SOUTHERN PINES — State Rep. Jamie Boles announced late Thursday that he filed for reelection in the new N.C. House of Representatives District 52.
The new district includes Richmond County and southern Moore County, where Boles lives.
Boles was accompanied during his filing by his four grandchildren, according to a press release.
The seven-term Republican state legislator grew up in Aberdeen, attended Moore County Schools and has been the owner of Boles Funeral Home and Crematory Service since 1984.
“I feel that the citizens of Moore and Richmond counties share the same values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Boles said in a statement. “As a small business owner, I understand the responsibilities of making a payroll and supporting our local community.”
Boles added that he “fully” supports the military and law enforcement.
“North Carolina has done well since 2010 when the Republicans won the majority in the N.C. House and Senate,” Boles continued. “We have lowered the personal income tax and the franchise tax and we have made great investments in our educational system.
“As a conservative, I will continue to fight for voter ID, election integrity, Second Amendment rights, and your personal property rights.”
Boles currently serves as senior chair of Appropriations, Justice and Public Safety, vice chair of the Alcoholic Beverage Control and State Government committees, and deputy majority whip.
The legislator also was recently selected by the House Republican leadership to co-chair the Government Operations Oversight Commission’s Subcommittee on the Use and Distribution of Federal COVID Funding, according to the release.
Boles said he is “looking forward to representing the people” of the district.
The previously contested district map pits Boles against another incumbent: Richmond County Republican Ben Moss.
Moss, who was elected to the House in 2020, was the first Republican elected to represent Richmond County. He had also been the first Republican elected to the Richmond County Board of Commissioners in more than a century.
The seat has also long been held by someone from Richmond County.
Moss currently serves House District 66, which, in addition to Richmond, also includes Montgomery County and a sliver of northeastern Stanly County.
Moss had intended to file on opening day, but candidates for the state House, Senate and U.S. House weren’t allowed to after a three-judge panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay due to legal challenges regarding the new maps.
That stay was overturned and Moss filed on Dec. 7 — before the N.C. Supreme Court halted all filing the following day.
After two months of legal wrangling and redrawing of maps, filing resumed Feb. 24.
No Democrats or Libertarians have filed for the seat, according to records with the N.C. State Board of Elections.
