Thomas Moses Mcinnis

Tom McInnis is the incumbent Republican State Senator for North Carolina’s 21st Senate District and is on the ballot for re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election. He first won a Senate seat in 2014, began serving on January 1, 2015, and after the 2022 redistricting now represents District 21, which includes Moore and parts of Cumberland County. He will complete a sixth two‑year term if re‑elected, having served six terms in the chamber overall ⁷¹¹⁷.

The North Carolina State Senate is the upper chamber of the General Assembly. Senators represent roughly 200,000 residents, serve two‑year terms, introduce and vote on legislation, and sit on standing committees that shape policy and the state budget. As a member, McInnis is required to attend regular sessions, meet with constituents, and oversee the implementation of state laws ¹.

Born on April 16, 1954 in Richmond County, North Carolina, McInnis grew up on a family farm as the son of a farmer and a public‑school teacher. He attended the Certified Auctioneers Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington and also completed coursework at the Reisch College of Auctioneering ⁷⁸⁹.

Before entering politics, McInnis built a career in the auction and real‑estate industries. In 1983 he co‑founded Iron Horse Auction Company, where he has served as chief operating officer and principal broker for more than four decades ⁷⁹⁸. He also spent eight years on the Richmond County Board of Education and held leadership roles on the Richmond County Economic Development Board, Planning and Zoning Board, and Board of Elections ⁷⁹.

In the Senate, McInnis has held a series of senior committee assignments. For the 2025‑2026 session he chairs the Senate Finance Committee, chairs the Regulatory Reform Committee, and co‑chairs the Revenue Laws Study Committee, while also serving on the Agriculture, Energy & Environment, Commerce & Insurance, Education/Higher Education, and Transportation committees ¹³⁹⁸. Earlier sessions saw him chair the Appropriations on Department of Transportation Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee ¹.

McInnis has sponsored a wide range of legislation. Notable bills include SB 50 (permit‑less concealed‑carry), SB 24 (government mandates and healthcare costs), SB 153 (North Carolina Border Protection Act), and SB 92 (Voter ID constitutional amendment). He has also advanced bills on disaster recovery, zero‑based budgeting, and vocational‑education expansion, many of which advanced to floor votes in 2025‑2026 ⁶¹⁴.

His work has earned multiple recognitions. He was named Richmond Community College Foundation Citizen of the Year (2020), received the Henry W. Little III Community Leadership Award, Delta Waterfowl Legislator of the Year (2017), NC Forestry Association Legislator of the Year (2016), and was inducted into the North Carolina Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame (1994). He holds an A+ rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund and a 100 % rating from the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce ⁷⁹.

Beyond the Capitol, McInnis is active in community service. He volunteers with the Boy Scouts, participates in benefit auctions that have raised millions for charities such as Habitat for Humanity, hospice care, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation, and serves on the boards of several local nonprofit organizations ⁹.

His campaign platform emphasizes reducing regulatory burdens on small businesses, expanding vocational and technical education, increasing teacher pay and school‑choice options, combating the opioid epidemic, protecting Second‑Amendment rights, and supporting voter‑ID legislation. He argues that rural North Carolina has been “short‑changed” by state and federal policymakers and seeks to use his business experience to promote economic growth and government efficiency ⁹¹⁷¹.

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