Reprinted from The Daily Advance
State Rep. Bobby Hanig says he’s interested in filling the impending vacancy in the 1st Senate District when Sen. Bob Steinburg resigns later this month.
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“It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to serve in the North Carolina House of Representatives. I look forward to continuing my service in the Senate,” Hanig, R-Currituck, said in a press release late Friday.
Hanig’s statement came a day after Steinburg, R-Chowan, announced his plan to resign July 31 and pursue work as a lobbyist — a role he said would allow him to continue to be an advocate for northeastern North Carolina.
Steinburg, 73, served three, two-year terms in the state House prior to winning election to the Senate in 2018 and reelection in 2020. However, he was defeated by 2,500 votes in the May 17 GOP primary in the newly configured 1st District by state Sen. Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico. Both senators were placed in the new district as a result of legislative redistricting.
Hanig, a local businessman completing his second term in the state House, described Steinburg in his release as a “great leader.”
“I am honored to have his support in filling the vacancy,” he said. “I will work hard to carry on his legacy of standing up for northeastern North Carolina values in Raleigh.”
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The Republican Party executive committees in each of the 11 counties in the current 1st District will now meet to choose a successor to serve the final five months of Steinburg’s term. Steinburg said he believes the committees will select Haning as his successor.
“It appears, but I don’t know this for certain and I have no input in this, there is some strong sentiment to put Bobby Hanig in that seat for the remainder of the year,” Steinburg said.
The current 1st Senate District Steinburg represents includes Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties.
Hanig is currently running for the newly configured 3rd Senate District seat that includes five of 11 counties in the current 1st District, including Currituck and Camden. He faces Democrat Valerie Jordan of Warren County in the November general election.
The Daily Advance is a newspaper based in Elizabeth City and serving Chowan, Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties. Coastal Review is partnering with the Daily Advance to provide readers with more stories of interest about our coast.
