Name: Marcus Alexander Gadson

Age: 38

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: https://gadsonfornc.com/

Occupation and employer: Law Professor, University of North Carolina

1. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of your North Carolina district effectively? What would you cite as your biggest career accomplishment? 

I have served the community over the past several years as a member of the North Carolina Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a secretary of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP branch, a member of the governing board of the North Carolina ACLU, and a member of the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the Eastern District of North Carolina. And I have taught hundreds of students about our state and federal constitutions and watched with pride as they make their mark after graduating. I have written a book about the history of constitutional crisis in America and am co-authoring a textbook about state constitutional law. This gives me unique expertise to make some of the constitutional reforms we need in North Carolina.

I am proudest that I received an award for outstanding teaching for all six years I served on Campbell University’s law faculty. 

2. What do you believe to be the three most pressing issues facing the next General Assembly? What steps do you believe the state should take to address them?

(1) Lowering the cost of living, (2) supporting our public schools and promoting public safety, and (3) strengthening our democracy. I address the cost-of-living crisis in my answer to question 5. So I will address the other objectives in my answer to this question:

Supporting Public Schools

1. Focus on Improving Basic Reading and Math Skills

Too many children in North Carolina schools struggle with basic math and reading skills. In fact, North Carolina students perform worse than the national average on standardized tests of reading and are still doing worse than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet despite these outcomes, North Carolina gives salaries to teachers and funding for schools well below the national average. This is unacceptable. In the General Assembly, I will work to make North Carolina #1 in America at teaching reading and math. Research—and common sense—show that one of the best ways to do that is to provide every student with a high-quality, experienced teacher. But the state’s low teacher salaries prevent us from hiring and retaining qualified teachers, leading to staffing shortages. In the General Assembly, I will support increasing education funding to bring teacher salaries in line with the rest of the country. This will make the state a more attractive place to teach and ensure that every child, regardless of background, has an excellent teacher. In exchange for this increased funding, I will also insist on holding public schools accountable for teaching students the skills they need. 

2. Teach Students About the North Carolina Constitution and Government

Every North Carolinian lives under two constitutions, one for the United States and one for North Carolina. When they leave school, North Carolina students will be affected just as much by the North Carolina Constitution as they will by the United States Constitution. The North Carolina Constitution decides who becomes a judge in North Carolina state court, protects rights that the United States Constitution does not, like the right to an education, and limits how the state taxes them. Yet most students learn little or nothing about the North Carolina Constitution in school. In the General Assembly, I will advocate for funding to ensure school districts have a strong curriculum on the North Carolina Constitution and that teachers have the training they need to teach it. 

3. Give Students the Mental Health Resources They Need

I will advocate for more funding to ensure that every school offers mental health services to students who need them. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children between 10 and 18. Anxiety around everything from school shootings to bullying is especially high. The federal government is now refusing to provide funding for mental health services to cope with these challenges, so the state must step in. 

Promoting Public Safety

1. Provide Funding to Eliminate Police Shortages

Police departments across North Carolina, from the state highway patrol to local departments here in District 37, have long said they need more officers. Police and correctional officers have been resigning faster than we can replace them. In the General Assembly, I will therefore work to provide law enforcement and correctional officers with a salary increase, hire the additional officers the state needs to keep us safe, and provide them with the training to succeed. At the same time, I will always insist on accountability for police misconduct and that the police treat everyone with dignity and respect. 

2. Reform the Criminal Justice System to Hold the Truly Dangerous Accountable 

Unfortunately, some people really do threaten our safety, and the legal system needs the resources and ability to try and imprison them before they victimize more of us. Yet our courts spend considerable time and resources on debt collection, including putting North Carolinians in jail. At the same time, too many North Carolinians have been falsely convicted of crimes they did not commit, and too many of those accused of crimes who may be innocent lack the resources to defend themselves adequately. Every dollar spent pursuing the wrong people is a dollar we don’t have to spend pursuing the right people. In the General Assembly, I will work tirelessly to reform the criminal justice system to ensure it treats every North Carolinian fairly while taking and keeping those who are dangerous off our streets.

3. Promote Rehabilitation of Criminals to Change Lives and Reduce Reoffending

Almost 50% of those who serve time in a North Carolina prison commit crimes after release. This is at least double the reoffending rate of countries like Norway. To put it bluntly, prison isn’t working in North Carolina. In the General Assembly, I will insist that the taxpayer dollars used on our prisons are put to better use and that as many inmates as possible leave prison ready to work a job and lead a productive life. I will also work to make it easier for people with felony records to vote and work as an incentive to obey the law upon release from prison. By reducing our reoffending rate, we will ensure that fewer North Carolinians become victims of crime. 

Strengthening Democracy

In my answer to question 7, I explain why we need an independent redistricting commission. I believe our democracy is a precious inheritance that we must safeguard. I want to mention two ideas relevant to that end now. 

1. Pick Judges for Their Legal Ability and Fairness Instead of Their Political Party

In the General Assembly, I will propose an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution ending partisan elections for judges and imposing term limits. Instead, we would rely on an independent commission to propose judges for public consideration, and then let North Carolinians vote on whether to approve them. These changes will reduce the incentive and opportunities for judges to behave like partisan politicians. 

2. Provide a Citizen-Sponsored Initiative Process to Amend the North Carolina Constitution

Right now, the only way to change the North Carolina Constitution is to get the General Assembly to propose amendments. This allows special interests and self-interested politicians sole control over a constitution that belongs to we the people. As a member of the legislature, I will propose an amendment allowing North Carolina citizens themselves to place an amendment on the ballot for consideration by their fellow citizens when enough of them petition to do so. This will enable us, the people, to change our constitution even when the General Assembly is determined to stand in the way. 

3. North Carolina expanded Medicaid two years ago. However, federal budget cuts now threaten the program due to a state “trigger law” that ends expansion if federal support drops below 90%. How would you address Medicaid funding to maintain coverage for the millions of North Carolinians enrolled?

I have two primary objectives. The first is to address the reimbursement rate for medical services. It is currently too low. The result is that many medical providers don’t accept Medicaid patients or limit the number of Medicaid patients they see. The second is to revisit the trigger law to make clear that we will maintain Medicaid expansion even if federal support drops. That leaves the question of how we will pay. We need to pause planned tax cuts for high earners and corporations to make revenue available for these objectives. 

4. The General Assembly has recently passed legislation limiting local control over zoning and development standards to address housing shortages. Do you support the legislature’s approach of limiting local zoning authority to increase housing supply, or should municipalities retain greater autonomy over land use decisions?

As discussed below, we need to simplify land-use and zoning laws to make it easier and quicker to build, while balancing the need to ensure housing is environmentally sustainable and supported by necessary infrastructure. My preferred solution would be for localities to take the lead on this first. I believe it is incredibly important to respect local government decisions wherever possible and that we be wary of encroaching on their authority. 

5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, child care, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?

I will use a mix of tax policy and regulatory reform. Let me begin with the tax changes I will advocate for that will make life more affordable for North Carolinians:

 Bring back the state-level earned income tax credit. 
 Bring back a child and dependent care credit.
 Create a tax deduction for money spent on renting housing. 
 Lower the state and local sales tax for necessities like food, over-the-counter medication, cleaning supplies, and clothes throughout the year. 

Cumulatively, these changes will leave more money in the pockets of working and middle-class North Carolinians. With extra breathing room in their budgets, they will be better able to meet their living expenses. 

Our housing affordability crisis has a straightforward cause: North Carolina doesn’t have enough homes. When there aren’t enough homes for everyone who needs one, landlords and developers can charge more to sell and rent housing. They know that we will have to compete for the limited housing available by offering to pay more than our neighbors do. The result: astronomical price increases.

The solution is relatively straightforward. We need to make it easier to build and reduce delays. Zoning laws that regulate what housing we can build have grown so complicated that only wealthy corporations with teams of lawyers can afford to go through the building process; even then, new developments take too long. We need to reform zoning to make the building process as quick and straightforward as possible for North Carolinians who care about North Carolina. When a North Carolinian asks, “Can I build?” our answer should be “Yes!”

I believe making more housing available and directing tax relief to working and middle-class North Carolinians will make life significantly more affordable. 

6. Climate disasters are intensifying: Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded the Triangle in 2025, and coastal erosion threatens the Outer Banks. With much affordable housing located in flood-prone areas and FEMA resources stretched thin, what is your plan for climate resilience and disaster relief?

I want to acknowledge that fighting climate change will take a sustained national effort beyond the capacity of any single state legislature. I would make two points. First, the state must step up where federal resources fall short by maintaining a dedicated, well-funded disaster resilience and recovery fund to bridge gaps left by FEMA, and support local governments before and after storms. Second, I would push for coordinated planning across state agencies to address coastal erosion, flooding, and extreme weather as interconnected challenges. I want to underscore how important it is to begin addressing these challenges now. If we fail to do so, the state will inevitably have to address them in the coming years, and it will be much more expensive to do so. These costs will fall on individuals and businesses. 

7. The General Assembly recently passed a new congressional redistricting map. This marks the state’s seventh congressional map since 2016. How do you view the most recent redistricting? And do you support independent redistricting processes, or do you believe the legislature should retain this power? 

I have special expertise on this subject, given that I teach a class on the North Carolina Constitution and on state constitutional law generally. I believe the latest round of redistricting is wrong and violates the North Carolina Constitution. North Carolina’s constitution contains several clauses relevant to the issue at hand. Our Declaration of Rights says that “all persons are created equal.” It insists that all political power is “instituted solely for the good of the whole.” And it promises that “All elections shall be free.” Beyond these substantive guarantees, the North Carolina Constitution also places strict procedural limits on how often the General Assembly can be redistricted. Article II § 5(4) says, “the senate districts and the apportionment of Representatives shall remain unaltered until the return of another decennial census of population taken by order of Congress.” This last provision avoids gamesmanship and ensures stability in districting. If that principle matters when drawing General Assembly districts, shouldn’t it also matter when drawing congressional districts?

These texts cumulatively demonstrate the North Carolina Constitution’s overarching commitment to a fair political process that represents all citizens and honors their equal dignity and worth. When North Carolina’s founders were drafting our first state constitution in 1776, they sought advice from John Adams. Adams urged that the legislature “should be in miniature, an exact portrait of the people at large.” To do “strict justice at all times, [the legislature] should [provide for] equal representation” so that the “people should have equal interest in it.” And Adams warned North Carolinians, “Great care should be taken to effect this, and to prevent unfair, partial, and corrupt elections.” All of the provisions I mentioned live in the shadow of that noble vision for how American politics is supposed to operate.

The General Assembly considered none of this when it remade North Carolina’s congressional maps. Indeed, the Senate Redistricting Chairman, Ralph Hise, was transparent that “[t]he motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular. Draw a new map that will bring in an additional Republican seat to the North Carolina Congressional Delegation.” As soon as Senate Republicans passed the new map, President Trump thanked them on Truth Social.

Politicians cannot be trusted with redistricting, and so I support an independent redistricting commission. Our recent history shows that they will choose partisan advantage over fair competition every time. I will therefore propose an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution creating an independent commission to draw maps for state and congressional elections. This will ensure that our maps are chosen to keep elections competitive and reflect the political diversity of our state. 

8. The General Assembly failed to pass a 2025–27 budget, leaving teachers without raises. North Carolina ranks 43rd nationally in teacher pay. How would you address teacher compensation, and what will you do to ensure a budget passes that adequately funds education?

In the near future, I would like to see our average teacher salary statewide be at least $69,000, which would match the average salary in Virginia, a state we are losing teachers to. In the long term, I would like to see public school teachers paid like university professors. 

If elected, I will build and sustain bipartisan support for a comprehensive teacher pay raise by intentionally bringing conservative and rural districts into the coalition from the start. Those communities understand that strong schools are essential to local opportunity, and I want them to help shape the bill so it reflects the needs of every part of North Carolina. By raising literacy and math scores statewide, we can also attract more conservative business leaders who recognize that a stronger workforce begins with competitive teacher pay. The Research Triangle and Charlotte, especially, are places that many international corporations are coming to, and offering them a well-educated workforce is a lure. Framing the bill as an economic development strategy—not a partisan fight—creates the broad, durable support necessary to move legislation through a divided General Assembly. Finally, I plan to appeal to state pride. We are one of the only state constitutions to place a right to education in our Declaration of Rights alongside guarantees to religious freedom and jury trials. Yet teacher retention and student performance are below the national average. Let’s unify our state around the goal of being the best in America at teaching reading and math. 

9. North Carolina currently has a 12-week abortion ban with certain exceptions. Some legislators have proposed further restrictions. Do you support the current law, do you believe access should be expanded, or would you support further restrictions?

No, I don’t support the current law. I want to codify the Roe framework into state law. I support doing this by adding an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution that codifies Roe, so that future legislatures cannot undermine it. 

10. Federal legislation will ban most hemp-derived THC products, like delta-8, by November 2026, threatening North Carolina’s hemp industry. Meanwhile, recreational marijuana remains illegal and medical marijuana bills have stalled. What is your position on hemp regulation and how would you address the upcoming federal ban, if at all?

My position is that North Carolina should legalize medical marijuana and not impose criminal or civil penalties on recreational marijuana while warning young people about the dangers of addiction. I want to be upfront and say that I will have limited ability to address the federal ban on hemp-derived products. As a legislator, I will swear an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and the upcoming congressional ban will be the supreme law of the land, unless and until it is found unconstitutional. I would seriously study constitutional infirmities in the ban and then support lawful efforts to pursue challenges based upon them in court. 

11. Gov. Josh Stein recently signed “Iryna’s Law,” which eliminates cashless bail, requires mental health evaluations for certain defendants, and attempts to restart the death penalty by requiring alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable. The law also accelerates death penalty appeals. Where do you stand on the death penalty and changes made by the law?

Let me begin with capital punishment. Although there are people who deserve to be executed for heinous crimes, I believe we should continue North Carolina’s de facto moratorium—since 2006— on capital punishment because of the problems experienced in administering it fairly and the number of people who have been exonerated nationwide. I am especially concerned about the changes Iryna’s law has made to the death penalty in North Carolina. Death penalty cases are very complicated and require time and careful attention to detail. Iryna’s law requires that any case more than 24 months old be scheduled for a hearing between December 2026 and December 2027. I worry that this compressed timeline does not give courts adequate time to study death penalty cases and, therefore, heightens the risk of executing an innocent person. 

Second, I support requiring mandatory mental health evaluations in cases of those accused of violent crimes who have been involuntarily committed recently. However, Iryna’s law should have robustly invested in providing mental health resources to those who need them before they commit crimes to better protect victims, but it failed to do so. In addition, Iryna’s law should have provided greater funding for police and correctional officers to better protect law-abiding citizens. 

I would also add that I support the law providing funding for ten assistant district attorneys and five legal assistants in Mecklenburg County, as Iryna’s law did. 

12. Tech companies are investing heavily in North Carolina data centers, bringing jobs and tax revenue but also consuming significant electricity and water resources. How should the state balance data center investment with environmental protection and community concerns?

I am glad to see tech companies investing in North Carolina and want to see them continuing to do so. We also need to be mindful of the environmental impact and the impact on things like utility bills. In the General Assembly, I will study ways to coordinate with utilities to ensure that extra electricity costs are not passed on to consumers and that new facilities commit to environmental sustainability. I will also study ways to use tax incentives and policies to encourage data centers to operate in ways that benefit the whole community. 

13. Give an example of an opinion, policy, vote, or action you changed based on constituent feedback. If you have not yet held elected office, describe a time when you changed your position on an issue after listening to those affected by it.

I have never held elective office before. One issue where I have changed my mind is on permitting students to use technology such as laptops in my law school classes unless a student has an accommodation. I used to be against the idea. I believed forbidding technology like laptops created an environment more conducive to learning. However, two things changed my mind. The first was hearing from students with accommodations who felt uncomfortable using technology when it was banned for students without accommodations because it outed them as having an accommodation when they would prefer not to share that information. Second, many students told me about how much it cost to print out readings for multiple classes while living on a tight budget and explained how being able to pull readings up on a laptop or tablet would help them save money. 

14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?