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North Carolina Senate

Upper house of the North Carolina General Assembly

Field	Value
background_color
name	North Carolina Senate
legislature	North Carolina General Assembly
coa_pic	Seal of the North Carolina Senate.png
coa_caption	Seal of the North Carolina Senate
house_type	Upper house
term_limits	None
new_session	January 1, 2025
leader1_type	President
leader1	Rachel Hunt (D)
election1	January 1, 2025
leader2_type	President pro tempore
leader2	Phil Berger (R)
election2	January 26, 2011
leader3_type	Majority Leader
leader3	Michael V. Lee (R)
election3	April 1, 2025
leader4_type	Minority Leader
leader4	Sydney Batch (D)
election4	January 1, 2025
members	50
structure1
* {{nowrap	{{Color box	#FF0000	border	darkgray}} Republican (30)}}
* {{nowrap	{{Color box	#0000FF	border	darkgray}} Democratic (20)}}
term_length	2 years
last_election1	November 5, 2024
(50 seats)
next_election1	November 3, 2026
(50 seats)
meeting_place
constitution	North Carolina Constitution
website

Majority

Minority

(50 seats) (50 seats) The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate has 50 members, and the term of office for each senator is two years.

The Senate's prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The president of the Senate is the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, but the lieutenant governor has very limited powers and only votes to break a tie. Before the office of lieutenant governor was created in 1868, the Senate was presided over by a "speaker." After the 1988 election of James Carson Gardner, the first Republican lieutenant governor since Reconstruction, Democrats in control of the Senate shifted most of the power held by the lieutenant governor to the senator who is elected president pro tempore (or pro-tem). The president pro tempore appoints members to standing committees of the Senate, and holds great sway over bills.

According to the state constitution, the Senate is also the "Court for the Trial of Impeachments". The House of Representatives has the power to impeach state officials, after which the Senate holds an impeachment trial, as in the federal system. If the governor or lieutenant governor is the official who has been impeached, the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court presides.

History

During the Reconstruction era, African Americans served in the state senate (African American officeholders from the end of the Civil War until before 1900). By 1874 four African Americans, all Republicans, were in the body as Democrats had already regained a large majority 38 to 12. In 1920, Loula Roberts Platt, became the first woman to run for a seat in the state senate.

Qualifications

The qualifications to be a senator are found in the state Constitution: "Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election."

2025–26 composition

Affiliation	Total	Republican	Democratic
Party (shading indicates majority caucus)
Republican Party (United States)}}"		Democratic Party (United States)}}"
	28	22	0
	30	20	0
	30	20	0
	30	20	0

Leadership

Membership

District	Senator	Image	Residence	Counties represented	First elected	1st
Bobby Hanig	[[File:Bobby Hanig official portrait.jpg	150x150px]]	Republican	Powells Point	Bertie, Northampton, Hertford, Gates, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden, Currituck, Tyrrell, Dare	2022↑
Norman Sanderson	[[File:Norman Sanderson.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Minnesott Beach	Warren, Halifax, Martin, Chowan, Washington, Hyde, Pamlico, Carteret	2012
Bob Brinson	[[File:Bob Brinson Headshot.jpg	100px]]	Republican	New Bern	Lenoir, Craven, Beaufort	2024↑
Buck Newton	[[File:BuckNewton.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Wilson	Wilson, Wayne, Greene	2022 (2010–2016)
Kandie Smith	[[File:Kandie Smith official portrait.jpg	150x150px]]	Democratic	Greenville	Edgecombe, Pitt	2022
Michael Lazzara	[[File:Sen. Michael Lazzara.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Jacksonville	Onslow	2020
Michael Lee	[[File:Sen. Michael V. Lee.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Wilmington	New Hanover (part)	2020 (2014–2018)
Bill Rabon	[[File:Sen. Bill Rabon.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Southport	Columbus, Brunswick, New Hanover (part)	2010
Brent Jackson	[[File:Sen. Brent Jackson.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Autryville	Bladen, Sampson (part), Pender, Duplin,
Jones	2010
Benton Sawrey	[[File:Sen. Benton G. Sawrey.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Clayton	Johnston	2022
Lisa Stone Barnes	[[File:Senator Lisa S. Barnes.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Spring Hope	Vance, Franklin, Nash	2020
Jim Burgin	[[File:JimBurgin.jpeg	100px]]	Republican	Angier	Lee, Harnett, Sampson (part)	2018
Lisa Grafstein	[[File:Lisa Grafstein 2023.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Raleigh	Wake (part)	2022
Dan Blue	[[File:Dan Blue.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Raleigh	Wake (part)	2009↑
Jay Chaudhuri	[[File:Jay Chaudhuri.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Raleigh	Wake (part)	2016↑
Gale Adcock	[[File:Gale Adcock 2020.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Cary	Wake (part)	2022
Sydney Batch	[[File:Senator Sydney Batch.jpg	150x150px]]	Democratic	Holly Springs	Wake (part)	2021↑
Terence Everitt	[[File:Rep. Terence Everitt.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Wake Forest	Granville, Wake (part)	2024
Val Applewhite	[[File:Sen. Val Applewhite.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Fayetteville	Cumberland (part)	2022
Natalie Murdock	[[File:Natalie Murdock.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Durham	Chatham, Durham (part)	2020↑
Tom McInnis	[[File:TomNCGA2019.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Pinehurst	Moore, Cumberland (part)	2014
Sophia Chitlik	[[File:Sen. Sophia Chitlik.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Durham	Durham (part)	2024
Graig Meyer	[[File:GRMeyer.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Hillsborough	Caswell, Person, Orange	2022
Danny Britt	[[File:DannyBritt.jpeg	100px]]	Republican	Lumberton	Hoke, Scotland, Robeson	2016
Amy Galey	[[File:Senator Amy S. Galey.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Burlington	Alamance, Randolph (part)	2020
Phil Berger	[[File:Phil Berger.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Eden	Rockingham, Guilford (part)	2000
Michael Garrett	[[File:MichaelGarrettNC.jpeg	100px]]	Democratic	Greensboro	Guilford (part)	2018
Gladys Robinson	[[File:Gladys A. Robinson.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Greensboro	Guilford (part)	2010
Dave Craven	[[File:Sen. David Craven.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Asheboro	Randolph (part), Montgomery, Richmond, Anson,
Union (part)	2020↑
Steve Jarvis	[[File:SteveJarvis.jpeg	100px]]	Republican	Lexington	Davie, Davidson	2020
Dana Caudill Jones	[[File:Sen. Dana Jones.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Kernersville	Stokes, Forsyth (part)	2024
Paul Lowe Jr.	[[File:PaulLoweNC.jpeg	100px]]	Democratic	Winston-Salem	Forsyth (part)	2015↑
Carl Ford	[[File:CFord.jpg	100px]]	Republican	China Grove	Rowan, Stanly	2018
Chris Measmer	[[File:Sen. Chris Measmer.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Concord	Cabarrus (part)	2025↑
Todd Johnson	[[File:ToddJohnsonNC.jpeg	100px]]	Republican	Monroe	Cabarrus (part), Union (part)	2018
Eddie Settle	[[File:Sen. Eddie D. Settle.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Elkin	Alexander, Wilkes, Surry, Yadkin	2022
Vickie Sawyer	[[File:Senator Vickie Sawyer.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Mooresville	Iredell, Mecklenburg (part)	2018↑
Mujtaba Mohammed	[[File:MujtabaMohammed.jpeg	100px]]	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2018
DeAndrea Salvador	[[File:Sen. DeAndrea Salvador.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2020
Joyce Waddell	[[File:JoyceWaddell.jpeg	100px]]	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2014
Caleb Theodros	[[File:Senator Caleb Theodros (2025).jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2024
Woodson Bradley	[[File:Woodson Bradley.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2024
Brad Overcash	[[File:Sen. Brad Overcash.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Belmont	Gaston (part)	2022
Ted Alexander	[[File:WTAlexander.jpeg	100px]]	Republican	Shelby	Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston (part)	2018
Mark Hollo	[[File:Sen. Mark Hollo.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Conover	Catawba, Caldwell (part)	2024
Warren Daniel	[[File:WarrenDanielNC.jpeg	100px]]	Republican	Morganton	Burke, McDowell, Buncombe (part)	2010
Ralph Hise	[[File:Ralph Hise.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Spruce Pine	Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Caldwell (part),
Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison,
Haywood (part)	2010
Tim Moffitt	[[File:Tim Moffitt official portrait.jpg	150x150px]]	Republican	Hendersonville	Henderson, Polk, Rutherford	2022
Julie Mayfield	[[File:Sen. Julie Mayfield.jpg	100px]]	Democratic	Asheville	Buncombe (part)	2020
Kevin Corbin	[[File:Sen. Kevin Corbin.jpg	100px]]	Republican	Franklin	Haywood (part), Transylvania, Jackson, Swain,
Macon, Graham, Cherokee, Clay	2020

↑: Member was originally appointed to fill the remainder of an unexpired term.

Past composition of the Senate

Main article: Political party strength in North Carolina

Coat of arms

References

"North Carolina State Senate". Ballotpedia.
de Roulhac Hamilton, Joseph Grégoire. (1914). "Reconstruction in North Carolina".
"Leadership - North Carolina General Assembly".
"SENATE OF NORTH CAROLINA". College of Arms.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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