State Sen. Val Applewhite will hold onto her seat in the state legislature after a victory over Republican challenger Semone Pemberton and Libertarian challenger Steven Swinton on Tuesday.
Applewhite is the incumbent and was elected to her first term in the state senate in 2022. According to unofficial results as of 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Applewhite received 54,761 votes, or 62.81% of ballots counted so far. She leads the district by 25,163 votes. In comparison, Pemberton received 33.95% of ballots counted, while Swinton received 3.24%.
District 19 is solely located in Cumberland County and covers the majority of Fayetteville. The district is heavily gerrymandered, so Applewhite’s victory — as a Democrat in the blue pocket of Fayetteville — was largely ensured.
Applewhite has previously served on the Fayetteville City Council. She is an Air Force veteran and works as a real estate broker.
During her first term, Applewhite sponsored several bills aimed at providing clean water for Fayetteville area residents affected by PFAS contamination. The first-time state senator supports abortion rights and voted against S.B. 20, North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban. Applewhite also opposes school vouchers included in the state’s fiscal year 2023-24 budget with the Opportunity Scholarship program.
Swinton is the Libertarian candidate. Pemberton is a realtor who recently served as chair of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commission. Pemberton’s campaign gained traction locally, raising almost $34,000 in the first half of the year, and though a Republican, Pemberton has billed herself as the “unity candidate.” In her campaign, Pemberton supported the existing 12-week abortion ban in North Carolina and the state’s school choice voucher program.
Contact Evey Weisblat at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608. This story was made possible by donations from readers like you to CityView News Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
