Kandie Diane Smith

Senator Kandie Diane Smith is the Democratic incumbent seeking re‑election to the North Carolina State Senate for District 5 in the November 3, 2026 general election. She has represented the district since taking office on January 1, 2023, and will appear on the ballot without a primary challenger after the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary was cancelled ¹.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology (with a communications minor) from Charleston Southern University in 1991, where she also served as student‑body treasurer and competed on a track scholarship ⁸. After working in mental‑health services and moving to Greenville in 2004, she entered local politics, winning a seat on the Greenville City Council in 2009 by a 12‑vote margin and serving the 1st district until 2017 ¹⁹. When Mayor Allen Thomas resigned, council members elected Smith as interim mayor, making her the first African‑American woman to hold that office in Greenville ⁸¹⁹.

In 2017 Smith ran for the North Carolina House of Representatives, winning the open 8th‑district seat after the incumbent, Susan Martin, announced retirement. She was re‑elected in 2020 and served two terms (2019‑2023), serving on committees such as Agriculture, Education‑K‑12, Education‑Universities, Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform, Finance, and Health ⁸¹.

In the 2022 election she won a Senate seat, succeeding Donald Davis. As a senator she has been assigned to the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee; Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural and Economic Resources Committee; Education/Higher Education Committee; Senate Transportation Committee; and Senate State and Local Government Committee for the 2025‑2026 session ¹. Her legislative record includes sponsoring bills on a range of issues, from the repeal of the death penalty (SB 94) and extending teacher contracts (SB 99) to funding local infrastructure projects such as the Pitt‑Greenville Airport (SB 253) and the Edgecombe and Pitt County School Nurses program (SB 238) ⁷.

Smith’s recent leadership roles include being appointed Chair of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus in June 2024 and earning a 2023 Jobs Champion rating from the NC Chamber of Commerce, where she scored 89 % on a bipartisan business‑policy scorecard ²⁰. She has also secured significant funding for her district, including $175 million for Edgecombe and Pitt counties and championed Medicaid expansion and reproductive‑rights legislation such as the NC CROWN Act (SB 154) and a repeal of the death penalty (SB 94) ¹⁹⁷.

Her campaign website, kandiesmith.com, outlines a “people‑first” platform focused on public‑education funding, lowering cost of living, and expanding health‑care access in Eastern North Carolina ¹⁷. Endorsements for her 2026 race include Planned Parenthood, Emily’s List, and Down Home NC, reflecting her progressive stance on reproductive rights and rural community issues ¹⁹. Smith’s opponent in the general election is Republican attorney Alexander Paschall ¹.

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