Michael Kennedy Garrett

Michael Kennedy Garrett is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate representing District 27 and is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election ¹¹⁰. The Senate seat covers Guilford County, including Greensboro, where Garrett lives with his family. He was first elected in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Trudy Wade, and has been re‑elected in 2020, 2022 and 2024 ¹⁰¹.

Garrett was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2007 ¹¹⁰. He is a small‑business owner, serving as the managing partner of a family‑owned marketing firm ¹. His professional background informs his legislative focus on supporting local businesses and economic development ¹⁶.

Since taking office on January 1, 2019, Garrett has served on a range of Senate committees. In the 2025‑2026 session he sits on the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee; Appropriations on Department of Transportation Committee; Commerce and Insurance Committee; Education/Higher Education Committee; Health Care Committee; and Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee ⁸¹. Earlier sessions saw him on the Senate Transportation Committee, Redistricting and Elections Committee, and others ¹.

Garrett’s legislative record includes sponsoring and co‑sponsoring bills aimed at expanding health coverage, improving public education, and protecting the environment. In 2019 he co‑sponsored SB 3 to close the Medicaid coverage gap, and he has advocated for a statewide school‑infrastructure bond to address aging school facilities in Guilford County ¹⁶. He introduced a “Polluter Pays” bill to hold polluters financially responsible for cleanup, reflecting his environmental priorities ¹⁶.

He has also worked on education policy, supporting bonus pay for teachers with master’s degrees and backing Governor Cooper’s budget that raised teacher salaries by an average of 9.1 percent over two years ¹⁶. Garrett emphasizes “people over politics,” seeking to build a legislative majority that invests in health care, education, and a working‑family economy ¹³¹².

Garrett’s campaign is run through the website garrettfornc.com, which outlines his issues, endorsements, and volunteer opportunities ¹². Endorsements have come from education, labor, environmental, and health‑care organizations, including the Guilford County Association of Educators, North Carolina League of Conservation Voters, and the NC AFL‑CIO ¹⁵.

In addition to his Senate duties, Garrett maintains a public presence on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, where he comments on legislative matters and state politics ¹⁹¹⁷.

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