NC House GOP primary in the mountains: what Rep. Clampitt’s challengers say
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Incumbent Mike Clampitt did not respond; challengers Anna Ferguson and Mike Yow did.
- Candidates emphasize economic development, teacher pay/education and healthcare access.
- Discussion covers budget passage, taxes, medical marijuana and rural health/services.
To help voters learn which candidates are on their ballot and where they stand on important policy issues, The News & Observer is publishing candidate questionnaires in all state and federal races in North Carolina on the March 3, 2026, ballot.
Below are the candidates running for NC House District 119 who responded to our questionnaire in order by the date their responses were received. Some candidates did not provide a photo.
This district is in the mountains and includes Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties.
The incumbent is Republican Rep. Mike Clampitt, who is being challenged in the GOP primary by Anna Ferguson and Mike Yow. Yow is among a group of legislative candidates who recently switched party affiliations to run in partisan primaries. Yow was previously unaffiliated.
Yow and Ferguson’s responses are below. Clampitt did not respond.
Anna Ferguson
Age as of March 3, 2026: 53
Political party: Republican
Campaign website: www.voteannaferguson.com
Current occupation: Small Business Owner
Professional experience: Financial officer, Cherokee Electrical, Inc. President, Bigwitch, Inc.
Education: B.A., business management from NC State University
Please list any notable government or civic involvement: Board member, Cherokee Planning Board. Board Chair, North Carolina Community Foundation. Board Chair, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Department of Audit and Ethics. Administrative Board member, Chair of Finance Committee, and member of Pastor-Parish Relations Committee, Olivet United Methodist Church.
What is the most important issue in your district and what do you want to do about it? Economic development. We need diversified and expanded ways of bringing jobs and income to our area. We are a rural area, but we are an area rich in resources and people who know how to pivot and roll with the punches. By making ourselves more economically stable and successful, we will be able to secure and maintain more state resources.
The legislature sets teacher base pay. What do you think the salary range should be for teachers, from starting to 30+ experience? I could Google the range of teacher pay for the country, but I cannot give you a truly informed answer at this time. But with North Carolina being ranked last in the country for dollars spent per child in public education, I do know that we need to be paying our teachers above the national average. This ensures we have people invested in their jobs who truly want to see the system improved.
As of January, North Carolina was the last state not to have passed a new, comprehensive budget. What would you do to help make sure a budget passes? The ability to leave session without passing a budget should not be an option. Withholding taxpayer services over political division should not be an option. Holding the budget hostage because of inability to find common ground in legislature should not be an option. We elect representatives to successfully manage our needs at the state level. The lack of an approved budget shows that this fundamental service is not currently being provided.
North Carolina’s income tax rate for individual taxpayers is 3.99%. Should that be reduced further? I would love to say yes. However, with the state of our educational system and Medicaid reductions on the horizon, we cannot sustain a tax decrease without the increase in state funding from another source.
Do you think the state is using taxpayer money efficiently? Why or why not? The obvious answer is no. North Carolina is the only state to have not passed a budget. Enough said.
Do you support legalizing medical marijuana use? Why or why not? The legalization of medical marijuana should ultimately improve the safety of the product for those who use it. Legalizing a substance introduces it to regulations of product and safety of use that take away the riskiness of unknown production.
What do you see as the biggest barrier to health care access in your district, and what actions would you take to address it? I feel we have two barriers to health care access in this area; cost and availability. Many jobs in this area are unable to sustain the cost of employer insurance. Unfortunately, medical care without insurance is not a sustainable expense for most residents. In addition, being located in a rural area often means a commute of over an hour to the nearest medical facility. If North Carolina continues the closure of smaller hospitals, it will mean no medical services in many of our communities.
Mike Yow
Age as of March 3, 2026: 38
Political party: Republican
Campaign website: None
Current occupation: Mental health provider
Professional experience: 10 years
Education: Master of Public Affairs, Western Carolina University; master’s in social work, FSU
Please list any notable government or civic involvement: I play several annual charity shows for the local community with my band, Arnold Hill. I also volunteer with the Summit Church of Sylva as a worship leader and preacher. We come together regularly to pack food bags for elementary school students to take home.
What is the most important issue in your district and what do you want to do about it? Every citizen in our district should have the right to food, clean water and sustainable housing. I will work with both sides of the aisle to push legislation to conserve our natural resources, support our farmers, and to increase funding to our district for the ever-increasing needs of sustainable housing.
The legislature sets teacher base pay. What do you think the salary range should be for teachers, from starting to 30+ experience? Minimum teacher pay should start at $100,000/year with advanced pay rates for master’s degree level teachers, longevity pay, and fully covered health, dental, vision and life insurance benefits.
As of January, North Carolina was the last state not to have passed a new, comprehensive budget. What would you do to help make sure a budget passes? I’ll work with the other non-MAGA conservatives in the General Assembly to gather the needed votes to pass a bipartisan budget.
North Carolina’s income tax rate for individual taxpayers is 3.99%. Should that be reduced further? The only tax rate in this state that should be increased is a higher tax on corporations and billionaires. Too many hardworking North Carolinians are being forced to pay more taxes than corporations and billionaires. Bring back support to the working folks.
Do you think the state is using taxpayer money efficiently? Why or why not? Yes and no. We have a wonderful Department of Transportation that maintains our roads. We must invest more in education.
Do you support legalizing medical marijuana use? Why or why not? Yes. Medical marijuana is an effective remedy for chronic pain without the risk of opioid addiction. The plant itself can be used for textiles, cosmetics and stationery, as well as many other industrial uses.
What do you see as the biggest barrier to health care access in your district, and what actions would you take to address it? We need more providers, more health care resources and increased access to mental health services. Our county health departments are staffed by wonderful people who truly care about the community. Let’s provide more funding to our health departments to better serve our communities.
