State Election Reflections: Redrawn Districts Bring Changes to Legislative Delegation

New district maps played a significant role in North Carolina’s 2022 state legislative elections. With the redrawn district lines, the Centralina region saw a net gain of two districts in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, a few districts in both the Senate and the House experienced a reshaping that changed their coverage areas. The region’s new delegation will consist of 12 Senators and 29 House members. These 41 legislators comprise one-fourth of the General Assembly, making the Centralina delegation the largest among the state’s 16 councils of government.

Notably all of the region’s incumbents running for re-election won their races this year. Here are a few additional election highlights:

  • First-time Legislators: In the Senate, Republican Brad Overcash will represent District 43 (Gaston), the seat held by retiring Senator Kathy Harrington. Democrat and Harrisburg Town Council Member Diamond Staton-Williams will represent District 73 (Cabarrus County), Republican Kevin Crutchfield will represent District 83 (Cabarrus, Rowan) and Democrat Laura Budd will represent District 103 (Mecklenburg) in the House.
  • New to the Region: District 26 Senator David Craven (R – Guilford, Randolph) will represent the new District 29 (Anson and Union). District 89 Representative Mitchell Setzer (R – Catawba) will continue to represent the district, which was redrawn to cover Iredell County.
  • Switching Chambers: District 103 Representative Rachel Hunt (D – Mecklenburg) will represent the county in Senate District 42.
  • Familiar Faces: Democrat Tricia Cotham, who previously served in the NC House from 2007 to 2016, will represent District 112 (Mecklenburg).

Centralina is committed to developing relationships at the state level as part of the organization’s Raleigh Relations initiative and we look forward to meeting with returning legislators and newcomers to discuss regional priorities.

We commend all of the region’s legislative candidates for their dedication to public service. For more information on the 2022 election results, visit the State Board of Elections website at ncsbe.gov.