Dave Boliek (R) and Jack Clark (R) are running in the Republican primary runoff for North Carolina State Auditor on May 14, 2024. Clark and Boliek were the top two finishers in the March 5 Republican primary with 23.2% and 22.1% of the vote, respectively. State law permitted Boliek to request a runoff because Clark did not receive more than 30% of the vote.
Boliek is an attorney and a member of the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Board of Trustees. Boliek says his experience managing the university’s investments and as a prosecuting attorney make him the best-qualified candidate. Boliek says the auditor’s core responsibilities include “leading a highly effective team to accomplish work on behalf of the taxpayers” and “implementing a strategic plan to achieve accountability for the spending of taxpayer dollars.”
Clark is a staffer working on budget policy in the General Assembly. Clark is a former auditor in the private sector. Clark says he is the most qualified candidate because he is “the only candidate with a Masters in Accounting, a CPA, and recent audit experience.” Clark says the auditor’s core responsibility is “to find the objective truth. Whoever is elected to this office must provide the proper ‘tone at the top’ to inspire the auditors working under them to approach every audit with the right mindset.”
The winner will face incumbent Jessica Holmes (D) and Bob Drach (L) in the general election. The last Republican elected as North Carolina Auditor was Leslie Merritt (R) in 2004.
