Republican running against Democrat Tare Davis for NC Senate District 2 seat
BY MILES LAYTON
EDENTON — Norm Sanderson, a Republican running for re-election to the NC Senate, made a campaign stop recently in Edenton.
“I enjoy serving people -– that’s what I like to do. I never saw myself in this position but God said this is where I need you, so that’s why I’m here,” said Sanderson who seeks to serve District 2 in the state Senate.
Tare Davis is the Democratic candidate for NC Senate District 2. Though Davis visited Chowan County last week, this reporter didn’t know about that campaign stop. That said, if Davis stops again to Chowan County —- Dems, please let me know.
Back to Sanderson –- after a visit to the Chowan County Regional Fair, he toured Regulator Marine, Albemarle Boats, Colony Tire and Jimbo’s Jumbos. Sanderson then met with movers and shakers in Chowan County — Bob Kirby, chairman of the county Commission; Joe Hollowell, former party chair, Albemarle Regional Commission Chairman, Chowan County Commissioner; Roland Vaughan, former longtime mayor of Edenton; Patty Kersey, a former Chowan County Commissioner and a College of the Albemarle Trustee; Hackney High, mayor of Edenton, and several other local notables.
When Sanderson was asked to speak, he said he was a man on a mission –- to serve Northeastern NC.
“I remember when I was an elder in our local church, and our pastor used to always tell the elders we gather in the back to pray before service. And he’d always tell us don’t ever come to church without a sermon in your pocket because you never know when somebody might call on you to stand up for people and bring forth the message.”
Due to Raleigh messing with how the legislative districts are drawn –- again –- this time Sanderson is running to represent District 2. Sanderson talked about that change —- he lost Pasquotank, Perquimans and Dare counties. He picks up Martin, Halifax and Warren counties.
As to redistricting, Sanderson said the district’s lines are drawn by a computer not determined by politics.
“We just put in the information, tell that computer how many people have to be in each district, and the computer really more or less draws the lines for us,” he said. “And so it doesn’t consider race. It doesn’t consider whether you’re Democrat, Republican or Independent. It just draws the most concise district lines for us, and those are the ones that we used to go with.”
Bob Kirby, chairman of the Chowan County Republican Party, added, “I think we’re facing a tough race this year. There’s a lot of turmoil, I’ll say, but I don’t think there’s much turmoil with this gentleman, the race that he’s running. In fact, I don’t think there’s any. And his heart is in it, and my heart is in it with him. We’re truly blessed, blessed beyond measure to have Norm Sanderson representing us in Raleigh and Linda (Sanderson’s wife), of course. We’re very blessed to have the Sandersons representing us.”
Representing District 1, Sanderson assumed office on January 1, 2023. His current term ends on January 1, 2025 — now seeking another term — District 2 this time around.
“This is a big district,” he said. “If I win in November, all eight of my counties, there’s not one that’s any more important or any less important than the other,” he said. “They’re all the same. (State Representative) Bobby Hannig and I — Bobby represents 11 counties up here in this area and I represent 8, which is most of northeastern North Carolina. Bobby and I have already decided together that we don’t run by districts or try to help by district. This is a region. This is the northeast region of North Carolina, and that’s the way we’re going to treat it. We’re going to work together. We already worked together very well.”
By all accounts, Sanderson has been very good to Chowan County and Northeastern North Carolina. Among Sanderson’s accomplishments include securing $31 million in the state budget to construct a regional reverse osmosis water plant in Chowan County. And don’t forget that Chowan County is also eligible for funding along with Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden, and Bertie for $200,000 for an East Coast Greenway Trail.
“North Carolina is a wonderful state. We live in the best part of the state. I don’t have any doubt about that…Some of the nicest, most wonderful people you ever want to meet, some of the hardest working people you ever want to meet, and some of the people who love the Lord as many places as any other place in the state of North Carolina. And so it’s an opportunity. It’s a great great section of the state to serve. It really is.”
Sanderson continued, “Because I have the advantage of a lot of senators in North Carolina that when people come to my office with some kind of a situation that they want some help in, most of the time, 90% or plus of the time, they come with a solution. They don’t come and just dump a problem on you and then wait for you to figure it out. They say, you know what? We’ve thought about this. And if we’ll go here and do this and do this and do that, this is going to work itself out. And I find it to be so true.”
