North Carolina Senate

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 term of office for each senator is only two years.[1]

North Carolina Senate
North Carolina General Assembly
Coat of arms or logo
Seal of the North Carolina Senate
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 1, 2023
Leadership
Mark Robinson (R)
since January 3, 2021
Phil Berger (R)
since January 26, 2011
Majority Leader
Paul Newton (R)
since January 1, 2023
Minority Leader
Dan Blue (D)
since March 5, 2014
Structure
Seats50
Political groups
Majority
  •   Republican (30)

Minority

Length of term
2 years
Elections
Last election
November 8, 2022
(50 seats)
Next election
November 5, 2024
(50 seats)
Meeting place
Senate chamber
North Carolina Legislative Building
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Website
www.ncleg.gov/Senate
Constitution
North Carolina Constitution

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 Lt. Governor has very limited powers and only votes to break a tie. Before the office of Lt. Governor was created in 1868, the Senate was presided over by a "Speaker." After the 1988 election of James Carson Gardner, the first Republican Lt. Governor since Reconstruction, Democrats in control of the Senate shifted most of the power held by the Lt. 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 Lt. Governor is the official who has been impeached, the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court presides.

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."

2023–24 composition

Affiliation Party
(shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
End of (2019–20) legislature 29 21 50 0
Beginning of previous (2021–22) legislature 28 22 50 0
End of previous (2021–22) legislature 28 22 50 0
Beginning of current (2023–24) legislature 30 20 50 0
Latest voting share 60% 40%

Leadership

North Carolina Senate[2] officers
Position Name Party
President Pro Tempore Phil Berger Republican
Deputy President Pro Tempore Ralph Hise Republican
Majority Leader Paul Newton Republican
Majority Whip Jim Perry Republican
Tom McInnis Republican
Joint Majority Caucus Leader Carl Ford Republican
Minority Whip Jay Chaudhuri Democratic
Minority Caucus Secretary Julie Mayfield Democratic

Membership

District Senator Image Party Residence Counties Represented First elected
1st Norman Sanderson Republican Minnesott Beach Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan, Washington,
Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, Carteret
2012
2nd Jim Perry Republican Kinston Lenoir, Craven, Beaufort 2019↑
3rd Bobby Hanig Republican Powells Point Warren, Northampton, Halifax, Martin,
Bertie, Hertford, Gates, Camden,
Currituck, Tyrrell
2022↑
4th Buck Newton Republican Wilson Wilson, Wayne, Greene 2022 (2010–2016)
5th Kandie Smith Democratic Greenville Edgecombe, Pitt 2022
6th Michael Lazzara Republican Jacksonville Onslow 2020
7th Michael Lee Republican Wilmington New Hanover (part) 2020 (2014–2018)
8th Bill Rabon Republican Southport Columbus, Brunswick, New Hanover (part) 2010
9th Brent Jackson Republican Autryville Bladen, Sampson (part), Pender, Duplin,
Jones
2010
10th Benton Sawrey Republican Clayton Johnston 2022
11th Lisa Stone Barnes Republican Spring Hope Vance, Franklin, Nash 2020
12th Jim Burgin Republican Angier Lee, Harnett, Sampson (part) 2018
13th Lisa Grafstein Democratic Raleigh Wake (part) 2022
14th Dan Blue Democratic Raleigh Wake (part) 2009↑
15th Jay Chaudhuri Democratic Raleigh Wake (part) 2016↑
16th Gale Adcock Democratic Cary Wake (part) 2022
17th Sydney Batch Democratic Apex Wake (part) 2021↑
18th Mary Wills Bode Democratic Oxford Granville, Wake (part) 2022
19th Val Applewhite Democratic Fayetteville Cumberland (part) 2022
20th Natalie Murdock Democratic Durham Chatham, Durham (part) 2020↑
21st Tom McInnis Republican Pinehurst Moore, Cumberland (part) 2014
22nd Mike Woodard Democratic Durham Durham (part) 2012
23rd Graig Meyer Democratic Hillsborough Caswell, Person, Orange 2022
24th Danny Britt Republican Lumberton Hoke, Scotland, Robeson 2016
25th Amy Galey Republican Burlington Alamance, Randolph (part) 2020
26th Phil Berger Republican Eden Rockingham, Guilford (part) 2000
27th Michael Garrett Democratic Greensboro Guilford (part) 2018
28th Gladys Robinson Democratic Greensboro Guilford (part) 2010
29th Dave Craven Republican Asheboro Randolph (part), Montgomery, Richmond, Anson,
Union (part)
2020↑
30th Steve Jarvis Republican Lexington Davie, Davidson 2020
31st Joyce Krawiec Republican Kernersville Stokes, Forsyth (part) 2014↑
32nd Paul Lowe Jr. Democratic Winston-Salem Forsyth (part) 2015↑
33rd Carl Ford Republican China Grove Rowan, Stanly 2018
34th Paul Newton Republican Mount Pleasant Cabarrus (part) 2016
35th Todd Johnson Republican Monroe Cabarrus (part), Union (part) 2018
36th Eddie Settle Republican Elkin Alexander, Wilkes, Surry, Yadkin 2022
37th Vickie Sawyer Republican Mooresville Iredell, Mecklenburg (part) 2018↑
38th Mujtaba Mohammed Democratic Charlotte Mecklenburg (part) 2018
39th DeAndrea Salvador Democratic Charlotte Mecklenburg (part) 2020
40th Joyce Waddell Democratic Charlotte Mecklenburg (part) 2014
41st Natasha Marcus Democratic Davidson Mecklenburg (part) 2018
42nd Rachel Hunt Democratic Charlotte Mecklenburg (part) 2022
43rd Brad Overcash Republican Belmont Gaston (part) 2022
44th Ted Alexander Republican Shelby Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston (part) 2018
45th Dean Proctor Republican Hickory Catawba, Caldwell (part) 2020↑
46th Warren Daniel Republican Morganton Burke, McDowell, Buncombe (part) 2010
47th Ralph Hise Republican Spruce Pine Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Caldwell (part),
Avery, Mitchell, Yancey, Madison,
Haywood (part)
2010
48th Tim Moffitt Republican Hendersonville Henderson, Polk, Rutherford 2022
49th Julie Mayfield Democratic Asheville Buncombe (part) 2020
50th Kevin Corbin 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

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of North Carolina Senate
Adopted
2005
Crest
Issuant from a Coronet of a Noble of the former Province of Carolina Or a Cap of Liberty Gules raised upon a Pole Or between two Cornucopiae in saltire Argent replenished proper
Escutcheon
Argent on a Cross between four Escutcheons bases inwards Gules four Escutcheons bases also inwards Argent
Supporters
On each side an Aborigine of North Carolina as depicted by John White in the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First that on the dexter a Warrior supporting with his exterior hand a Long Bow and holding an Arrow girded at his back a Quiver that on the sinister a Woman holding in her exterior hand a Gourd all proper
Motto
ESSE QVAM VIDERI[3]

See also

References

  1. "North Carolina State Senate". ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  2. "Leadership - North Carolina General Assembly". www.ncleg.gov. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  3. "SENATE OF NORTH CAROLINA". College of Arms Newsletter. College of Arms. Retrieved August 16, 2023.

35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W

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