David R. Lewis
David Lewis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 53rd district | |
| In office January 1, 2003 – August 20, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Donald S. Davis (Redistricting) |
| Succeeded by | Howard Penny Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Ray Lewis[1] March 6, 1971 Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Michelle Lawrence |
| Education | Campbell University (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
David R. Lewis (born March 6, 1971) is an American former politician of the Republican Party who served as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly from 2002 to 2020, representing the state's 53rd House District. His district encompassed most of Harnett County including the City of Dunn and Towns of Angier, Coats, Erwin, and Lillington.
Additionally, Lewis formerly served as the National Committeeman for the North Carolina Republican Party.
In August 2020, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a bank.[2]
Early life, education and career
[edit]Lewis was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the son of Jean (née Hudson) and Donnie Lewis. He grew up in Dunn area and attended Cape Fear High School in Cumberland County, North Carolina.
After graduating from Cape Fear High School, Lewis went on to receive his degree in business administration from Campbell University.[3] While at Campbell University, Lewis served two terms as student body president and was also a member of the College Republicans.
He is a tobacco farmer and co-owner at Quality Equipment, LLC.
Political career
[edit]Gerrymandering
[edit]Lewis was the co-chair of the elections committee, responsible for the voter identification legislation as well as his work on the most recent round of redistricting in the State of North Carolina. This redistricting has been challenged as an instance of partisan gerrymandering. In his role as NC House redistricting leader, Lewis said that he wanted the maps drawn “to give a partisan advantage to 10 Republicans and three Democrats because [he did] not believe it’s possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and two Democrats.” [4] In addition, he stated: “I think electing Republicans is better than electing Democrats. So I drew this map to help foster what I think is better for the country.”[5]
Vote Rigging
[edit]During a fraud investigation into the 2018 U.S. House race in North Carolina's 9th district where a Republican operative conducted large-scale electoral fraud, Lewis introduced a bill that would put Republicans in charge of every election board in every election year.[6] On July 24, 2020, Lewis announced that he would be retiring at the end of his term and would not seek re-election.[7][8]
Resignation
[edit]Lewis resigned on August 20, 2020, when he was charged with making false statements to a bank and failure to file a tax return.[9]
Political campaigns
[edit]2002
Lewis defeated primary challenger, Teddy Byrd, in the September 10th, 2002 Republican Primary garnering 54% of the vote. On November 5, 2002, Lewis won election to the North Carolina House of Representatives by defeating Larry C. Upchurch (D).[10]
2004
On November 2, 2004, Lewis won re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives by defeating Louise Taylor (D). Lewis did not face a Republican challenger in the primary election.
2006
On November 7, 2006, Lewis won re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives by defeating Frank Stewart (D). For the second election in a row, Lewis did not face a Republican challenger in the primary election.
2008
On November 4, 2008, Lewis won re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives by defeating Joseph Lindsey Tart (D). For the third election cycle in a row, Lewis did not face a Republican challenger in the primary election.
2010
On November 2, 2010, Lewis won re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives by defeating Abraham Oudeh (D). For the fourth consecutive election cycle, Lewis did not face a Republican challenger in the primary election.
2012
Lewis ran for re-election in 2012. He ran unopposed in the May 8, 2012 Republican primary for the fifth consecutive election cycle and defeated Joseph Langley (D) in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.
2014
Lewis ran for re-election in 2014. He ran unopposed in the May 6, 2014 Republican primary for the sixth consecutive election cycle and defeated Susan Byerly (D) in the general election which took place on November 4, 2014.
2016
Lewis beat primary challenger, William "Chuck" Levorse, in the March primary garnering 79% of the vote. On November 8, 2016, Lewis won election to the North Carolina House of Representatives by defeating Jon Blum (D) with 61% of the vote.[11][12]
2018
Lewis ran for re-election again in 2018. On November 6, 2018 he defeated Democratic nominee Richard Chapman with just under 63% of the vote.[13]
Electoral history
[edit]| Year | Democrat | Votes | % | Republican | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Larry C. Upchurch | 5,987 | 38% | David Lewis | 9,672 | 62% |
| 2004 | Louise Taylor | 10,217 | 41% | David Lewis | 14,633 | 59% |
| 2006 | Frank Stewart | 6,846 | 47% | David Lewis | 7,763 | 53% |
| 2008 | Joseph Tart | 14,431 | 47% | David Lewis | 16,135 | 53% |
| 2010 | Abraham Oudeh | 6,784 | 33% | David Lewis | 13,533 | 67% |
| 2012 | Joseph Langley | 13,370 | 44% | David Lewis | 17,365 | 56% |
| 2014 | Susan Byerly | 8,707 | 44% | David Lewis | 10,966 | 56% |
| 2016 | Jon Blum | 12,678 | 39% | David Lewis | 19,548 | 61% |
| 2018 | Richard Chapman | 10,108 | 37% | David Lewis | 17,201 | 63% |
Personal life
[edit]Lewis resides in Dunn, North Carolina.
- Corruption indictment
On August 26, 2020, Lewis pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a bank and failing to file his federal income tax return.[14] Federal investigators produced evidence that Lewis had stolen funds from his campaign account in order to prop up his failing farm. Specifically, Lewis opened a new bank account with the name "NC GOP Inc" and then wrote checks totaling $65,000 to that new account from his campaign account. This was evidently an attempt to make it appear as if the money was being transferred to the North Carolina Republican Party. Although he faced sentencing guidelines of up to 30 years in prison, prosecutors allowed Lewis to take a plea deal. He was let off with no prison time.[15]
On August 17, 2021 he was sentenced for misappropriating campaign funds and failing to file his 2018 federal income tax return. Lewis was sentenced to 24 months supervised release in which one year was for the false return count, and is to serve one day active sentence for each count served concurrent.
References
[edit]- ^ "No prison time for former NC lawmaker who siphoned money from campaign". 17 August 2021.
- ^ "North Carolina State Legislator Pleads Guilty to Making a False Statement to a Bank". 26 August 2020.
- ^ "David Lewis - NC House of Representatives, Biography". Archived from the original on 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
- ^ Blythe, Anne (22 September 2016). "League of Women Voters challenges NC congressional districts as partisan gerrymanders". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Robertson, Gary (9 January 2018). "Judges: North Carolina must redo map skewed by partisanship". Washington Post. Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "North Carolina GOP pushes law to take over elections amid fraud investigation in House race | Salon.com". www.salon.com. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ Fain, Travis (24 July 2020). "David Lewis, key leader in the NC House, announces surprise retirement". WRAL.com. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ Doran, Will. "David Lewis, architect of voter ID and redistricting laws, retiring from NC legislature". The News & Observer. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ NC House Rules Chair resigns seat, federal charges filed
- ^ [1] WRAL News
- ^ "Local legislative incumbents weather primary challenges". WRAL.com. Mar 15, 2016. Retrieved Nov 15, 2019.
- ^ "North Carolina 53rd District State House Results: David Lewis Wins". The New York Times. Aug 1, 2017. Retrieved Nov 15, 2019.
- ^ [2] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- ^ "North Carolina State Legislator Pleads Guilty to Making a False Statement to a Bank". August 26, 2020. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ Powerful NC lawmaker took donors’ money for his own use, prosecutors say
External links
[edit]- North Carolina General Assembly - Representative David Lewis Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine official NC House website
- David Lewis for NC House official campaign site
- David R. Lewis on Twitter
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- 1971 births
- 21st-century American legislators
- Campbell University alumni
- Living people
- Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- North Carolina politicians convicted of crimes
- People from Dunn, North Carolina
- People from Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Republican National Committee members
- 21st-century North Carolina politicians