{"biography":"Senator Kandie Diane Smith is the Democratic incumbent seeking re\u2011election to the North Carolina State Senate for District\u202f5 in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. She has represented the district since taking office on January\u202f1,\u202f2023, and will appear on the ballot without a primary challenger after the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Democratic primary was cancelled [1].\n\nSmith earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology (with a communications minor) from Charleston Southern University in 1991, where she also served as student\u2011body treasurer and competed on a track scholarship [8]. After working in mental\u2011health services and moving to Greenville in 2004, she entered local politics, winning a seat on the Greenville City Council in 2009 by a 12\u2011vote margin and serving the 1st district until 2017 [19]. When Mayor Allen\u202fThomas resigned, council members elected Smith as interim mayor, making her the first African\u2011American woman to hold that office in Greenville [8][19].\n\nIn 2017 Smith ran for the North Carolina House of Representatives, winning the open 8th\u2011district seat after the incumbent, Susan\u202fMartin, announced retirement. She was re\u2011elected in 2020 and served two terms (2019\u20112023), serving on committees such as Agriculture, Education\u2011K\u201112, Education\u2011Universities, Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform, Finance, and Health [8][1].\n\nIn the 2022 election she won a Senate seat, succeeding Donald\u202fDavis. 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\u20112026 session [1]. Her legislative record includes sponsoring bills on a range of issues, from the repeal of the death penalty (SB\u202f94) and extending teacher contracts (SB\u202f99) to funding local infrastructure projects such as the Pitt\u2011Greenville Airport (SB\u202f253) and the Edgecombe and Pitt County School Nurses program (SB\u202f238) [7].\n\nSmith\u2019s recent leadership roles include being appointed Chair of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus in June\u202f2024 and earning a 2023 Jobs Champion rating from the NC Chamber of Commerce, where she scored 89\u202f% on a bipartisan business\u2011policy scorecard [20]. She has also secured significant funding for her district, including $175\u202fmillion for Edgecombe and Pitt counties and championed Medicaid expansion and reproductive\u2011rights legislation such as the NC CROWN Act (SB\u202f154) and a repeal of the death penalty (SB\u202f94) [19][7].\n\nHer campaign website, kandiesmith.com, outlines a \u201cpeople\u2011first\u201d platform focused on public\u2011education funding, lowering cost of living, and expanding health\u2011care access in Eastern North Carolina [17]. Endorsements for her 2026 race include Planned Parenthood, Emily\u2019s List, and Down Home\u202fNC, reflecting her progressive stance on reproductive rights and rural community issues [19]. Smith\u2019s opponent in the general election is Republican attorney Alexander\u202fPaschall [1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Kandie Smith - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kandie_Smith)\n- [7] [Senator Kandie D. Smith's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/S/447)\n- [8] [Kandie Smith - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandie_Smith)\n- [10] [iVoterGuide - Kandie D Smith iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/47223/race/17443/election/1206)\n- [14] [Senator Kandie Smith (@Sen_KandieSmith) / X](https://x.com/Sen_KandieSmith)\n- [15] [North Carolina Senator Kandie Smith @kandienchouse Don't ...](https://www.facebook.com/ancbeo/videos/no-matter-what-room-north-carolina-sen-kandie-smith-in-you-can-best-believe-shes/1176772201021344/)\n- [16] [State Senator Kandie Smith | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/23927)\n- [17] [Kandie Smith For NC \u2013 People First](https://kandiesmith.com/)\n- [18] [North Carolina State Sen. Kandie Smith - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/309784/Kandie_Diane_Smith.html)\n- [19] [Read About Progressive N.C. Sen. Kandie Smith\u2019s Campaign](https://thestoryexchange.org/this-state-senator-won-her-first-race-by-12-votes-now-shes-vying-to-stay-in-the-fight/)\n- [20] [2024 \u2013 Kandie Smith For NC](https://kandiesmith.com/2024/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_005","county":"edgecombe","county_count":2,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc State Senate District 05"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Kandie","fullname":"Kandie Diane Smith","lastname":"Smith","middlename":"Diane","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_005","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 05","county":"edgecombe","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_senate_005","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 05","county":"edgecombe","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Democratic State Senator Kandie Smith is running for re\u2011election to North Carolina's 5th Senate district in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"68b65665f8e69d3e"}