Baucom considers state Senate run

Telephone polling began this week in Mint Hill asking residents if they’d support Union County Commissioner Allan Baucom in a N.C. Senate run for retiring Eddie Goodall’s District 35 seat –which covers parts of Matthews, Mint Hill and Union County.

Baucom said Feb. 3 he’s testing the waters to see if he should attempt the state race.

“The idea was presented to me and it’s something I’m still considering,” Baucom said, adding that he has no timetable for deciding before candidate filing closes Friday, Feb. 26.

There are currently two other candidates also running to replace Goodall, who is now president of the North Carolina Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Former Union County Commissioner Tommy Tucker, of Waxhaw, owner of Parks Heating & Cooling in Harrisburg, and former state senator Fern Shubert, who held the seat before Goodall, have declared.

Baucom said he especially wants to elect someone who could bring much-needed transportation dollars to the district. “We need someone who could go to Raleigh and be effective, someone who knows how to get things done,” he said.

Elected in 2006, Baucom is currently finishing his first term as county commissioner. The New Salem resident is a farmer who owns A.L. Baucom Inc, an agricultural and truck repair company in Monroe.

Candidate filing for the 2010 primary elections on May 4 starts Monday, Feb. 8.