Democratic leaders from Chapel Hill want vacant NC Senate seat. What comes next
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Two Chapel Hill Democrats seek appointment and to run for Meyer’s seat
- Meyer leaves to lead NC Justice Center, focusing on statewide policy and racial equity
- Buansi and Garson cite legislative experience, organizing and statewide outreach
A state Democratic Party official and an N.C. House member announced Tuesday they will compete for a shot at filling Graig Meyer’s state Senate seat and running for election in November.
Both Democrats — House Rep. Allen Buansi, representing House District 56, and Jonah Garson, N.C. Democratic Party first vice chair — live in Chapel Hill. If chosen, one could represent Orange, Caswell and Person counties in Senate District 23, although the official application process has not yet started.
Meyer announced Monday he was stepping down from the Senate to become executive director of the N.C. Justice Center, a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on economic opportunity and racial equity.
Meyer, who has served in the General Assembly for 12 years, said the new role will allow him to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to address statewide policy issues that matter most: education, health, workers rights, immigrant and refugee rights, criminal justice, and housing, energy and consumer advocacy.
The Democratic parties in Orange, Caswell and Person counties will accept applications from potential candidates through March 28, and the party’s State Senatorial District Committee — two members from each county — will submit a nominee to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein for his appointment.
Committee votes are weighted, depending on the number of voters in each county’s portion of the district.
Meyer’s Senate replacement needs to be in place by April 20, just before the General Assembly convenes for the 2026 short session, said Lynn McGee, chair of the Orange County Democratic Party. She’s working with party chairs in Caswell and Person counties and the state Democratic Party to finalize the details, but a decision is possible by the first week of April.
The committee can also nominate someone to appear on the November ballot.
Who are Allen Buansi, Jonah Garson?
Buansi is a former Chapel Hill Town Council member who was elected to the House in 2022. He was reelected in the 2024 and 2026 primaries, running unopposed.
During his time in the House, Buansi has served on the committees on Appropriations, Health and Higher Education, working on policies around public schools, affordable housing, access to health care and the environment, he said in a news release. He also has served as chair of the House Democratic Freshman Caucus and is the current Deputy Conference Chair.
Buansi, in the release, said he is ready for “responsibility and responsiveness to the people.”
“People are hurting, and our district deserves leadership that is responsive and understands both the legislative process and the people behind the policies,” he said. “If entrusted with this office, I am ready to step in and continue the needed work of empowering people, strengthening our economy, supporting families and ensuring opportunity reaches every corner of this district.”
Garson, an attorney with Parry Law, PLLC, in Chapel Hill, ran unsuccessfully against Buansi in the 2022 primary. He is also the former chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, former member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP Executive Committee, and an at-large member of the Orange County Planning Board.
In 2022, then-Gov. Roy Cooper appointed him to the N.C. Education and Workforce Innovation Commission. He has worked with N.C. Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and others to recruit legislative candidates and create “a model battleground state party — now one of the largest in the country — capable of fighting and winning some of the toughest fights,” he said in a news release.
“We need legislators who have the imagination, policy experience, and relationships in every corner of the state to bring together the right stakeholders to answer those questions, and to build and run the plan to achieve our goal,” Garson said in the release.
“That means knowing when to plant the flag to speak loudly for our shared progressive values. That means knowing when to work behind the scenes to achieve the best outcomes. That means investing enormous amounts of time and social energy into sustaining relationships, including relationships across the aisle with legislators who share common ground on specific issues. That means raising funds and fighting to flip seats,” he said.
This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 10:19 AM.
