Michael Garrett

Michael Garrett was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in 2007. His career experience includes working as the managing partner of a family-owned marketing firm.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a born and bred North Carolinian and a small business owner representing Guilford County in the North Carolina Senate. I live in Greensboro, NC with my wife, Allison, and my son, Jack, and we've got a baby girl on the way.

As a product of Guilford County Schools and the University of North Carolina - Greensboro I am a passionate advocate for investment in our education system. North Carolina was a beacon of education in the region and I know that it can be again. We've got to begin to tackle our massive need for school repair and construction and to pay teachers what they are worth.

I stepped forward to serve for the sake of my family and those of my neighbors in Guilford County. For the last decade our state has seen economic growth, but Republican legislative leaders have consistently failed to make critically needed investments into health care and education that match that growth. I'm asking for your support in 2020 so that I can join a new legislative majority that will no longer ignore our state's needs.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We must invest in our education system now. There are billions of dollars worth of school construction and repairs needed across the state and educators are still far underpaid for their work.Closure of the Medicaid coverage gap is years overdue and there is no excuse for any further delay. More than half a million people would get health insurance coverage and everyone else would enjoy the massive economic benefit of closing the gapNorth Carolina needs an economy that works for everyone, not just the big corporations. I support policies that help working families stay out of poverty and that make North Carolina a state where small businesses can successfully grow.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education - We have billions of dollars worth of new school construction and existing school maintenance costs that have built up over many years of ignoring the problem. Students, teachers, parents, and eventually, everyone else, end up paying the price for this crisis. We can't go another year without a school bond to help get us back on track.

The average public school teacher in NC is making less money now than before the 2008-09 recession, when taking inflation into account. This is unacceptable. We need to restore dignity to the teaching profession by paying teachers what they are worth. This will help us attract and retain the very best talent in the country and make our school classrooms the foundations of world-class education.

Health Care - We must expand Medicaid now. More than half a million North Carolinians are going without critical coverage purely due to political ideology in the General Assembly. Beyond those who would gain health coverage, the rest of us would reap the benefits of the projected billions of dollars of stimulus to our state and local economies and the thousands of jobs that would be created.

Fair Maps - Gerrymandering is an affront to democracy. When politicians pick their voters by drawing unfair district maps they begin to care less about individual voters and more about party loyalty and ideology. We need an independent redistricting commission to draw all legislative maps after the next census.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

A personal hero of mine is President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He came to office during the most economically tumultuous times in the history of our country and guided it toward growth and stability. Roosevelt faced opposition to many of his policies by special interest groups but persevered and left a rich legacy of programs that helped millions of Americans out of poverty, including Social Security. Although he was far from a perfect leader, as all who serve are, the impact and importance of his economic accomplishments and our victory in WWII cannot be overstated.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe that the most important principle for any elected official is to always remember who sent you to serve. I often tell people that the seat that I occupy in the General Assembly does not belong to me; I'm its temporary occupant. Elected officials serve at the pleasure of those they serve and should act accordingly at all times.

What legacy would you like to leave?

When I am done serving as a North Carolina legislator I want to be able to look back and have left our state government better than I found it. The challenges our state faces are great, but I hope to move the ball forward on improving our education system, expanding access to health care for those who need it, end partisan gerrymandering, and many other issues.

What is your favorite book? Why?

One of my favorite books is Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy. I consider the stories of elected officials who stood up and did the right thing even when it was immensely unpopular to be an excellent guide to anyone entrusted with the representation of others in government.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

I believe that the ideal relationship between the legislature and the governor is one of mutual respect between co-equal branches of the government as they execute their State Constitution-mandated duties. Insofar as the governor has the final signature or veto on many pieces pieces of legislation, I believe it is in the best interest of both parties to communicate often on those bills.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

In the 2019 legislative session I served as a member of the Transportation, Appropriations on Department of Transportation, and Redistricting & Elections Committees in the NC Senate.

North Carolina is the state with the second largest highway system and, as such, our Transportation Committees see quite a lot of activity. Our transportation infrastructure is one of the most visible examples of state government and everyone wants to see it maintained and grown. The Committee deliberations were almost always bipartisan affairs, which is what we need to see more of in state government.

Unfortunately, the work done in the Redistricting & Elections Committee tends to be somewhat more partisan, more often than not. In 2019, the Senate Committee was charged with approving new legislative and Congressional maps by a State court. After a year serving on that Committee I believe now more strongly than ever that redistricting should be taken out of the hands of politicians and put in the hands of an independent commission.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Early on in the legislative term I had a meeting with several doctors. They were visiting legislators to make an impassioned appeal to close the Medicaid coverage gap. One of the doctors was a practicing physician. She told me the story of a woman who waited months to get an exam after experiencing abdominal pains because she was stuck in the Medicaid coverage gap and did not have insurance. By the time that woman visited the doctor who told me this story she was given the news that she had stage IV ovarian cancer. She died not long after the diagnosis.

I think that too often legislators are far removed from the real world impact of their decisions. While is may appear somewhat defensible to refuse federal Medicaid expansion dollars while sitting in a committee room (though I strongly disagree with that), lives hang in the balance. This woman and an untold number of others are paying the ultimate price for this lack of legislative action. That story comes to my mind often.