Influential GOP senator faces primary challenger. Here are their ideas.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Incumbent Benton Sawrey faces a Republican primary challenge from Caitlin Marsh.
- Sawrey favors teacher pay flexibility. Marsh suggests $70-$100k teacher pay.
- Sawrey stresses cost of living and flexible teacher pay; Marsh stresses growth planning.
To help voters learn which candidates are on their ballot and where they stand on important policy issues, The News & Observer is publishing candidate questionnaires in all state and federal races in North Carolina on the March 3, 2026, ballot.
Below are the candidates running for N.C. Senate District 10 who responded to our questionnaire, in order by the date their responses were received. Some candidates did not provide a photo.
Senate District 10 in Johnston County has a Republican primary between Caitlin Marsh and the incumbent, Sen. Benton Sawrey, a chair of the Senate Health Care committee.
Kevin Terrett is unopposed in the Democratic primary, as is Pat LeGrand in the Libertarian primary.
Benton Sawrey
Age as of March 3, 2026: 39
Political party: Republican
Campaign website: www.bentonsawrey.com
Current occupation: Attorney
Professional experience: Attorney at Narron Wenzel, P.A. since 2013.
Education: B.S., NC State University (2009); J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law (2013)
Please list any notable government or civic involvement: Prior: Johnston Community College Board of Trustees; Downtown Smithfield Corporation Board of Directors; Partnership for Children of Johnston County Board of Directors. Current: North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission; Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force; North Carolina Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control.
The legislature sets teacher base pay. What do you think the salary range should be for teachers, from starting to 30+ experience? This question assumes a one-size-fits-all model with teacher pay. I believe that North Carolina should be more dynamic with the manner in which we compensate teachers by offering flexibility to districts to offer higher pay for teachers in high-demand fields or teachers that are put into more challenging roles. We should expand the advanced teacher roles that offer additional pay to our veteran teachers who serve as mentors for the next generation of teachers.
As of January, North Carolina was the last state not to have passed a new, comprehensive budget. What would you do to help make sure a budget passes? North Carolina has appropriated nearly $32 billion this fiscal year, which I understand is the largest general fund appropriation in state history. If a silver bullet existed with respect to remaining items, I’m certain that our leaders would have found it because it’s something we are all eager to resolve. I commit to continuing to engage in constructive discussions with my counterparts in the North Carolina House to try and pass the remaining items this fiscal year.
What is the most important issue in your district and what do you want to do about it? Cost of living. Increased costs is a multi-faceted issue — energy, health care and tax burdens. I am encouraged by the property tax discussions going on in Raleigh and think there should be a discussion about an automatic revenue-neutral tax rate following a re-evaluation period. On energy, I believe we need to continue to give flexibility to utilities to target the lowest-cost energy options. On health care, we need to pass transparency laws so that patients are informed on cost.
North Carolina’s income tax rate for individual taxpayers is 3.99%. Should that be reduced further? Yes.
Do you think the state is using taxpayer money efficiently? Why or why not? No. I believe the auditor’s dashboard showing over 8,000 long-term vacant positions with over $1 billion in lapsed salaries shows that we can allocate those dollars more efficiently.
Do you support legalizing medical marijuana use? Why or why not? I would consider voting for medical marijuana in the event that there is a demonstrated medical benefit for a particular condition and the market is tightly controlled and highly regulated so that only those with the medical need have access. For an example of a benefit that we have seen in the past, Epidiolex, which is a prescription drug that contains CBD, has had success in treating debilitating seizures in pediatric patients.
What do you see as the biggest barrier to health care access in your district, and what actions would you take to address it? Government regulations restricting health care market reforms. I support increasing the number of primary care doctors by funding new medical schools and advocating for additional residency slots. I believe we should reform certificate of need laws in several key areas to let providers determine where facilities and procedures would best serve patients as opposed to a committee. We should allow retail pharmacists to have the ability to offer more targeted services directly to patients.
Caitlin Marsh
Age as of March 3, 2026: 25
Political party: Republican
Campaign website: www.voteforgoose.com
Current occupation: Homemaker
Professional experience: Lived-in experience, professional sports betting
Education: Currently in college
Please list any notable government or civic involvement: Proud supporter of Love Life and Open Arms Ministries
The legislature sets teacher base pay. What do you think the salary range should be for teachers, from starting to 30+ experience? $70,000-$100,000
As of January, North Carolina was the last state not to have passed a new, comprehensive budget. What would you do to help make sure a budget passes? I would work to ensure the Senate passes the budget rather than tabling it. North Carolina should not be the only state without a budget and passing one is a basic responsibility that must be fulfilled.
What is the most important issue in your district and what do you want to do about it? The most important issue in our district is overdevelopment without the infrastructure to support it. Roads, schools, water systems, emergency services and courts are all being pushed beyond capacity. This affects public safety, taxes, quality of life and long-term economic stability. Growth itself is not the problem, but growth without planning creates higher costs for residents and weaker services for everyone.
North Carolina’s income tax rate for individual taxpayers is 3.99%. Should that be reduced further? I believe to make income tax cuts meaningful, we must cap property value increases at 10% over five years. This will stabilize property taxes, allowing families and homeowners to actually feel the impact of the already lowered income taxes.
Do you think the state is using taxpayer money efficiently? Why or why not? I believe we should ensure compliance by auditing. I believe that our current state treasurer and state auditor have done a great job ensuring our tax dollars are used for intended purposes.
Do you support legalizing medical marijuana use? Why or why not? Neutral.
What do you see as the biggest barrier to health care access in your district, and what actions would you take to address it? Johnston County has so many vastly different communities within our county. Each community has its own challenges and needs from cost, location, transportation, etc. One solution I have found to be effective is implementing targeted incentivization. I believe building upon the current incentives can help bridge that gap.
This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 3:56 PM.
