In an epic upset, a 10-term incumbent lawmaker in North Carolina has been unseated by a 21-year-old college student.
“Wyatt Gable, who is earning his bachelor’s degree at East Carolina University, defeated North Carolina State House Representative George Cleveland by just under 2 percentage points, garnering support from a shade under 51 percent of Republican voters,” Newsweek reported.
“The newcomer will now face Democrat Carmen Spicer in November for North Carolina’s District 14 seat in the state House of Representatives,” the outlet added.
Gable credited a “lot of hard work” for his victory, with just 95 votes separating him from the 84-year-old incumbent who has been in office since 2005.
“A lot of doors knocked, a lot of phone calls made, and just a lot of people that were helping me out, and I really appreciate it,” he told “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy on Thursday.
Gable recalled reaching out to his then-Rep. Cleveland after watching the loss of freedoms wrought by the COVID-19 lockdowns. He told Doocy he never did hear back from the lawmaker he eventually unseated.
New: North Carolina GOP State Representative George Cleveland who is 84 years old lost his primary last night to a 21-year-old college student named Wyatt Gable. pic.twitter.com/DoMPCXMGMq
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 6, 2024
“I remember I was sitting in my microeconomics class, and I wrote him an email and never heard anything back,” he said. “And I just remember how it felt. And I don’t want anyone to feel the same way I felt, you know, not being left out. So that’s where I got the idea. And here we are now.”
Good Thursday morning to all citizens who want America to be great again and all of our friends. I was excited to hear a young Republican, named Wyatt Gable won a district primary in NC. Wyatt is only 21 and his platform was right on target. He wants to buy back thousands of… pic.twitter.com/Y7bBsTvKem
— Victoria ⏳⚖️ (@Loveof1776) March 7, 2024
Gable is “very confident” about winning in November.
“We’ve got a lot of Republicans around here and a lot of independents that vote Republican as well. So we’re very confident, but we’re going to put in the work just like we did for the primary,” he said.
The “big three things” he plans to focus on in his platform are government spending, China, and education.
Focusing on education like simple things. Home economics, shop, carpentry, so students [are] prepared,” he said. “The Chinese Communist Party owns thousands of acres in North Carolina, so I want to use eminent domain to buy that all back. And then just smart spending. We spend way too much money as a federal government and as a state government. So we need to rein that in, so we can lower our taxes.”
The college student is also hoping to be an inspiration to others in the younger generation.
“I feel if people my age and in that age range can see me, someone who’s 21 and younger, be a part of the GOP and the Republican Party, maybe I can help encourage them to feel the same way. [Not] only, you know, run for office themselves, but hopefully you can join the GOP and the conservative side,” he said.
Wyatt served as president of the Eastern Carolina University chapter of Turning Point USA. Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk gave the young candidate a shout-out.
HUGE WIN last night in North Carolina where Wyatt Gable, TPUSA’s 21-year-old Eastern Carolina University Chapter President, defeated 14th District RINO incumbent George Cleveland and will head to the general election in November.
“I just think it came down to people wanting a… pic.twitter.com/J1d72VgZ3K
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 6, 2024
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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