal Durham think tank. "Sometimes, institutions like that change slowly and don't keep up with other demographic changes that happen. The concentration of power tends to protect itself pretty well."

When Soles, 73, was first elected to the state House in 1968, he fit into a familiar profile for legislators. He was a local lawyer with growing influence in the county Democratic Party who was learning how powerful lawmakers cut deals. He was elected to the Senate in 1976.

The legislature can be a clamped-down place where big decisions are made behind closed doors. In the early years of Soles' career, the atmosphere was even more stifling. A handful of people made decisions.

"You had what I call several old war horses in each chamber that kind of ran the thing," Soles said.

Soles said Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, "has opened that up; you can say anything you want in the caucus."

But even now there are limits to debate.

"Once the caucus decides," Soles said, "it's kind of a no-no to keep harping."

Soles is generally considered one of the most influential members of the Senate, but he's easy to overlook.

Soles once tried to get the chamber's top job, that of president pro tem. He lost to Basnight, who still has the post 15 years later.

"He, as the loser, could have easily had hard feelings," Basnight said. "I never felt it."

Soles and Basnight share an easy rapport, telling stories about the time Soles, the experienced legislator, buttered up the freshman Basnight to get him to back a controversial bill that would have changed the way courts viewed personal injury lawsuits. Basnight's decision brought him loads of trouble from the lieutenant governor and voters in his district.

Or about the time they attended the wedding of one of Basnight's former aides smelling a bit rank. Soles had persuaded Basnight to first stop to meet with some constituents who raised pigs. After the wedding, Basnight committed to helping a small town in Soles' district pay for improved sidewalks.