State Rep. Jarrod Lowery leaving NC legislature for job in Washington
State Rep. Jarrod Lowery, a Robeson County Republican who was reelected to a second term last year, said Friday he is leaving the legislature next month for a job opportunity in Washington, D.C.
In a video posted to social media Friday night, Lowery said he would be “effectively stepping away” from the legislature at the beginning of October to pursue a role in Washington in which he will be able to “take my talents and loyalty and the same vigor of my work ethic that I’ve used here in the General Assembly to support the country on a large scale.”
Lowery, who will turn 37 next month, did not specify what his new role will be but indicated he will be working in government in some capacity. He said he was “looking forward to continuing to be a public servant to the people now, not just of Robeson County, but to the state, and to America.”
In the video, Lowery, a member of the Lumbee Tribe and the only Native American in the legislature, said he was proud to have spent three years in the General Assembly advocating for his community and providing them with a “valuable voice” in Raleigh and “a seat at the decision-making table that had been missing for several years.”
Lowery touted securing millions of dollars in important funding for Robeson County during his tenure, including money for a new town hall in Fairmont, a new police station in Maxton, transportation projects in Pembroke and more funding for health programs at UNC-Pembroke, downtown revitalization in Lumberton, and new parks elsewhere in the area.
He also said he was proud of funding that is enabling the county to build its first new school since 1983, and a major cleanup of the Lumber River basin that Lowery said will alleviate future flooding, and has been “desperately needed” since the impacts of Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018.
That project is being funded by $60 million from the federal government, which Lowery said was supported by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, and a $20 million match from the General Assembly.
Lowery was first elected in 2022. He replaced long-serving Rep. Charles Graham, a Lumbee member and Democrat who represented Robeson County for 12 years before unsuccessfully running for Congress from North Carolina’s 7th District. Lowery had previously run against Graham for the House seat in 2018, and lost.
Before serving in the General Assembly, Lowery served six years on the Lumbee Tribal Council and was an aide to Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. He is a veteran of the Marine Corps.
The Lumbee Tribe’s long fight to gain full federal recognition from Washington has been another major goal for Lumbee leaders, including Lowery and his older brother John Lowery, who currently serves as tribal chairman.
In April, The News & Observer and Border Belt Independent reported that the Lumbee Tribe sees full recognition as closer than ever following President Donald Trump’s move to direct the U.S. Department of the Interior to compile a report within 90 days outlining paths to recognition for the tribe, three days after he was sworn into office for a second term in January.
The Lumbee, who are the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi River, have been fighting for full recognition since federal legislation enacted in 1956 granted them only partial recognition, “acknowledging it as a legitimate Native American group but denying it the benefits that fully recognized tribes receive,” The N&O previously reported.
Achieving full federal recognition would deliver “much-needed money for education, health care and other services to the tribe,” The N&O reported in April.
“We’ve got a lot of elders who passed away” without seeing their tribe win its fight, Jarrod Lowery said in an interview at the time.
Lowery said in his announcement Friday he is continuing to work on legislation during his last couple of weeks as a state lawmaker, and urged constituents to continue reaching out to his office for any help they need.
The General Assembly is currently adjourned amid disagreements between House and Senate Republicans over a state budget.
Lawmakers were last in Raleigh for a few days in July, when they overrode eight vetoes issued by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.
They’re scheduled to return for a few days of session this coming week, and are expected to take up a new crime bill GOP lawmakers are working on in light of the fatal stabbing on Charlotte light rail in August that drew national attention, and possibly, a health care bill that may include more Medicaid funding ahead of a looming Oct. 1 deadline for cuts state health officials say they will make as a result of the federal spending bill Trump signed into law this summer.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 11:24 AM.
