Neal K. Hunt (born September 17, 1942) is an American real estate businessman and politician who served as a Republican member of the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

representing constituents in

Wake County Wake County, officially the County of Wake, is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake Count ...

in the fifteenth district of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

. He was first elected to the Senate in 2004. He previously served two terms in an at-large seat on the

Raleigh City Council Raleigh City Council is the governing body for the city of Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is border ...

Early life

Neal Hunt was born in

Thomasville, North Carolina Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point, North Carolina, High Point and Lexington ...

on September 17, 1942, but grew up in the

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

area graduating from

Ravenscroft School Ravenscroft School is a coed independent private school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school enrolls students between Pre-Kindergarten and 12th grade, and serves 1,254 students. The school has three divisions: Lower School, Middl ...

in 1960. He then went on to receive his BS in Spanish from

Hampden–Sydney College Hampden–Sydney College (H-SC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Men's colleges in the United States, college for men in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, it is the oldest privatel ...

in 1964 and an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

from

Wharton School The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

in 1968. Hunt went to work for

Wachovia Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo and Company in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States, based on total asset ...

in Raleigh becoming a regional manager for

commercial real estate Commercial property, also called commercial real estate, investment property or income property, is real estate (buildings or land) intended to generate a profit, either from capital gains or rental income. Commercial property includes office bu ...

lending. Later, he started his own

real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw Real Estate, land and the sale of developed land or parce ...

firm.

Political career

Hunt served for seven years on the Raleigh Planning Commission from 1993 to 2000. He then ran for an at-large seat on the

winning two terms. He served from 2001 until his election to State Senate in 2004. Hunt first won election to the 15th district of the North Carolina Senate in 2004 after defeating a five-term incumbent John H. Carrington and newcomer Jean Koch in the Republican primary with 62.36% of the vote. Hunt then won the general election race against

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

candidate Lee Griffin with 84.58% of the vote. In 2006, Hunt did not face any primary challenge and went on to face the Democratic nominee, community volunteer and former teacher Dorothy "Gerry" Bowles, who had previously lost to Carrington for the 15th district seat in 2002. Hunt defeated Bowles 54.9%–45.1%. Neither Hunt nor his general election challengers faced any primaries in 2008. The general election featured Hunt vs. the Democratic nominee, financial adviser Chris Mintz, and the Libertarian candidate Jan MacKay. Hunt won re-election with 52.83% of the vote. Again having no primary challenger for his seat in 2010, Hunt faced Democratic candidate and state employee Charles Malone, in the general election. Hunt defeated Malone 60.55%–39.45%. Hunt was only challenged in the general election in 2012 by Sig Hutchinson, a Democratic marketing consultant and environmental activist. Hunt defeated Hutchinson, 55.82%–44.18%. Hunt is Co-Chair of the Appropriations/Base Budget standing committee in the state senate.

References

External links

North Carolina General Assembly
profile page.
Official campaign site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Neal Republican Party North Carolina state senators Raleigh City Council members Living people 1942 births Ravenscroft School alumni People from Thomasville, North Carolina Politicians from Raleigh, North Carolina 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly