UPDATE: Renée Price announced on Sunday, November 21, she is changing her campaign plans from running for North Carolina’s Senate to the state House of Representatives. Price will now run for District 50 in the House, which is open from Rep. Graig Meyer’s campaign for Senate District 23.
“At the urging of a number of friends and supporters,” wrote Price, “I have decided to run for the North Carolina House of Representatives, for the District 50 seat. I therefore am withdrawing my bid for the NC Senate and believe I can better serve the community in the NC House.”
The race for North Carolina Senate District 23 gained a new challenger on Friday.
Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners Renée Price announced she will be filing to run for the seat in the state legislature, which will be left open as Sen. Valerie Foushee runs for U.S. Congress.
“Being a public servant is exciting and rewarding,” wrote Price in a release, “and my experience as a county commissioner has provided me with a wealth of information and insight regarding you and the issues that concern you. As I continue to fight for our humanity and civil rights, I am pleased to announce my candidacy for the office of North Carolina State Senator to represent the children, women and men of the 23rd District.”
While District 23 previously covered Orange and Chatham counties, the newly approved maps for the state House and Senate shifted its boundaries to now cover all of Orange, Caswell and Person counties.
Price has served on the Board of Orange County Commissioners since 2012, elected as one of the two District 2 seats that represent the northern areas of the county. She was re-elected in 2020 after running unopposed and subsequently became the board’s chair.
In Friday’s release, Price pointed to the various issues she’s tackled as a county official in the last eight years.
“During my tenure as an Orange County Commissioner,” she wrote, “I have supported K-12 schools and the community college system, safe and affordable housing, investment in underserved neighborhoods, services for people with mental health and substance use disorders, farmers and small businesses, and climate change mitigation. Yet, more needs to be done to allow all residents access to and benefit from the resources available to fulfill their dreams.”
In addition to her time on the board, Price has also served on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and as President of the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials.
“My elders taught me to hold fast to freedom, never to take a defeatist attitude, respect all people, stand for justice, and persevere with humility,” Price wrote. “At the founding of the United States, ‘we, the people’ excluded women, people of color, and men without property. Today, ‘we, the people’ is inclusive; we vote, run for office, and have seats at the table. Still, we must strive for the realization of democracy, equality, prosperity, wellness, and justice.”
Price becomes the third candidate to announce a campaign for state Senate District 23. On Thursday, District 50 Rep. Graig Meyer shared his own intentions of running for election to the seat, as did farmer and “The Farmhouse Chef” author Jamie DeMent Holcomb.
Since Price’s District 2 seat still has two years remaining on its term, she will continue to serve on the Board of Orange County Commissioners.
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