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Murphy – The race for N.C. Senate District 50 will be unopposed in the primary for both Republican and Democrat nominations – incumbent GOP Sen. Kevin Corbin and Democrat Tom Downing.
Corbin, of Franklin, and Downing, of Cullowhee, were the only candidates who filed for the seat by the filing deadline of noon Friday.
N.C. District 50 covers all of Cherokee, Clay, Macon, Graham, Swain, Jackson and Transylvania counties, as well as most of Haywood County. The district overlaps with the 118th, 119th, and 120th state House districts. The heavily red district has voted Republican in the general elections by a 2-1 margin the past two elections.
Kevin Corbin (R), incumbent
Corbin was elected to the Macon County School Board when he was 22 years old, serving on that board for 20 years, 16 as chair. He later served on the Macon County Board of Commissioners, where he also served as chair. He was elected to the N.C. House of Representatives in 2017, representing the 120th District, and was appointed to key committees, including Appropriations on Education/Higher Education and Commerce & Insurance.
In 2020, Corbin was elected to the N.C. Senate, replacing Sen. Jim Davis and representing Senate District 50, where he has sought legislation on broadband expansion, education and school safety. His efforts were instrumental in the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina, extending coverage to 600,000 residents for the first time.
Corbin was re-elected in 2022 and 2024.
In answering a survey for Blue Ridge Public Radio in 2024, Corbin said, “The No. 1 responsibility in being a senator is constituent service. We have a record of solving about 96% of the problems when our constituents call. Many times our constituents know their representatives when they do not know where else to call. Whether the issue is state, federal or local, we find out what the issue is and either help get answers or we take it directly to the appropriate source for resolution.”
Tom Downing (D), challenger
Downing has worked in municipal government for the City of Asheville for the last 15 years. Prior to that, he was a special education teacher working with students with serious emotional disabilities for eight years.
“In my work I’ve learned that really listening to people is the first step to making a difference in people’s lives,” he said. “I’m running for the state Senate as a Democrat because the voters deserve a choice in November of 2026 between a political party that goes along with whatever they are told to do from the leader in Washington, D.C., and a political party that allows their candidates to fully represent the citizens in their district and respond to what they need.
“It’s time for our state government to listen and respond to the needs of real people and not the Republican party leadership that’s out of touch with rural residents. I want to go to Raleigh and find real solutions to our shortages of affordable housing, affordable day care and the rising costs of health insurance. My plan is to represent everyone in the 50th Senate District.”