Mark Walter Hollo

Mark Walter Hollo is the incumbent Republican state senator for North Carolina’s 45th Senate district, covering Catawba and Caldwell counties, and is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election. He began his current Senate term on January 1, 2025, and his term is set to end on January 1, 2027 ¹⁶.

Hollo earned a Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University in 1980 and completed the Physician Assistant Program at Wake Forest University’s Bowman Gray School of Medicine in 1983 ¹¹¹. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and has worked as a physician assistant at Family Care Center in Taylorsville and at urgent‑care clinics in Catawba County. He also co‑owned a medical practice with more than 40 employees and taught as an adjunct professor in the Lenoir‑Rhyne Physician Assistant Program ²⁰¹¹.

His political career began with three terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives (2005‑2007, 2011‑2015), representing the 88th and later the 73rd districts after redistricting ⁶¹¹. After an unsuccessful bid for the state Senate in 2018 and 2020, Hollo won election to the Senate in 2024, defeating Democrat Kimberly Bost with 70.3% of the vote ¹.

During his legislative service Hollo has held several committee assignments. In the 2025‑2026 session he served on the Appropriations on Department of Transportation, Commerce and Insurance, Education/Higher Education, Health Care, and Senate State and Local Government committees ¹. Earlier, while in the House, he chaired the Health and Human Services Committee and served on Appropriations, Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs, Public Utilities, and State Personnel committees ¹.

Hollo has sponsored a range of bills, including SB 124 to modernize state hiring, SB 227 to eliminate DEI mandates in public education, SB 50 to expand concealed‑carry rights, and the North Carolina Border Protection Act (SB 394) aimed at strengthening cooperation with federal immigration officials ⁵²⁰. He also introduced legislation on disaster recovery, physician‑assistant licensure compact, and school‑based AEDs ⁵.

Outside the legislature, Hollo is active in community organizations: former member of the Letchfield Community Board of Education, Alexander County Community Child Protection Team, and various professional physician‑assistant associations. He is married to Barbara and has two sons, Robbie and Scott ¹¹.

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