The Race for Powers
Every day for the last seven years, Elbie Powers, a pecan farmer from Sampson County, has saved his pocket change. The reason: he was saving up enough money to pay the $1,359 filing fee to run for governor.
Powers, a Republican, is the latest candidate to enter the gubernatorial race, which right now contains four other Republicans and three Democrats. Powers is almost certainly the biggest underdog in the group. He does not yet have a web site; he acknowledges he is uncomfortable with public speaking; and he offered few specifics on how he would achieve some of his bold promises, like massive tax cuts and the creation of 1,000 new jobs in every county. (Powers told Trail Mix today that he would be ready to go into specifics on Monday, the first day when candidates can officially file to run for public office.) The rationale for his campaign is a grassroots effort to reduce the tax burden on working people. “I wish there was a category of ‘fed up taxpayer.’ But there’s not. So I’m on the Republican ticket,” Powers said.
He may lag behind in fundraising and campaign organization, but Powers does have one leg up on the competition. His name is a slogan writer’s dream. So far, Elbie is going with “Power for the People.”
The Dunn Daily Record has more on Powers here.
