NC Senate candidate challenges opponent's residency
A state senator double bunked in the latest round of redistricting said she would move to avoid running for re-election against a colleague. Her potential opponent questions whether that disqualifies her to serve, or to run.
Posted — UpdatedA Republican candidate for the North Carolina Senate challenged his potential Democratic opponent's campaign for the office Wednesday, questioning whether she's eligible to run.
Sen. Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake, was double-bunked in the General Assembly's latest round of redistricting, meaning the Senate's Republican majority drew Grafstein into the same district as fellow Democratic Sen. Jay Chaudhri. That meant if both ran for reelection they'd have to run against each other.
Grafstein said she would move instead and run next year in the newly drawn 13th Senate District, which is open under the new map.
"Either Senator Grafstein resides at her North Raleigh home, which she owns, and is thus eligible to continue serving in the state senate, or she resides at the location indicated on her voter registration near Willow Springs, making her ineligible for Senate service but eligible to run for office," Lassiter said in a news release. "She can't have it both ways.”
Lassiter, who is also on the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District Board, said he wanted to file this challenge now and get the issue "squared away" early in the campaign.
"We want to ensure that she is indeed qualified," he said.
Grafstein called the challenge "baseless and political."
"I'm confident that the challenge will be rejected by the Board of Elections," she said.
Grafstein is the only Democrat running in the district. Lassiter has an opponent in the Republican primary: Vicki Harry of Fuquay Varina.
There's a Libertarian in the race as well: Susan Hogarth of Raleigh.
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