Upper house of the bicameral North Carolina General Assembly
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]
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
Membership
District
Senator
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
See also
References
External links
List of North Carolina state legislatures Senate President pro tempore of the Senate House of Commons House of Representatives Speakers of the House of Representatives (see Note)Other Conventions Provincial Congresses and Constitution North Carolina Provincial Congress (1774–1776:
1st ,
2nd ,
3rd ,
4th ,
5th ),
Constitution of North Carolina (1776,
1835 Convention , 1861 Convention, 1868 redraft, 1875 Convention, Constitution of 1971)
Notes: Prior to the Constitution of 1868: the lower house of the North Carolina Legislature was known as the House of Commons and the leader of the Senate was called the Speaker of the Senate.
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Coordinates : 35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W / 35.7832028°N 78.6389556°W / 35.7832028; -78.6389556
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