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Rachel Hunt
Rachel Henderson Hunt (born May 19, 1965) is an American politician who has served as the 36th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina since 2025. She previously was a member of the North Carolina State Senate.[1] A Democrat, Hunt was elected in November 2022 to represent the 42nd district based in Mecklenburg County. Before that, Hunt served two terms in the North Carolina House, twice beating Republican Bill Brawley.[2] Upon being sworn in on January 1, 2025, Hunt became the first Democrat to hold the lieutenant governor’s office since Walter Dalton left office in 2013. Hunt is the first daughter of a previous lieutenant governor of North Carolina to hold the same position (her father, Jim Hunt, served from 1973-1977). She is also the second female lieutenant governor of North Carolina, after Bev Perdue. Early life and educationHunt, the daughter of governor Jim Hunt and Carolyn Hunt, was born on May 19, 1965, in Kathmandu, Nepal, where her father was working for the Ford Foundation at the time.[3][4][5] She grew up in rural Wilson County, North Carolina, until her father was elected governor in 1976.[4] An attorney and certified college counselor, she is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of South Carolina School of Law.[6] Legislative careerElectionsHunt was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2018, after defeating the incumbent Republican incumbent William M. Brawley. The 2018 race was decided by only 68 votes after being one of the most expensive legislative races in the state that year.[7] Hunt was re-elected in 2020 by 9.86% in a rematch against Brawley.[8] In 2022, Hunt was elected to the North Carolina Senate to replace Jeff Jackson who vacated the seat to run for the United States House of Representatives.[2] On November 8, 2022, Hunt defeated Cheryl Russo in the race to represent the 42nd State district.[8] TenureDespite serving in the minority, Hunt helped pass several pieces of bipartisan legislation including clean energy legislation to cut carbon emissions by 70%. Hunt has also co-sponsored bills to codify Roe v. Wade and expand Medicaid.[3][9] Committee assignments
Personal lifeHunt lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is married since August 1, 1994 to Olav Nilender, a physician.[11] Together they have two children.[12][13] Lieutenant Governor of North CarolinaHunt was officially sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on January 1, 2025. With this position, Hunt is currently the only elected official in North Carolina to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government.[14] Elections2024In 2024, Hunt ran as the Democratic nominee for the office of Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. Endorsed by Governor Roy Cooper, she ran on a platform of expanded funding for public education, increased healthcare access, and assistance to small businesses. In the general election she faced Republican political consultant Hal Weatherman. She cast Weatherman as an extremist and opposed more restrictions on abortion, of which Weatherman was in favor. Hunt won the election, becoming the first Democrat to win a North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial race since 2008.[15] Electoral history2024
2022
2020
2018
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rachel Hunt.
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