North Carolina Senate

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox legislature 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1920, Loula Roberts Platt, became the first woman to run for a seat in the state senate.Template:Citation needed

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

Template:See also

	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
Affiliation	Party (shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|
End of (2021–22) legislature	Template:Party shading/Republican \|28	22	50	0
Beginning of previous (2023–24) legislature	Template:Party shading/Republican \|30	20	50	0
End of previous (2023–24) legislature	Template:Party shading/Republican \|30	20	50	0
Beginning of current (2025–26) legislature	Template:Party shading/Republican \|30	20	50	0
Latest voting share	Template:Party shading/Republican \|Template:Percentage	Template:Percentage

Leadership

Membership

District	Senator	Image	Party	Residence	Counties represented	First elected
1st	Bobby Hanig		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Powells Point	Bertie, Northampton, Hertford, Gates, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden, Currituck, Tyrrell, Dare	2022↑
2nd	Norman Sanderson		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Minnesott Beach	Warren, Halifax, Martin, Chowan, Washington, Hyde, Pamlico, Carteret	2012
3rd	Bob Brinson		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	New Bern	Lenoir, Craven, Beaufort	2024↑
4th	Buck Newton		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Wilson	Wilson, Wayne, Greene	2022 (2010–2016)
5th	Kandie Smith		Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Greenville	Edgecombe, Pitt	2022
6th	Michael Lazzara		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Jacksonville	Onslow	2020
7th	Michael Lee		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Wilmington	New Hanover (part)	2020 (2014–2018)
8th	Bill Rabon		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Southport	Columbus, Brunswick, New Hanover (part)	2010
9th	Brent Jackson		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Autryville	Bladen, Sampson (part), Pender, Duplin, Jones	2010
10th	Benton Sawrey		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Clayton	Johnston	2022
11th	Lisa Stone Barnes		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Spring Hope	Vance, Franklin, Nash	2020
12th	Jim Burgin		Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Angier	Lee, Harnett, Sampson (part)	2018
13th	Lisa Grafstein	File:Lisa Grafstein 2023.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Raleigh	Wake (part)	2022
14th	Dan Blue	File:Dan Blue.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Raleigh	Wake (part)	2009↑
15th	Jay Chaudhuri	File:Jay Chaudhuri.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Raleigh	Wake (part)	2016↑
16th	Gale Adcock	File:Gale Adcock 2020.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Cary	Wake (part)	2022
17th	Sydney Batch	File:Senator Sydney Batch.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Holly Springs	Wake (part)	2021↑
18th	Terence Everitt	File:Rep. Terence Everitt.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Wake Forest	Granville, Wake (part)	2024
19th	Val Applewhite	File:Sen. Val Applewhite.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Fayetteville	Cumberland (part)	2022
20th	Natalie Murdock	File:Natalie Murdock.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Durham	Chatham, Durham (part)	2020↑
21st	Tom McInnis	File:TomNCGA2019.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Pinehurst	Moore, Cumberland (part)	2014
22nd	Sophia Chitlik	File:Sen. Sophia Chitlik.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Durham	Durham (part)	2024
23rd	Graig Meyer	File:GRMeyer.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Hillsborough	Caswell, Person, Orange	2022
24th	Danny Britt	File:DannyBritt.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Lumberton	Hoke, Scotland, Robeson	2016
25th	Amy Galey	File:Senator Amy S. Galey.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Burlington	Alamance, Randolph (part)	2020
26th	Phil Berger	File:Phil Berger.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Eden	Rockingham, Guilford (part)	2000
27th	Michael Garrett	File:MichaelGarrettNC.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Greensboro	Guilford (part)	2018
28th	Gladys Robinson	File:Gladys A. Robinson.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Greensboro	Guilford (part)	2010
29th	Dave Craven	File:Sen. David Craven.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Asheboro	Randolph (part), Montgomery, Richmond, Anson, Union (part)	2020↑
30th	Steve Jarvis	File:SteveJarvis.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Lexington	Davie, Davidson	2020
31st	Dana Caudill Jones	File:Sen. Dana Jones.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Kernersville	Stokes, Forsyth (part)	2024
32nd	Paul Lowe Jr.	File:PaulLoweNC.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Winston-Salem	Forsyth (part)	2015↑
33rd	Carl Ford	File:CFord.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	China Grove	Rowan, Stanly	2018
34th	Chris Measmer	File:Sen. Chris Measmer.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Concord	Cabarrus (part)	2025↑
35th	Todd Johnson	File:ToddJohnsonNC.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Monroe	Cabarrus (part), Union (part)	2018
36th	Eddie Settle	File:Sen. Eddie D. Settle.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Elkin	Alexander, Wilkes, Surry, Yadkin	2022
37th	Vickie Sawyer	File:Senator Vickie Sawyer.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Mooresville	Iredell, Mecklenburg (part)	2018↑
38th	Mujtaba Mohammed	File:MujtabaMohammed.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2018
39th	DeAndrea Salvador	File:Sen. DeAndrea Salvador.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2020
40th	Joyce Waddell	File:JoyceWaddell.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2014
41st	Caleb Theodros	File:Senator Caleb Theodros (2025).jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2024
42nd	Woodson Bradley	File:Woodson Bradley.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Charlotte	Mecklenburg (part)	2024
43rd	Brad Overcash	File:Sen. Brad Overcash.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Belmont	Gaston (part)	2022
44th	Ted Alexander	File:WTAlexander.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Shelby	Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston (part)	2018
45th	Mark Hollo	File:Sen. Mark Hollo.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Conover	Catawba, Caldwell (part)	2024
46th	Warren Daniel	File:WarrenDanielNC.jpeg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Morganton	Burke, McDowell, Buncombe (part)	2010
47th	Ralph Hise	File:Ralph Hise.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Spruce Pine	Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Caldwell (part), Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison, Haywood (part)	2010
48th	Tim Moffitt	File:Tim Moffitt official portrait.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Hendersonville	Henderson, Polk, Rutherford	2022
49th	Julie Mayfield	File:Sen. Julie Mayfield.jpg	Template:Party shading/Democratic \| Democratic	Asheville	Buncombe (part)	2020
50th	Kevin Corbin	File:Sen. Kevin Corbin.jpg	Template:Party shading/Republican \| Republican	Franklin	Haywood (part), Transylvania, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, Cherokee, Clay	2020