FACING THE VOTERS: Dr. Caroline Eason-Rhoten, N.C. House 110

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

Editor’s Note: This Facing the Voters feature was originally published in February 2026 and is being republished ahead of the November 3, 2026, general election. The article reflects Eason’s statements and positions during the original interview. Election information has been updated to reflect the results of the March 3 Republican primary. The reporter for this article does not live in the 110th NC House District.

Caroline Eason is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is not only a third-generation independent community pharmacist, but also a Republican who was running for the NC House District 110 seat. The district is one of 120 districts in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Eason, an Upper Cleveland County native with a taste for liver mush and politics, is also a firm believer in her faith and a member of Hulls Grove Baptist Church. She talked about why she felt compelled to run for the NC House District 110 seat, what she hoped to accomplish if elected, and who Caroline Eason is as a person.

At the time of the original interview, Eason was facing incumbent Rep. Kelly Hastings, who won 67.5% of the vote in the previous election and had represented the district since 2011. Eason had her sights set on winning the March 3 primary, believing it was time to make changes in a district that deserved a fresh face, new ideas and a different approach to serious issues affecting North Carolinians every day.

Election update: Eason won the March 3 Republican primary, defeating Hastings and becoming the party’s nominee for the November general election. She will face Democrat Mary Silver on Nov. 3.

“I’ve watched my dad and my grandpa serve people from across the pharmacy counter since as long as I can remember,” Eason said. “I knew that I wanted to keep that going and keep our pharmacies open and keep them in the family, keep them as an independent small business. That’s what led me to go into pharmacy.”

Eason said she noticed a concerning issue affecting small businesses across the state, with many being regulated by the same impactful policies as national corporations, which she said put a stranglehold on state and local businesses such as mom-and-pop pharmacies.

“Take the meatpacking industry, farmers in general, and community banks,” she explained. “Can you expect a community bank with much smaller deposits, in a smaller market cap to meet all the same regulations that a national bank does? It’s the same concept, but it’s in almost every industry.”

It is choking small businesses, and locally owned pharmacies are no exception. She wondered why more people weren’t paying attention to small businesses slowly being bought up or put out of business by national corporations.

“It’s happening to every industry,” Eason said. “It hurts them, and then they disappear. They become a memory in a photograph of what used to be.”

Having been interested in politics since high school, Eason was inspired to help struggling small businesses fight what she described as a chokehold of regulation that benefited national companies.

“Here at home, there are a lot of things in our lives that we don’t realize are determined by state-level politics,” she said. “State-level policy, state-level legislation.”

Pharmacy is one of those fields where legislation can have a significant impact. Eason said she hoped to help ease the burden on other industries where smaller businesses operate in the state.

“After watching my dad and my grandpa work their tails off my whole life, and me dedicating my career to the same thing; I’ve worked as an employee in the pharmacy really since I was 12,” she explained. “So, it had been my whole dream really to keep the pharmacies going. And then it got to the point where about two to three years ago, we didn’t know if the pharmacies were going to be there another month, let alone another year.”

When businesses close, jobs can disappear, affecting the local economy if the problem spreads too far.

One of Eason’s main priorities was the economy, with an emphasis on strong job growth for small businesses and other employers.

“Certain manufacturers and companies may not be in my district, but their employees are,” she stressed. “They live in my district and that matters to me, even if the business may not be (in the 110 NC House district).”

Eason said she knows what it takes to fight for what she believes in and is no stranger to forging her own path while staying true to her roots and beliefs.

A native of Lawndale, she carried her conservative values to college, where she grew in her faith and values while overcoming adversity as a conservative in a setting where, she said, traditional conservative values might not always be accepted.

(Caroline Eason continued below...)

“An overwhelming majority of outspoken people are not conservative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,” she said as she walked across the old county courthouse square talking with The Shelby Independent. “However, I was able to find really good quality conservative friends, whether it be through church groups, organizations, or just talking to people; you’d be really surprised.”

She added, “And going to meetings for, say, college Republicans was also a way that I could connect with like-minded individuals.”

Eason said she knows what it feels like to be left out, ignored, treated differently and criticized by opponents. In the weeks before the original interview, she had responded to opponents who had taken aim at her. She stressed the importance of residents in her district knowing that she would be a voice for everyone.

“If you’re in my district, I’m representing you,” Eason said firmly. “Whether you’re registered Democrat, Republican, Independent, another third party. I will, if elected, I will be your representative.”

“And I want to be a listening ear to everyone,” she added.

Eason again stressed the importance of supporting the local economy throughout Cleveland and Gaston counties.

“I want to work for the people of the 110 District, and across the state, to ensure that we have affordable, quality health care, which comes with protecting how special Cleveland and Gaston Counties are; and I’m advocate for all of those who fight to keep us safe and protected.”

She noted that keeping people safe wasn’t just about conventional crime, but also about a multitude of other issues.

“I want to help ensure election integrity, support our law enforcement personnel who work tirelessly to keep drugs off the street.”

She continued, “If elected, I would start my term supporting law enforcement. And when that term ends, and if elected again, I’ll keep supporting law enforcement, making sure they have the resources they need, have the support they require and the respect that they have earned.”

Eason stressed that fighting for the people of District 110 wouldn’t always be easy or happen at a pace some people might like, but she believed it was a fight worth taking on.

She also said she was willing to work across the aisle when necessary.

“Sometimes it’s not as big of steps as people would want, but you certainly have to be willing to work with a governor of a different party and representatives of different parties who have common interests, because they are there representing the interest of their people. We’re all North Carolinians and should want what is best for the people of our state, not what’s best for the politicians.”

Near the end of the interview, she said, “I love the people – how our people value tradition and how unique – yet aligned our people are for good. Of course, it’s the key to all of this, our unity and our good people.”

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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent. 

THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT.