College junior, 21, beats Republican, 81, who has served for 20 years in GOP primary: North Carolina student who ran because his rights were 'stripped' during COVID says he wants schools to teach more carpentry and mechanics

A 21-year-old North Carolina college student is headed to the general election in November after ousting a Republican state lawmaker who has served 20 years in the state House.

Wyatt Gable won the Republican primary against 10-term incumbent George Cleveland in a race for the North Carolina House District 14 seat by 95 votes.

The junior at East Carolina University will now face Democratic candidate Carmen Spicer in November.

Gable said he decided to run after his experience during the coronavirus pandemic.

'The biggest thing for me was my first year at ECU you didn’t get vaccinated for COVID, which I did not, you had to get tested every week, and if you didn’t get tested, they turned off your ID,' he said in an interview with WNCT.

Gable decided to run for office because of his experience during the coronavirus pandemic. He said he reached out to his state representative and never heard back. That representative was the opponent he ousted in the primary

'I couldn't get food at the dining hall, things like that, and the real big one like, you know, you have to wear your mask in the bus, class, everywhere you go, but then you can go to the basketball game where there's 4,000 people and you don't have to wear one,' Gable claimed. 

Gable beat state Rep. George Cleveland by 95 votes in the GOP primary. Cleveland served 10 terms in the General Assembly

Gable, who graduated high school in 2021, actually reached out to Cleveland, but he never got a response to his email.

'I just remember how it felt and I didn't want anyone to feel the same way I felt, you know... being left out, so that's where I got the idea, and here we are now,' he told Fox News.

Gable is studying for a degree in business management with a minor in political science. 

He said he would like to focus on preparing students for the real world, like home economics, shop, auto repair, and carpentry in the school system.

'Because you know a lot of people nowadays say if I don't go to college, I'm not going to amount to anything, which isn't true,' Gable said. 'I want to be able to give students the tools so they can succeed in life like that.'

He told Fox News he wants to use imminent domain to buy back land owned by the Chinese Communist Party in his state.

Gable said he wants to focus on education, using imminent domain to get back Chinese Communist Party owned NC land and reining in spending

Gable, a chapter president of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, also said the state needs to rein in spending, so they can lower taxes.

His website also touts protecting monuments and statues and says he plans to introduce legislation to 'protect all forms of our American history.'

On the race, he said he thinks people are ready for a fresh face, and he was able to win with 'a lot of hard work' knocking on doors and making phone calls. 

Now he is looking to bring more young people into the Republican party.

'I feel that if people my age, and in that age range can see me, someone who's 21 and younger, be a part of the GOP and the Republican party, maybe I can help encourage them to feel the same way... hopefully can join the GOP and the conservative side,' he told Fox News.

The North Carolina House District 14, which includes Jacksonville, is pretty conservative. 

Gable said he's 'very confident' when it comes to the November election, but they will 'put in the work' just like he did in the primary.