North Carolina State Senate District 5

Current seat holder: Kandie D. Smith.

Kandie D. Smith

Kandie Smith earned a B.S. in sociology from Charleston Southern University in 1991. Her career experience includes working as a consultant.

· Official legislative page · Ballotpedia

Campaign site

Housing & infrastructure: “Housing is one of the basic human needs, and we have too many people in our community who have been forced out of their housing due to little more than greed. In Pitt County, 50% of renters report having trouble affording their home, and in Edgecombe County, that number is 40%. We need to drastically increase the supply of available housing locally and across the state, and we must work to provide greater assistance to those most at risk of losing their homes.” (Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey (2022))

Henry Hostetler

Henry Hostetler He advanced from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026 .

· Ballotpedia

Campaign site

Economy & Taxes: “I have run a business for twenty-six years and understand how difficult it is.” (Campaign website)
Priorities & Governance: “I led a NC non profit organization as President of the NC Tennis Foundation.” (Campaign website)