Rachel Henderson Hunt (born May 19, 1965) is an American politician who has served as the 36th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina since 2025 under Governor Josh Stein. A Democrat, Hunt previously was a member of the North Carolina State Senate, having been elected in November 2022 to represent the 42nd district, based in Mecklenburg County. Previously, she served two terms in the North Carolina House, twice defeating Republican Bill Brawley. Upon being sworn in on January 1, 2025, Hunt became the first Democrat to hold the lieutenant governor’s office since Walter Dalton left office in 2013. Hunt is the first daughter of a previous North Carolina lieutenant governor and also the second female lieutenant governor of the state, after Bev Perdue.

Early life and education

Hunt, the daughter of governor

Jim Hunt James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...

and Carolyn Hunt, was born on May 19, 1965, in

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, where her father was working for the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

at the time. She grew up in rural Wilson County, North Carolina, until her father was elected governor in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

. An attorney and certified college counselor, she is a graduate of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Legislative career

Elections

Hunt was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2018, after defeating Republican incumbent William M. Brawley. The 2018 race was decided by only 68 votes after being one of the most expensive legislative races in the state that year. Hunt was re-elected in 2020 by 9.86% in a rematch against Brawley. In 2022, Hunt was elected to 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 ...

to replace Jeff Jackson who vacated the seat to run for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. On November 8, 2022, Hunt defeated Cheryl Russo in the race to represent the 42nd State district.

Tenure

Despite serving in the minority, Hunt helped pass several pieces of bipartisan legislation including clean energy legislation to cut carbon emissions by 70%. Hunt has also co-sponsored bills to codify '' Roe v. Wade'' and expand

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

Committee assignments

Hunt served on several committees during her time in 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 ...

. During the 2019–2020 state house session, Hunt served on the Appropriations (Capital subcommittee), as well as the Education (Community Colleges subcommittee); Agriculture; Families, Children, and Aging Policy; and Judiciary committees. During the 2021–2022 state house session, Hunt was on the Appropriations Committee (Education subcommittee). She also served as vice chair of the Education Committee (Community Colleges subcommittee), and was a member of the Education (K–12 subcommittee); Families, Children, and Aging Policy; and Judiciary I committees. During the 2023–2024 state senate session, she was a member of the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee; the Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology Committee; the Judiciary Committee; and the Pensions, Retirement, and Aging Committee.

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Elections

2024

In 2024, Hunt ran as the Democratic nominee for the office of Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. Endorsed by Governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

, she ran on a platform of expanded funding for public education, increased healthcare access, and assistance to small businesses. In the general election she faced Republican political consultant Hal Weatherman. She cast Weatherman as an extremist and opposed more restrictions on abortion, of which Weatherman was in favor. Hunt won the election, becoming the first Democrat to win a North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial race since 2008.

Tenure

Hunt was officially sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on January 1, 2025. With this position, Hunt is currently the only elected official in North Carolina to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. Governor Josh Stein appointed Hunt to co-chair a new Task Force for Child Care and Early Education in 2025.

Personal life

Hunt lives in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. She has been married, since August 1, 1994, to Olav Nilender, a physician. Together they have two children.

Electoral history

North Carolina House of Representatives

North Carolina Senate

Lieutenant Governor

References

External links

NC Lieutenant Governor
official website
Rachel Hunt for North Carolina
campaign website , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Rachel 1965 births 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly 21st-century American women politicians Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party North Carolina state senators

Rachel Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...

Lieutenant governors of North Carolina Living people Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina Democrats North Carolina lawyers People from Wilson County, North Carolina Politicians from Charlotte, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni University of South Carolina alumni Women state legislators in North Carolina