Deandrea Newman Salvador

DeAndrea Newman Salvador is the incumbent Democratic State Senator for North Carolina’s 39th Senate district and is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election. North Carolina senators serve four‑year terms, represent roughly 200,000 residents, draft and vote on state legislation, and sit on standing committees that shape policy on issues ranging from agriculture to finance and transportation ¹.

Salvador was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, graduating from Waddell High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in economics (with a minor in anthropology) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte ¹⁴. She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to her campaign profile ²⁰. Salvador is married to Kirk and they have two sons living in the Steele Creek area of Charlotte.

Before entering elected office, Salvador founded the Renewable Energy Transition Initiative (RETI), a nonprofit that educates low‑income families about renewable‑energy options and works to reduce energy costs for vulnerable households. She served as RETI’s chief executive officer and has been recognized as a 2018 TED Fellow and a UNC Charlotte Young Alumna of the Year. Salvador also serves on the boards of Clean Air Carolina and Youth Empowered Solutions, and she spent three years on the Mecklenburg County Air Quality Commission ¹⁴¹⁴. In the private sector, she has worked in data‑privacy strategy for firms such as DataGrail and currently holds a director‑of‑partnerships role at Eli Technologies, while maintaining her certification as a Certified Information Privacy Professional ¹⁴²⁰.

Salvador was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2020, becoming the youngest Black woman ever to serve in the General Assembly ⁴. She was re‑elected in 2022 and again in 2024, winning 62 % of the vote in 2020 and running unopposed in 2024 ¹⁸. During her tenure she has served on a range of committees, most recently the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee; Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural and Economic Resources Committee; Commerce and Insurance Committee; Senate Finance Committee; Senate Transportation Committee; and the Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee (2025‑2026 session) ¹. Earlier sessions saw her on the Appropriations/Base Budget Committee and the Senate State and Local Government Committee.

Legislatively, Salvador has introduced and helped pass bills focused on renewable‑energy tax credits, workforce automation studies, and health‑care for foster‑care children. She played a key role in negotiating HB 951, a bipartisan energy‑policy package that sets a 2050 carbon‑neutrality goal for North Carolina, and she has publicly praised its climate benefits while urging stronger provisions for low‑income energy affordability ⁴²⁰. In 2021 the General Assembly passed a bill she sponsored directing the Legislative Research Council to study lipedema, a rare medical condition affecting women ⁴.

Beyond the Capitol, Salvador’s community work includes speaking engagements, youth mentorship, and advocacy for clean‑air initiatives. Her recognitions include Charlotte Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” (2022), the Grist 50 emerging‑leader list (2022), and a “Woman to Watch” designation by SouthPark magazine (2018) ⁷¹⁴. She continues to champion affordable health‑care, educational opportunity, and infrastructure investment for District 39, as outlined on her campaign website ⁶.

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