CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In Charlotte, Democratic incumbent Rep. Brandon Lofton, facing Republican Trina Boyd in North Carolina House District 104, said the General Assembly most important job is adopting a timely state budget that invests in communities, according to a candidate questionnaire released for the Nov. 3 election.
Lofton, a partner at Robinson Bradshaw and Hinson focused on public finance and a UNC Chapel Hill undergrad who earned a law degree at NYU, serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Early Childhood Caucus and has been appointed to North Carolina Blue Ribbon Commission for Public Education. He previously served on the board for the Levine Museum of the New South and the Council for Children Rights.
He said the recently enacted budget will reduce state revenue by $7 billion over the next eight years and result in annual deficits growing to $4.2 billion in 2034, leaving fewer resources for schools, public safety and infrastructure. On a possible constitutional amendment limiting local property tax increases, Lofton said the most efficient relief is for the General Assembly to fund its own responsibilities, noting the county funded 700 teachers in CMS and the city and county funded 24 positions in the District Attorney office, with the county spending more than $2.9 billion over the last seven years covering state duties.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the second-largest school district in North Carolina and 16th-largest in the nation, serves the city students under its Board of Education and administrative leadership, so Lofton CMS staffing example lands squarely on Charlotte classroom capacity.
Lofton said he has worked across the aisle on teen mental health and nonprofit statutes and supports thoughtful regulatory reforms that cut delays while protecting outcomes. He said any Major League Baseball stadium funding should weigh economic impact, public input and opportunity costs. The Nov. 3 ballot will decide the Charlotte-area House District 104 seat between Lofton and Boyd.
