{"biography":"Michael Vincent Lee is the incumbent Republican State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 7th Senate District and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  He has served as Senate Majority Leader since April\u202f2025 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 [2][13][17].\n\nBorn on November\u202f29,\u202f1968 in Kingston, New\u202fYork, Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor from Wake\u202fForest University School of Law, also attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington during his undergraduate years [13][17].  He is a commercial real\u2011estate and land\u2011use attorney who founded Lee\u202f|\u202fKaess, 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 [16][17].\n\nLee first entered the North Carolina Senate in August\u202f2014, appointed to fill a vacancy in District\u202f9, 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\u202f7 in 2023, where he was re\u2011elected in 2022 with 50.97% of the vote [13][2].  He has been re\u2011elected in 2024 and is on the ballot again for 2026.\n\nDuring 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,\u202f2021,\u202f2023) and co\u2011sponsored the Hurricane Florence Act, securing over $100\u202fmillion in relief for Hurricane Matthew\u2011affected communities.  He also championed tax\u2011relief measures that would reduce or eliminate personal state income tax for the majority of taxpayers, and expanded film\u2011industry incentives, tripling the state\u2019s film tax credit to boost Wilmington\u2019s economy.  As Majority Leader, he guides the Senate\u2019s legislative agenda and works on balanced state budgets that fund core services while maintaining fiscal responsibility [16][14][17].\n\nLee\u2019s 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\u2011Wilmington 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 \u201cLawyer of the Year\u201d for commercial real\u2011estate and inclusion in Business North Carolina\u2019s \u201cLegal Elite\u201d list.\n\nLee 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].\n\n## Sources\n- [2] [Michael V. Lee (North Carolina State Senate) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Michael_V._Lee_(North_Carolina_State_Senate))\n- [11] [Sen. Michael Lee](https://www.b3council.nc.gov/bio/Michael-Lee.aspx)\n- [12] [Senator Michael V. Lee - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/387)\n- [13] [Michael V. Lee - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_V._Lee)\n- [14] [Michael Lee NC Senate Wilmington | Lee for NC | United States](https://www.leefornc.com/)\n- [16] [MEET MICHAEL | Lee for NC](https://www.leefornc.com/meet-michael)\n- [17] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/102957/michael-lee)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_007","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc State Senate District 07"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Michael","fullname":"Michael Vincent Lee","lastname":"Lee","middlename":"Vincent","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_007","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 07","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_senate_007","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 07","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Michael V. Lee is the Republican Majority Leader and State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s District\u202f7, running for re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"b7c795ba591d1c10"}