Orange County State Rep. Graig Meyer Announces Run for NC Senate

With District 23 Sen. Valerie Foushee announcing a 2022 run for U.S. Congress on Wednesday, Orange County Rep. Graig Meyer announced his own campaign to succeed her.

Meyer announced Thursday morning on 97.9 The Hill he plans to file for election in the North Carolina Senate after serving eight years in the state House representing District 50.

“Everyone who follows North Carolina legislative politics knows the Senate is where the action is,” he said. “We need someone who can represent this community in the North Carolina Senate, to be fighting for the value this community has. I think we’re in a time where we really need someone who approaches it like Senator Foushee did, and the way I hope to: listening, trying to unite people to find common ground, but also be bold, be willing to stand up for what you believe in. I’m ready to right in the middle of the action in the Senate.”

Meyer, who’s background is in social work, was selected by the Democratic Party in 2013 to take over the seat of Foushee, who was elected to District 23. He then won election in 2014 over Republican Rod Chaney, who Meyer defeated again in 2016. In the 2020 election, Meyer ran unopposed in District 50.

Before becoming a legislator, Meyer worked with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district and its Blue Ribbon-Mentor Advocate program. Starting in 1998, he helped lead the program that provides students with mentoring, tutoring, college preparation, leadership development and more. Additionally, Meyer also served as the CHCCS Director of Student Equity before leaving both roles in 2014.

District 23, which has been redrawn to now include Orange, Caswell and Person counties compared to just Orange and Chatham, overlaps with much of Meyer’s constituency as the District 50 representative. North Carolina’s General Assembly passed new congressional, state House and state Senate district maps earlier this month following the release of new U.S. Census data.

“I’m proud that I would have the chance to represent Chapel Hill and Carrboro,” said Meyer, “which I’ve not done before even though my roots are here from my time working with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.”

The District 50 representative said when it comes to issues he’ll campaign on, he believes North Carolina’s major ones are “not going to change a whole lot.” Meyer cited improving school funding and filling the teacher pipeline, improving healthcare, protecting the right to vote and combating climate change as some of his top issues.

“North Carolina has to make some major decisions about the climate crisis and what we’re going to do to play our role in turning that around,” he said. “We’ve had one good piece of legislation, but there’s so much work to be done there.”

Meyer’s full conversation with 97.9 The Hill can be listened to here.

Photo via Graig Meyer for NC Senate.

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Orange County State Rep. Graig Meyer Announces Run for NC Senate

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