Candidate for NC lieutenant governor, Republican Deanna Ballard, answers our questions

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Name: Deanna Ballard

Political party: Republican

Age as of March 5, 2024: 45

Campaign website: BallardForNC.com

Current occupation: I own my own consulting business — consulting on public policy, education, nonprofit projects across the country.

Professional experience: N.C. state senator; White House Commissioned Officer; Billy Graham Ministry/Samaritan’s Purse executive.

Education: Belmont University (first in my family to go to a four-year college).

What offices have you run for or held before? Have you had any other notable government or civic involvement? I served in the North Carolina Senate from 2016 to 2023. I previously served at the White House, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Education.

What do you think is the biggest issue in North Carolina that you would be able to shape if elected?

Education and working family needs. I focused relentlessly in the Senate on empowering parents. I helped write the Parents’ Bill of Rights and authored bills championing school choice. In 2020, I went toe-to-toe with Roy Cooper and Mandy Cohen to order the schools reopened. I support economic policies that focus on skills training and don’t center on a college education. Too many students take on crushing student loan debt — and for what? Often, a job that pays less than “blue collar” work.

The lieutenant governor serves as Senate president. How involved do you want to be with the General Assembly and legislation?

The office of lieutenant governor has only a few constitutional duties. Beyond that, the office is what the office holder makes of it. With my deep experience in the legislature and in policymaking, I would take a very policy-heavy approach to the job and look to collaborate often with my former colleagues in the General Assembly.

What would you do to strengthen public schools?

To start, I would work to clarify state law to ensure no governor or health secretary ever has the power to keep schools closed. I led, and won, the fight to reopen schools during COVID. Second, I would build on what we started with the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which I helped write. Trust in education is plummeting. The way to reverse that is to return power to parents, where it belongs.

What should be done to address staff vacancies in state government?

Labor shortages continue to hit all employers, government included. I support significant pay raises and career advancement for those who do their jobs well. I also support modernizing state government — the infrastructure and technology on which agencies rely — to boost morale and improve customer service.

In what areas, if any, do you believe state government is wasting taxpayer money?

Look at any agency and you’ll find waste – there’s no way to eliminate that entirely. But for the past decade, the state legislature has taken great care to keep government spending at responsible levels and to focus only on what is the government’s proper role: infrastructure, education and other necessary services. Congress could learn a thing or two about how to write a proper budget by looking to North Carolina.

Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?

I’m a fiscal hawk, and my record reflects that. Some Republicans, particularly in Congress, seem to believe that making small adjustments around the edges will fix our nation’s ballooning national debt. I disagree – I think a more aggressive reduction in federal spending is necessary.

This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 11:31 AM.

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan

The News & Observer

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Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan is the Capitol Bureau Chief for The News & Observer, leading coverage of the legislative and executive branches in North Carolina with a focus on the governor, General Assembly leadership and state budget. She has received the McClatchy President’s Award, N.C. Open Government Coalition Sunshine Award and several North Carolina Press Association awards, including for politics and investigative reporting.