Wake County Democrat in battleground district resigns from NC Senate
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- Sen. Terence Everitt resigned to work full-time at the N.C. Voter Protection Alliance.
- Democratic Party officials from Wake and Granville will appoint his replacement.
- Everitt’s district is one of the most competitive seats in the legislature.
Sen. Terence Everitt, a Wake County Democrat representing one of the most competitive seats in the North Carolina legislature, announced on Tuesday that he would resign his seat and work full-time for a new voting rights group.
“Since returning to the legislative session, it has become clear that defending our democracy requires my focus and dedication,” Everitt, who represents Wake and Granville counties, wrote in a Facebook post. “The Republican majorities in our legislature are hell-bent on assaulting our democracy, suppressing voting rights, and restricting North Carolinians’ access to the ballot box.”
Everitt began working for the N.C. Voter Protection Alliance in January as the group’s executive director.
In a statement late Tuesday night, Senate Democratic leader Sydney Batch thanked Everitt for his service.
“Senator Everitt has clearly seen what every North Carolinian who is paying attention can see: our democracy is under attack, and the right to vote is being chipped away in real time,” she wrote. “His decision to go where the fight is hardest and stand in that gap for the people of this state is one I support fully.”
Per state law, Democratic Party officials from Wake and Granville will appoint a new senator to fill out the remainder of Everitt’s term.
His replacement will likely also run in one of 2026’s most hotly contested legislative races, one which Everitt narrowly won by less than one percentage point in 2024.
Everitt is now the second Senate Democrat to resign his seat after the March primary election. Orange County Sen. Graig Meyer announced his resignation last month, saying he would step down to lead the N.C. Justice Center.
Before his election to the Senate, Everitt served three terms in the state House.
While in the House, Everitt drew the ire of then-Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican, who moved his office to the building’s basement after Everitt requested a criminal investigation into allegations that Moore traded sex for political gain.
Responding to news of Everitt’s resignation, Speaker Destin Hall’s office wrote on X: “Some members’ contributions to the General Assembly are measured in their legislation, their relationships, or their kindness. Their impact on the state transcends party lines. Others are known for getting moved into a supply closet for their lack of decorum.”
Everitt continued to spar with Republican legislative leaders after moving to the Senate. The chairman of the powerful Rules Committee, Sen. Bill Rabon, sent a letter to Everitt last fall accusing him of an “escalating and unacceptable lack of decorum.”
The News & Observer reported at the time that Everitt had recently condemned Republicans’ move to pass a new congressional map favoring their party, as President Donald Trump had urged GOP-controlled states to do.
“History will remember the day fascism came to North Carolina,” Everitt had said. “And y’all couldn’t wait to get on your knees.”
And this year, Everitt asked for an investigation of Sen. Dave Craven’s campaign activity. The Randolph County Republican’s campaign had reported paying nearly $59,000 for consulting services to a company owned by a friend who is married to a lobbyist. The N&O reported those services appeared to be the only campaign work the business had done.
This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Wake County Democrat in battleground district resigns from NC Senate."
