N.C. House Rep. Graig Meyer, D-Caswell, Orange, announced last week that he will be running for a seat on the state senate in 2022.
Meyer is vying to win the seat to represent State Senate District 23, which will be made up of Orange, Caswell and Person counties after redistricting. The seat's current occupant, Sen. Valerie Foushee (D-Chatham, Orange) announced she would be running to represent the 6th Congressional District of North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The community that I serve currently spreads from Orange County, which is highly affluent, all the way through Caswell County to the Virginia line,” Meyer said. “Caswell County is not very affluent, it's very rural. It's very different than Orange County, and I recognize that across North Carolina, there are a lot of different needs.”
He said his time as a social worker and representative inspired him to run for the Senate, mainly in an attempt to improve the state's education system.
“What motivated me to run for General Assembly in the first place was my experience working in North Carolina’s public schools,” Meyer said. “My experience as a social worker is the underlying basis of how I approach my public service role altogether. Before political service, I'm a social worker. We always start with listening.”
He also said serving in the General Assembly caused him to recognize that the state's senate is where the majority of power lies.
“I think North Carolina has some very pressing issues and some very great opportunities,” Meyer said. “And right now in our political climate, the North Carolina Senate is the most important part of making those decisions.”
Henry Gargan, a friend and supporter of Meyer, said that Meyer’s background as a social worker will help him succeed in the role.
“He just strikes me as extremely earnest, curious and thoughtful,” Gargan said. “Not just when talking about politics, but in getting to know people one on one. I was able to connect with him really easily because he's somebody who, before you became a politician, was actually doing work to make the community better.”