The new Stanly County GOP headquarters at Burleson Square was to have its grand opening at 3 p.m. Feb. 16.

However, due to a large response, organizers have moved the event to the Stanly County Fairgrounds, 24302 U.S. Highway 52 Business S., Albemarle.

U.S. senator and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz will headline the event, along with E.C. Sykes, who is running for N.C. Secretary of State.

Ted Cruz

“It’s going to be pretty huge,” said Stanly County Commissioner Zach Almond, who is helping organize the event.

He is friends with Sykes who is friends with Cruz.

“It’s big news for Stanly County.”

Once he found out Cruz was actually going to come to Stanly County, Almond was excited. He said Cruz’s presence will help promote Sykes’ candidacy and help Republican judges across the state.

Zach Almond

“It’s important that we get our numbers way up in counties that have high Republican turnout like Stanly to combat liberal counties like Orange County and Mecklenburg County,” Almond said.

Cruz has served as the junior senator for Texas since 2013 and was the runner-up of the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2016.

Sykes, who was born in Durham and lives in Raleigh, got to know Cruz while serving on his 2016 presidential campaign. This is Sykes’ first time running for political office.

An N.C. State graduate, Sykes spent time as CEO of Circuit Board Assemblers and later worked as a group president and executive officer for Flextronics International, a Fortune 500 company.