Wake County senator won't seek re-election

Alexander told some of his Senate colleagues about the decision this week as the Senate worked on a court-ordered redistricting that will affect his district, which stretches from northwest Raleigh to northern Wake County and includes all of Franklin County.

He said Thursday that it's time to spend more time with family and to take his four grandsons, ages 2 to 4, fishing.

"Everything's fine," he said. "It's just time in my life for me to spend more time doing what I want to do."

Alexander, a three-term senator, said he'll finish his current term.

"It's been an honor," he said. "It's been a pleasure."

His decision to step aside simplifies the redraw in Wake County. Under maps a Senate redistricting committee is working on, he and Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, would have been in the same district, forcing them to run against each other.

Changing that would have created "an odd-looking district," Alexander said.

After the 2018 elections, Alexander was the only Wake County Republican left in the General Assembly, as previous redistrictings and the county's leftward political shift took out a number of GOP incumbents.

Alexander is the president and chief executive of Cardinal International Trucks, which was founded by his father. His family has long been active in local philanthropy, and the downtown Raleigh YMCA is named for them.