Ray Russell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the
North Carolina House of Representatives from the 93rd district | |
| In office January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Jordan |
| Succeeded by | Ray Pickett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 22, 1957 Manchester, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Rhonda Russell |
| Residence(s) | Boone, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Freed-Hardeman University Memphis State University Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Professor |
| Website | rayfornc.com |
Carl "Ray" Russell (born March 22, 1957) is an American politician, professor, self-taught meteorologist. Russell is a current member of the Watauga County commission, and former member of the North Carolina General Assembly, who represented the State's 93rd House district (comprising Watauga and Ashe Counties) from 2019 until 2021. He taught at Appalachian State University from 1991 until 2021, first in the Mathematics department and later in the Computer Science department. [1]
Self-taught in meteorology, Russell founded the popular regional weather website, Ray's Weather Center ( RaysWeather.com). [2] [3] [4] In 2016, Russell ran the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway to raise money for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. [5]
Education
Russell earned bachelor's degrees in computer science and religion at Freed-Hardeman College in 1979, a MS in computer science at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1985, a MS in mathematics at Memphis State University in 1982, and a Ph.D. in computer science at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1989.
Political career
Russell, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican Jonathan Jordan on November 6th, 2018. [6] Russell won by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent of Jordan. [7] [8] In the 2020 Democratic Primary, Russell defeated challenger Turner Doolittle by a margin of 88 percent to 12 percent. [9]
He was defeated for re-election in 2020 by Republican challenger Ray Pickett.
On October 4, 2022, Russell was appointed to the Watauga County Commission following the resignation of chairman John Welch. [10]
Electoral history
2020
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carl Ray Russell (incumbent) | 9,950 | 88.08% | |
| Democratic | Turner Doolittle | 1,346 | 11.92% | |
| Total votes | 11,296 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ray Pickett | 24,680 | 53.01% | |
| Democratic | Carl Ray Russell (incumbent) | 21,875 | 46.99% | |
| Total votes | 46,555 | 100% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carl Ray Russell | 18,787 | 52.21% | |
| Republican | Jonathan Jordan (incumbent) | 17,196 | 47.79% | |
| Total votes | 35,983 | 100% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
References
- ^ https://compsci.appstate.edu/faculty-staff/dr-ray-russell
- ^ Daddio, Jess (2016-01-21). "The Man Behind RaysWeather.com". Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- ^ O’Donnell, Lisa (November 11, 2018). "Strong showing at ASU, in Ashe County helped weatherman flip N.C. House seat". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- ^ Poston, Jonathan (November 21, 2021). "Q&A with Ray Russell, founder of Ray's Weather Center". Mountain Xpress. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Relay With Ray – Celebrating the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Centennial Year of the National Park Service". Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- ^ WRAL (6 November 2018). "Democrats break veto-proof majority in General Assembly". wral.com. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ "North Carolina Election Results – Election Results 2018 – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ "NC SBE Contest Results". er.ncsbe.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
- ^ "Ray Russell".
- ^ https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/local/former-state-representative-russell-appointed-to-watauga-county-board-of-commissioners/article_2324ef0c-44ca-11ed-8d0a-cb895cab2b99.html
- ^ [1] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- ^ [2] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- ^ [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
 | This article about a North Carolina politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |