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Name: Jack Clark

Political party: Republican

Age as of March 5, 2024: 32

Campaign website: jackclarknc.com

Current occupation: Research assistant

Professional experience: External Auditor at Grant Thornton. Internal Auditor at Parexel. Research Assistant to a budget chair in the North Carolina House.

Education: BS in economics from Duke. Masters in accounting from UNC.

What offices have you run for or held before? Have you had any other notable government or civic involvement? No offices held.

What do you think is the biggest issue in North Carolina that you would be able to shape if elected?

Trust. People have lost trust in politics and politicians. I will be a trustworthy auditor for all North Carolinians.

What do you think is or is not working well under the current officeholder? If not, how would you change it?

The current officeholder has been there for a month, so I will address the officeholder for the prior 15 years. While her audits were strong, anyone in that position for 15 years will have developed blind spots. I will see what she missed, and what audits had flown under the radar.

In what areas, if any, do you believe state government is wasting taxpayer money?

Everywhere. People and private companies waste money as well in all sorts of ways. I will not make campaign promises to go after specific areas. I will run the numbers and see what areas have the most money with the least oversight and the lightest audits. An auditor must keep an open mind when starting an audit engagement.

How would you prioritize the state programs and agencies that should be audited?

I will review what agencies and programs involve the most state money, have not been audited recently, are important to the functioning of the state, and otherwise have the highest risk. I also will follow statutes and respond to special requests from the legislature and attorney general.

How would you work to make sure politically connected people and companies are not unfairly benefiting from state spending and contracts?

The auditor, being elected directly by the people, is an independent position. Personally, I am not beholden to special interests, and I have strong integrity and too much honesty. Practically, ensuring that bidding procedures are in place and being followed is a strong control against insider spending. Searching for related parties is another strong tool an auditor can use. It all starts with the tone at the top, and I will set a tone that our department wants to ensure taxpayer money is being used effectively and efficiently. Candidates with too many personal ties, or too strong a personal agenda, won’t be best suited to find these unfair transactions.

What should be done to address staff vacancies in your agency and in state government as a whole?

The state auditor should go to schools and try to inspire more students to pursue accounting, and to help them understand that public service is an admirable career path. The CPA pipeline is drying up, and if the department wants to continue functioning, the next auditor must address that reality.

Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?

While I agree on most policy principles, I disagree on several items of process. For example, I believe redistricting should be done by an independent commission, which I recognize would require an amendment. The current partisan process is unnecessary and adds to polarization.