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Val Applewhite (born 1960 or 1961) is an American politician who has served as a member of the North Carolina Senate since January 1, 2023.[2] A Democrat from Fayetteville, she represents the 19th district.[3] She was first elected to the Senate in 2022, defeating incumbent Senator Kirk deViere in the Democratic primary.[4] Applewhite is a retired United States Air Force veteran.[5] She is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University and Strayer University.[5]

Political career

Applewhite was a candidate in the 2013 and 2015 Fayetteville, North Carolina mayoral elections.[6]

She ran for the North Carolina Senate in 2022, challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Kirk deViere. She defeated him in the primary after receiving an endorsement from Roy Cooper, who was at the time the incumbent governor of the state.[4] She defeated former state Senator Wesley Meredith in the general election,[7] and was reelected in 2024.[8]

Applewhite sponsored several bills in her first term to provide clean water for residents of Fayetteville. She opposes school vouchers and supports abortion rights, voting against North Carolina’s 12-week ban.[8] She has described herself as an “advocate for health care” and supports expanding Medicaid.[9] A breast cancer survivor, she supported a bill by Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch to improve health coverage for detecting breast cancer.[10]

In 2023, she was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote for a party-line bill, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, that would prevent transgender women from playing in women’s sports. She reported receiving “frightening” messages as a result of this vote.[11]

Electoral history

2024

North Carolina Senate 19th district general election, 2024[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Val Applewhite (incumbent) 55,697 62.87%
Republican Semone Pemberton 30,005 33.87%
Libertarian Steven Swinton 2,884 3.26%
Total votes 88,586 100%
Democratic hold

2022

North Carolina Senate 19th district Democratic primary election, 2022[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Val Applewhite 7,588 56.24%
Democratic Kirk deViere (incumbent) 4,972 36.85%
Democratic Ed Donaldson 931 6.90%
Total votes 13,491 100%
North Carolina Senate 19th district general election, 2022[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Val Applewhite 30,755 52.70%
Republican Wesley Meredith 27,601 47.30%
Total votes 58,356 100%
Democratic hold

2015

Fayetteville mayoral primary election, 2015[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Nat Robertson (incumbent) 4,333 52.43%
Nonpartisan Val Applewhite 3,748 45.35%
Nonpartisan Edward Donovan 184 2.23%
Total votes 8,265 100%
Fayetteville mayoral general election, 2015[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Nat Robertson (incumbent) 9,273 51.81%
Nonpartisan Val Applewhite 8,604 48.07%
Write-in 21 0.12%
Total votes 17,898 100%

2013

Fayetteville mayoral primary election, 2013[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Val Applewhite 5,416 43.93%
Nonpartisan Nat Robertson 3,809 30.89%
Nonpartisan Kirk deViere 2,468 20.02%
Nonpartisan Paul A. Williams 517 4.19%
Nonpartisan Charles Ragan 119 0.97%
Total votes 12,329 100%
Fayetteville mayoral general election, 2013[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Nat Robertson 11,591 50.49%
Nonpartisan Val Applewhite 11,331 49.36%
Write-in 34 0.15%
Total votes 22,956 100%

References

  1. ^ Ingram, Kyle (October 2, 2022). “Val Applewhite, candidate for NC Senate District 19”. News and Observer. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  2. ^ Jr, Bill Kirby (August 1, 2024). “THE KIRBY FILE: Sen. Applewhite stands by governor’s decision to opt out of vice president bid”. CityView NC. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  3. ^ “Val Applewhite”. Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Leslie, Laura; Specht, Paul (May 15, 2022). “Cooper endorsement lifts Applewhite over deViere”. WRAL News. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  5. ^ a b “Val Applewhite”. North Carolina Leadership Forum. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  6. ^ “Applewhite concedes Fayetteville mayoral race | ABC11 Raleigh-Durham | abc11.com”. ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  7. ^ Futch, Michael (November 8, 2022). “Val Applewhite defeats Meredith for N.C. Senate District 19 seat”. CityView. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Weisblat, Evey (November 6, 2024). “Val Applewhite maintains N.C. Senate District 19 seat”. CityView. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  9. ^ Futch, Michael (November 1, 2022). “Applewhite vs Meredith race matches political veterans for N.C. Senate”. CityView. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  10. ^ Henkel, Clayton (April 30, 2025). “‘We should be mad as hell’: NC legislators who survived breast cancer seek improved detection”. NC Newsline. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  11. ^ Baltzegar, Alex (June 23, 2023). “Sen Applewhite receives ‘frightening’ messages after women’s sports bill vote”. Carolina Journal. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  12. ^ [1] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  13. ^ [2]North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  14. ^ [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
  15. ^ “Cumberland County, NC Primary Election October 6, 2015” (PDF). Cumberland County, NC. October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  16. ^ “Cumberland County, NC Municipal Election November 3, 2015” (PDF). Cumberland County, NC. November 10, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  17. ^ “Cumberland County, NC Primary Election October 8, 2013” (PDF). Cumberland County, NC. October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  18. ^ “Cumberland County, NC Municipal Election November 5, 2013” (PDF). Cumberland County, NC. November 12, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2019.