As North Carolina gears up for a pivotal election, State Senator Rachel Hunt is making her bid for the lieutenant governor’s office, emphasizing a need for greater attention to women’s and children’s causes.

Hunt, daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt, the longest-serving governor in North Carolina history and namesake of James B. Hunt Library, has strong ties to NC State.

Hunt said she recalls fond memories of watching NC State basketball games with her father, including the iconic 1983 championship. Although Hunt graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, her connection to NC State runs deep, with Hunt’s son having graduated from the University’s mechanical engineering program.

With a background as a family law attorney and college counselor, Hunt entered politics in 2018, propelled by concerns over the Trump presidency and what she perceived as attacks on her father’s legacy, particularly in education funding. She served two terms in the North Carolina House before moving to the Senate, where she currently serves.

Hunt said her campaign for lieutenant governor is built on three main pillars — protecting women’s reproductive rights, fully funding public education and ensuring accessible childcare.

On reproductive rights, Hunt said she expressed grave concern over the state’s current 12-week abortion ban, which she said is effectively much shorter due to the three-visit rule.

“We have lost a lot of those [rights] here in North Carolina,” Hunt said.

Regarding education, Hunt said there is a need for comprehensive funding “all the way up and down,” from early education through post-secondary options. She pointed to North Carolina’s low national ranking in K-12 teacher pay, a stark contrast to the state’s former status as a destination for teachers.

The campaign is also emphasizing the need for accessible childcare, which Hunt said is crucial for the state’s economy and workforce participation.

“We have counties with zero childcare places in them, which is really affecting our economy,” Hunt said. “And if we want to maintain our high status for business in North Carolina, we’re going to need to address this issue.”

Zach Godwin, Hunt’s campaign manager, said there is a stark contrast between Hunt and current Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

“It could not possibly look more different,” Godwin said. “We have had people in the lieutenant governor’s office who are much more interested in advancing their own political careers or serving their rich and wealthy friends and donors and a Lt. Gov. Hunt would just be the exact opposite of that.”

Hunt said Robinson’s tenure as lieutenant governor has resulted in no benefits for North Carolinians and is unfaithful to the purposes of the office.

“Mark Robinson is an outlier,” Hunt said. “He is the worst of the worst, and he has not done anything to help people in North Carolina in any way. He recently even missed the vote of the council tate members on providing hurricane relief, so he has just been out for himself and to the aggrandizement of himself. And so we have a lot to do to repair the dignity of the lieutenant governor’s office because it’s been treated very badly.”

Hunt said she sees the lieutenant governor’s role as multifaceted, encompassing legislative, executive and advocacy functions. If elected, she plans to use the office as a platform to engage directly with North Carolinians across the state.

“I want to help wake up people in North Carolina to how the legislature works, how important your representatives and senators are to your everyday life,” Hunt said.

Hunt said she is aware of the challenges posed by the current Republican supermajority in the legislature. However, she said she is optimistic about finding common ground on critical issues, especially in light of recent events like Hurricane Helene that have highlighted the need for bipartisan cooperation on infrastructure and safety issues.

“I have learned being in the super minority for the past two years that you have to find people that will work with you,” Hunt said.

Godwin said he wanted to stress the importance of this election, especially for North Carolina, which will be a crucial swing state in federal elections.

“It can sound a bit hyperbolic because I think every campaign, every year, people are saying, ‘This the most important election of our lifetimes,’ but this really is the most important election of our lifetimes,” Godwin said. “It can’t even really be quantified how much is at stake in this. We have the chance, especially here in North Carolina, that being the fact that we are potentially going to be the deciding state this year, we have a chance to decide the entire fate of the nation in a lot of ways.”

Hunt emphasized the importance of the youth vote in this election.

“Your lives are on the line,” Hunt said. “And I’m not kidding, if you want to have the best life you can have for yourself, you’ve got to vote.”