George Grant Cleveland (born May 9, 1939), is a Republican member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

. He has represented the 14th District (including constituents in eastern

Onslow County Onslow County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 204,576. Its county seat is Jacksonville. The county was created in 1734 as Onslow Precinct and gained county status in 1739. Onslo ...

) since 2005. He is a 25-year veteran of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. He currently resides in Jacksonville,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, where he has lived for over 25 years. In 2012, Cleveland generated controversy when he stated that the state of North Carolina has "no one in the state of North Carolina living in

extreme poverty Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...

" during a debate in the House regarding preschool funding. In a conflicting statement, the non-profit group Action for Children in North Carolina cited statistics claiming one in ten North Carolina children live in extreme poverty.

North Carolina House of Representatives

Cleveland first ran for the

in 2004, where he defeated incumbent Keith Williams in the Republican primary. He has been re-elected a total of 8 times, most recently in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

. He was defeated for re-election in the 2024 primary by college student Wyatt Gable, someone just over one-quarter of his age. In February 2017, Cleveland joined with Representatives

Michael Speciale Michael David Speciale (born December 9, 1955) is an American Republican politician. He was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing the 3rd District from 2013 until 2021. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, before movi ...

(R-Craven), and

Larry Pittman Larry Graham Pittman (born September 30, 1954) is a former Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He represented the 83rd district (and the preceding 82nd district) (including constituents in Cabarrus County) from 2011 ...

(R-Cabarrus) in proposing a constitutional amendment that would allow North Carolina voters to repeal Article I, Section 4 of the North Carolina Constitution. This article declares "This State shall ever remain a member of the American Union; the people thereof are part of the American nation," and prohibits the state from seceding from the United States of America, and its inclusion in North Carolina's 1868 constitution was a condition for being readmitted into the Union after the Civil War. During the 2017 session, Cleveland introduced a bill to budget the funds to purchase for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol three rescue helicopters. H.B. 1050 was introduced by Representative Cleveland in 2018. The bill worked to authorize the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to apply for Federal Funds for the Expansion of Sandhills 4 State Vets Cemetery and Western Carolina State Cemetery.

Committee assignments

2021-2022 session

*Appropriations (Vice Chair) *Appropriations - General Government (Chair) *Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs (Vice Chair) *Marine Resources and Aqua Culture Committee (Vice Chair) *State Government (Vice Chair) *Transportation (Vice Chair) *Insurance

2019-2020 session

*Appropriations (Vice Chair) *Appropriations - General Government Committee (Chair) *Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs (Chair) *House State and Local Government (Vice Chair) *Transportation (Vice Chair) *Insurance *Wildlife Resources

2017-2018 session

*Appropriations (Vice Chair) *Appropriations - General Government (Chair) *Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs (Chair) *Transportation (Vice Chair) *State and Local Government I *Wildlife Resources *Agriculture *Judiciary IV

2015-2016 session

*Appropriations (Vice Chair) *Appropriations - General Government (Chair) *Appropriations - Information Technology *Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs (Chair) *Transportation (Vice Chair) *Local Government *Wildlife Resources *Agriculture *Education - K-12 *Judiciary III

2013-2014 session

*Appropriations (Vice Chair) *Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs (Chair) *Transportation (Vice Chair) *Government *Agriculture *Education *Judiciary

2011-2012 session

*Appropriations *Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs (Chair) *Transportation *Government *Agriculture *Education *Judiciary

2009-2010 session

*Appropriations *Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs *Transportation *Wildlife Resources *Education

Electoral history

2020

In March 2020, Cleveland, R-Onslow, won the Republican nomination to retain the N.C. House District 14 seat with 68% of the vote. He defeated Democrat Mary Wofford in the general election.

2018

In November 2018, Cleveland beat Isaiah Johnson by almost 18 percentage points.

2016

2014

2012

2010

2008

2006

2004

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Rep. George Cleveland
profile
General Assembly Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, George Living people 1939 births People from Scranton, Pennsylvania People from Jacksonville, North Carolina University of Maryland, College Park alumni 21st-century American legislators Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives 21st-century North Carolina politicians