Karl Ellis Gillespie

Karl Ellis Gillespie is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 120, covering Cherokee, Clay, Graham, and Macon counties. He is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election for the same seat, after serving three consecutive terms that began on January 1, 2021 and are set to end on January 1, 2027 ¹²⁰. In the 2023‑2024 legislative session he holds the leadership position of House Majority Whip and chairs the Appropriations‑Agriculture, Natural and Economic Resources Committee and the Environment Committee, while serving as vice‑chair on Agriculture, Appropriations, Federal Relations and American‑Indian Affairs, and Wildlife Resources ²⁰¹⁷.

Born on September 6, 1962, in Franklin, North Carolina, Gillespie graduated from Franklin High School ¹¹. He built a career in communications and entrepreneurship, serving as vice‑president of Globe Communications (1983‑1999) and later founding National Communications, Inc. in 1999, a regional low‑voltage communications installer and maintainer ¹¹²⁰. He also works as a communications contractor and farmer on family land near Franklin ¹⁷⁴.

Gillespie entered public service as a Macon County commissioner from 2016 to 2020, a role that gave him experience in local government before moving to the state legislature ⁵¹¹. He has been active in community organizations, including the Macon County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association (vice‑president), the Southwestern Community College Board of Trustees, and the Macon County Planning Board ¹¹⁶.

Since his first election to the House in 2020, Gillespie has been assigned to several key committees. In the 2021‑2022 session he served as vice‑chair of the Federal Relations and American‑Indian Affairs Committee and as a member of Agriculture, Wildlife Resources, Appropriations, and Appropriations‑Education ¹⁵. For the 2023‑2024 session his assignments expanded to include vice‑chair roles on Agriculture, Appropriations, Federal Relations, and Wildlife Resources, as well as chairmanships of the Environment Committee and the Appropriations‑Agriculture, Natural and Economic Resources Committee ²⁰¹⁷.

Legislatively, Gillespie has sponsored and co‑sponsored dozens of bills, focusing on budgetary issues, broadband expansion, agricultural support, and rural health care. He highlighted securing more than $45 million for water, sewer, emergency services, and community college projects in his district during the recent state budget cycle ⁸. He also advocated for teacher pay raises, tax cuts, and expanded behavioral health funding ⁸¹⁷.

Gillespie’s campaign emphasizes improving broadband access, fostering economic development, supporting agriculture, preserving natural resources, and maintaining affordable health care for rural residents ⁶⁸. He describes himself as a fifth‑generation Maconian committed to representing the interests of western North Carolina ⁶⁸.

Sources