Michael Vincent Lee

Michael Vincent Lee is the incumbent Republican State Senator for North Carolina’s 7th Senate District and is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election. He has served as Senate Majority Leader since April 2025 and currently chairs the Education/Higher Education Committee while holding seats on several key committees, including Commerce and Insurance, Health Care, Judiciary, and Rules and Operations of the Senate ²¹³¹⁷.

Born on November 29, 1968 in Kingston, New York, Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law, also attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington during his undergraduate years ¹³¹⁷. He is a commercial real‑estate and land‑use attorney who founded Lee | Kaess, PLLC (formerly Lee Law Firm) in 2012 after a decade at a large southeastern firm, and the practice now operates offices in Wilmington, Raleigh and Dallas, Texas ¹⁶¹⁷.

Lee first entered the North Carolina Senate in August 2014, appointed to fill a vacancy in District 9, and won election to that seat in 2016. After a defeat in 2018, he reclaimed a Senate seat in 2020 and was redistricted to District 7 in 2023, where he was re‑elected in 2022 with 50.97% of the vote ¹³². He has been re‑elected in 2024 and is on the ballot again for 2026.

During his tenure, Lee has focused on education policy, serving as chair of the Appropriations on Education/Higher Education Committee and the Education/Higher Education Committee across multiple sessions. He helped pass the Water Safety Acts (2018, 2021, 2023) and co‑sponsored the Hurricane Florence Act, securing over $100 million in relief for Hurricane Matthew‑affected communities. He also championed tax‑relief measures that would reduce or eliminate personal state income tax for the majority of taxpayers, and expanded film‑industry incentives, tripling the state’s film tax credit to boost Wilmington’s economy. As Majority Leader, he guides the Senate’s legislative agenda and works on balanced state budgets that fund core services while maintaining fiscal responsibility ¹⁶¹⁴¹⁷.

Lee’s public service extends beyond the legislature. He has chaired the North Carolina Port Authority Board, served on the North Carolina Department of Transportation Board, and sits on the University of North Carolina Wilmington Board of Trustees. He is a former adjunct professor at UNC‑Wilmington and has been active in numerous nonprofit boards, including the Hunt Institute and the Carousel Center for Abused Children. His professional recognitions include being named a 2020 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for commercial real‑estate and inclusion in Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” list.

Lee lives in Wilmington with his wife, Heidi Wooten Lee, and their four children. He is an Episcopalian and a member of several bar associations and civic organizations. His campaign website, Lee for NC, outlines his platform of supporting quality education, clean water, economic growth, and responsible governance ¹⁴.

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