Kevin Corbin
Franklin – Someone will represent western North Carolina in the U.S. Congress, but it won’t be Kevin Corbin.
Despite originally intending to run for Congress, state Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon, announced on Nov. 22 that he would run for re-election to his seat in the N.C. State Senate instead.
He said that he believed he could better serve the people of North Carolina from his seat in the state Senate than he would as a freshman U.S. congressman.
“My freshman term in the Senate has been extremely successful, and I have worked extremely well with Gillespie, Clampitt and Pless that have House seats within my current 7-county district,” Corbin said. “We were able to deliver for this district with very pleasant success, and I don’t think throwing that away is wise for myself or my Senate district.”
He said he was on track to build seniority within the General Assembly, having served two terms in the N.C. House of Representatives prior to winning his Senate seat.
“Every member has a vote, and we all understand that, but seniority is a factor when it comes to such things as chairing committees, influence with other senators and positions of leadership,” Corbin said. “Those are all factors in how well I am able to serve my district.”
“In short, I love my position, and feel I can offer more to the citizens of western NC as a (state) senator than as a freshman congressman,” he added.
He also referred to serving as a state senator as a “ greater calling” than serving in Washington D.C.
“We were able to deliver for this district with very pleasant success, and I don’t think throwing that away is wise for myself or my senate district,” Corbin said. “Through hard work and relationship building, we have brought more capital improvements to this district than we even thought possible a year ago.”
Filing for the N.C. State Senate race begins Monday.