{"biography":"Julie Virginia Mayfield is the incumbent Democratic State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 49th District, a seat she has held since being sworn in on January\u202f1,\u202f2021 and which she is seeking to retain in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  North Carolina State Senators serve four\u2011year terms, represent their district\u2019s constituents in the General Assembly, and participate in standing committees that shape state policy and budgetary decisions\u30101\u2020L1-L4\u3011\u30101\u2020L13-L18\u3011.  In the 2025\u20112026 session Senator Mayfield serves as the Senate Democratic Caucus Secretary and sits on the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee; the Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural and Economic Resources Committee; the Health Care Committee; the Senate Transportation Committee; and the Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee\u30101\u2020L31-L38\u3011.\n\nBorn in Atlanta, Georgia, Mayfield earned a Bachelor of Arts in religion from Davidson College in 1989 and a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 1996\u30101\u2020L9-L11\u3011\u30104\u2020L13-L16\u3011.  Early in her career she worked for Amnesty International USA, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and the Georgia Justice Project, focusing on prisoners\u2019 rights and death\u2011penalty opposition\u30104\u2020L20-L24\u3011.  She later practiced law at Kilpatrick Stockton, clerked for a federal judge, and directed the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory Law\u30104\u2020L25-L28\u3011.  From 2003 to 2008 she was vice president and general counsel of the Georgia Conservancy, a statewide environmental advocacy organization, before returning to Western North Carolina in 2008 to lead the regional nonprofit MountainTrue as its executive director\u30104\u2020L30-L34\u3011\u301018\u2020L9-L13\u3011.\n\nMayfield entered elected office in 2015 when she won a seat on the Asheville City Council, where she served on the Transit and Multi\u2011Modal Commissions and helped pass local climate\u2011action, police\u2011reform, and affordable\u2011housing measures\u30104\u2020L36-L38\u3011\u301018\u2020L1-L5\u3011.  She announced her candidacy for the state Senate in March\u202f2019, won the Democratic primary in March\u202f2020, and was elected in November\u202f2020, succeeding Terry Van\u202fDuyn\u30104\u2020L40-L45\u3011.  She was re\u2011elected in 2022 and again in 2024, defeating Republican Kristie Sluder with 69.1% of the vote\u30101\u2020L57-L62\u3011.  In the 2026 cycle the Democratic primary was canceled, and she advanced automatically to the November ballot opposite Republican C.J.\u202fDomingo\u30101\u2020L45-L50\u3011.\n\nDuring her tenure Senator Mayfield has sponsored a range of legislation reflecting her environmental, health\u2011care, and social\u2011justice priorities.  Notable bills include SB\u202f94 to repeal the death penalty, SB\u202f110 (North Carolina Work and Save), SB\u202f65 to restore down\u2011zoning in Buncombe County, and SB\u202f166 to repeal limitations on auxiliary containers\u30103\u2020L73-L84\u3011.  She has also championed bills to expand Medicaid, protect LGBTQ+ rights, eliminate the \u201cpink tax\u201d on menstrual products, and promote a living\u2011wage standard, as outlined on her campaign\u2019s issue pages\u30108\u2020L1-L20\u3011.\n\nMayfield\u2019s public statements emphasize a \u201cpractical progressive\u201d approach: protecting the environment through clean\u2011energy legislation such as H951, improving water quality in the French Broad River, and opposing corporate\u2011driven health\u2011care consolidation.  She positions herself as a defender of reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and voting access, and she frequently highlights her work building coalitions across the aisle while maintaining progressive values\u30106\u2020L9-L15\u3011\u301011\u2020L13-L20\u3011.\n\nOutside the legislature, Mayfield remains involved with MountainTrue as a senior policy advisor and continues to serve on regional boards, including the North Carolina Conservation Network and the Western North Carolina chapter of the ACLU\u301018\u2020L14-L18\u3011.  She lives in West Asheville with her spouse, attorney Jim Grode, and maintains strong ties to the community she represents.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Julie Mayfield - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Julie_Mayfield)\n- [2] [Senator Julie Mayfield - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/432)\n- [3] [Senator Julie Mayfield's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/S/432)\n- [4] [Julie Mayfield - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Mayfield)\n- [6] [Home - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/)\n- [7] [About - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/about/)\n- [8] [Issues - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/issues/)\n- [9] [Vote-USA | Julie Mayfield | Candidate for State Senator District 49, North Carolina | November 3, 2026 North Carolina General Election](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=NC&Id=NCMayfieldJulie)\n- [11] [Mayfield files for re-election to Senate District 49 - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/mayfield-files-for-re-election-to-senate-district-49/)\n- [12] [What happens if Republicans take full control? - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/what-happens-if-republicans-take-full-control/)\n- [18] [Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield to run for N.C. Senate District 49 \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/blogwire/asheville-city-council-member-julie-mayfield-to-run-for-n-c-senate-district-49/)\n- [19] [Sen. Julie Mayfield (@MayfieldforNC) / X](https://x.com/mayfieldfornc)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_049","county":"buncombe","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc State Senate District 49"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Julie","fullname":"Julie Virginia Mayfield","lastname":"Mayfield","middlename":"Virginia","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_049","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 49","county":"buncombe","county_count":1,"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_049","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 49","county":"buncombe","county_count":1,"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":"Julie Mayfield is the Democratic State Senator for NC District\u202f49, seeking re\u2011election in 2026 after a career in environmental law, nonprofit leadership, and Asheville city government.","terms":[],"token":"8d8a462712b777f0"}