Libertarian Party

About the Candidate

Born in 1968, Will Adkins grew up in the small town of Wayne in rural West Virginia. His father was a bricklayer and his mother is a currently a bookkeeper with a local building supply company. During summers, he worked assisting his father in the middle-class family's construction business.

In 1986, he enlisted in the US Army Reserves and continued to serve while attending Marshall University. Will earned a B.B.A. in Business Management in 1990. Upon graduation, he accepted a commission as a reserve officer in the US Army Corps of Engineers. His first opportunity to discover North Carolina was during an assignment at Fort Bragg; it left a great impression and he resolved to make his way back.

As a former officer and enlisted soldier, Will took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. It was not an oath he took lightly; and while he has since been honorably discharged, he still remembers that obligation. He finds it quite frustrating when many of our elected officials, who took the same oath, blatantly disregard the Constitution while serving the needs of special interest groups. This was a motivating factor in encouraging him to become more active in the political system.

His professional background includes real-world experience directing the national account operations team at AT&T Wireless Data, providing consulting services, and being a small business owner. After losing his father to cancer, Will returned to West Virginia to spend time with family and complete his Master's degree in Business Administration in 1998. Upon completing his Master's degree, will agreed to join several AT&T executives who were starting their own company. So, he headed back to Seattle to lead client services initiatives in the high-tech entrepreneurial start-up.

With the collapse of the tech bubble in 2001, Will seized the opportunity to relocate back to North Carolina and settled in Cary. He was offered and accepted a position as a senior administrative officer within the University of North Carolina system. In this capacity, he had the opportunity to learn many of processes and inner workings of the higher education/state government institution. After five years, Will left UNC to join a local company serving non-profits, education, and government clients. He put his doctoral studies, in business administration, on hold to dedicate the time required to this venture.

In May, 2007, Will married Toni McGraw who was then a resident of Willow Springs, NC. She is a department manager at Staples and currently on summer break from her classes at Johnston Community College in Smithfield. Currently, Will serves as the Director of Client Services with Rave Wireless, a firm specializing in delivering mobile public safety and academic solutions to higher education institutions.

Prior to joining the Libertarian Party, Will was active within the Republican Party serving as a delegate at county, congressional, and state conventions. He has also helped re-establish the NC Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), an organization dedicated to promoting liberty and limited government within the Republican Party; he served as the state Secretary and web master.

After witnessing the 'old guard' Republicans subvert the rules to deprive Ron Paul supporters of their delegates to the National Convention, he resolved to make a change. While giving consideration to what that change might be, Will was approached by the Libertarian Party to run for the US House of Representatives seat in the NC 2nd District - a role that he had not previously considered. The Libertarian Party was recently reinstated to the ballot in NC and champions many of the same principles that he had been supporting within the Republican Party - Individual Liberty, Free Enterprise, and Limited Government. This seems a great fit and perfect timing. In consultation with his wife, family and trusted friends, Will accepted the nomination to run as a Libertarian candidate.

As a candidate for the US House of Representative for District 2, he is committed to adhering to the Constitution, working to limit the federal government in size and scope, promoting individual freedom and responsibility, and supporting free enterprise. With your support, we can make a difference.