RALEIGH, N.C. (Diya TV) — On The Public Interest with Ravi Kapur, longtime Morrisville leader Steve Rao laid out why he’s running for Wake County Commissioner, framing the race as a step up from town governance to the county-level decisions that shape daily life across North Carolina’s fast-growing Research Triangle.
Rao told Diya TV he’s seeking one of two new at-large seats, arguing that Wake County’s scale demands experienced leadership and a track record of delivering results. “I live in Wake County… the largest county in North Carolina, the fastest growing county, one point two million people,” Rao said, pointing to the region’s rapid expansion and the pressure it creates on infrastructure, housing, and public services.
Rao emphasized his local-government résumé: “the past fourteen years, I’ve been a city council member and I was mayor for two years in Morrisville.” He described Morrisville’s location as a strategic hinge point of the Triangle, near RDU Airport, Cary, and the region’s major universities.
He said county government is where the biggest levers are pulled, noting it influences “public health,” schools, housing, economic development, transportation, and parks and greenways. Rao called attention to what he described as a “two point one billion dollar budget” and argued that his municipal experience prepares him to operate at that scale.
Kapur also asked Rao to explain North Carolina’s broader success story, especially as the state gains national attention for tech and life sciences. Rao pointed to the Triangle’s mix of large employers and startups, tying the region’s momentum to universities, workforce pipelines, and industry clusters.
He highlighted the role of community colleges and workforce development in keeping the economy humming, and spoke about how the Triangle’s talent ecosystem continues to attract companies, capital, and new residents.
Rao described North Carolina as a close, competitive state politically, with a familiar urban-rural split and repeated statewide swings. He also brought up gerrymandering as a major theme in state politics, arguing it shapes outcomes far beyond a single election cycle.
When it came to his own path to victory, Rao said his strategy is to perform strongly in Raleigh while consolidating support in the county’s western growth corridor, where he says demographic change is reshaping politics and civic life.
A major throughline in the interview was Wake County’s fast-growing Indian American and South Asian population, especially in and around Morrisville. Rao underscored the cultural and civic footprint of the community, saying, “Almost thirty-five percent of Morsel’s population is from the nation of India,” and pointing to temples, grocery stores, and small businesses as part of the region’s new normal.
Rao also leaned into an identity he believes differentiates him: a public official who speaks fluently about technology, innovation, and communications. He discussed smart-city style governance and the idea of scaling tech-forward approaches countywide, while also emphasizing that visibility and messaging matter in modern politics.
He tied that to community anxiety around immigration enforcement, saying, “I do think that when you’re on a TV show that’s broadcast to five hundred thousand households… the state of North Carolina will know what Commissioner Rao is saying,” and adding that he wants to be vocal about immigrant concerns in the current environment.
Rao is running for Wake County Commissioner in North Carolina, a contest that will shape one of the country’s fastest-growing regions at a moment when housing, schools, transit, and public health are colliding with unprecedented growth.
Note: This report is based on Diya TV’s exclusive interview on The Public Interest with Ravi Kapur and Steve Rao, and reflects statements made during the broadcast.
