N.C. House District 50: Mary Lucas

Name: Mary Lucas

Age: 37

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: https://www.marylucasfornc.com

Occupation and employer: Vice President of Strategy, Transitions LifeCare

1. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of your North Carolina district effectively? What would you cite as your biggest career accomplishment? 

I’ve spent much of my career at the intersection of healthcare, public service, and real-life advocacy – first in government relations and health policy, and now on the frontlines as a Vice President at a local nonprofit hospice and palliative care organization. I’m not a career politician, and that’s very important to me.

As a leader in a home-based care organization that covers a wide geographic area in NC, I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is for rural communities and underserved families to be left out. That experience has made one thing clear to me – representation and leadership have to be practical, responsive, and grounded in what people are living through and not what makes a good talking point.

I’ve also stayed involved locally, serving on boards in both Raleigh and Orange County, including the City of Raleigh Human Relations Commission, the Community Engagement Board, and currently the Orange County Advisory Board on Aging and the Orange County Animal Services Advisory Board.

My biggest career accomplishment wasn’t an award or a title, it was helping lead a healthcare organization through COVID, when our system was pushed to its limits. The hospice and palliative care families we served were scared and isolated. Staffing was stretched thin. Policies changed by the hour. Behind every decision and every move was a person and a family trying to say goodbye, trying to hold on, or trying to navigate the overwhelmed system. Those were some of the most challenging and rewarding moments of my career. They required consistent leadership, fast decision-making, and an approach rooted in compassion. That’s the kind of leadership I believe our communities deserve in their representation as well, especially the people who don’t have the loudest voice in the room.

2. What do you believe to be the three most pressing issues facing the next General Assembly? What steps do you believe the state should take to address them?

The General Assembly’s top responsibility right now should be passing a state budget and making clear decisions about what we fund, what we cut, and whether communities get real solutions to challenges we’re facing. This is a failure of governance, and we are all paying the price. The other most pressing issues I believe facing the General Assembly are:

1. Public health and healthcare accessibility: North Carolina has gaps in access to care – especially in rural areas – where people may not have a nearby doctor, behavioral health provider, or even a ride to appointments. Families are often forced to wait until a situation becomes a crisis, and our hospitals, EMS, and caregivers are stretched thin. We need common-sense investment in the rural healthcare workforce – recruiting providers, training, and retaining them. That includes solutions like loan repayment programs and real support so folks don’t burn out and leave. 

We have to stop treating mental health and substance use care like an afterthought. People deserve help before they are in crisis. It’s time for real, community-based treatment and diversion programs that are sustainable, not a system that defaults to the ER or the jail. 

Caregivers are the backbone of our health care system, and we need to do more to support them – through caregiver tax credits, accessible respite care, stronger reimbursement rates so agencies can hire and retain staff, and expanded Medicaid options that allow paid family caregivers. This is especially critical in rural counties, where workforce shortages are only getting worse.

2. Our public education system and preparing the next generation for the workforce is at a crisis point. Schools are being asked to do more with less, all while facing staffing shortages, burnout, and uneven resources across the state. Fixing it starts with pay. If we want to recruit and keep great teachers, NC has to offer starting salaries that beat the national average. We also need stronger mental health support in schools. Every district should have real access to counselors and social workers. 

Career and technical education, apprenticeships, and community college partnerships are a direct pipeline to good jobs, and they should be treated that way. Students should be able to earn credit for work-based learning programs, and the General Assembly should invest in expanding access across the state.

Finally, your zip code shouldn’t determine the quality of your education. We have to close the rural divide – staffing, funding, and broadband – so every student has a fair shot.

3. The increased cost of living is coming from every direction. Childcare is unaffordable and/or hard to find. Healthcare costs keep rising. Young people are struggling to buy their first homes, and older neighbors are struggling to stay in the homes they’ve lived in for decades. Affordability isn’t just one issue, it affects everything.
Local governments have real tools to help, from zoning and permitting to partnering with nonprofits. But the General Assembly needs to stop getting in the way. It should be helping communities build and preserve “missing middle” housing that working families can afford.

We also can’t leave rural communities behind. With fewer rentals, older housing, limited builders, and fewer resources, rural areas need stronger repair programs and incentives to rehab and build. Seniors also deserve support to stay in their homes through repairs, accessibility upgrades, and real aging-in-place options. It’s frustrating that my opponent voted for legislation like HB 551, which blocks towns and cities from adopting protections against discrimination based on “source of income.” In the middle of a housing and affordability crisis, we shouldn’t be making it harder for renters and working families to find stable housing.

3. North Carolina expanded Medicaid two years ago. However, federal budget cuts now threaten the program due to a state “trigger law” that ends expansion if federal support drops below 90%. How would you address Medicaid funding to maintain coverage for the millions of North Carolinians enrolled?

Medicaid expansion was a big step forward for North Carolina and we need to protect it. As someone who works in healthcare, I see the impact of Medicaid every day. It’s not political to the adults and children in our programs – it means stability and prevents many families from crisis. There are areas in the budget that can be used to stabilize funding without families losing coverage, but we also have a structural problem in the program with the trigger law. We shouldn’t be treating healthcare coverage like a light switch we can turn off. The approach is simple – pass a budget that fully funds Medicaid, and immediately revisit the trigger law and its threshold. 

4. The General Assembly has recently passed legislation limiting local control over zoning and development standards to address housing shortages. Do you support the legislature’s approach of limiting local zoning authority to increase housing supply, or should municipalities retain greater autonomy over land use decisions?

Municipalities should retain control over zoning and land use decisions. Local communities know their needs and infrastructure constraints better than the General Assembly in Raleigh. Housing shortages are at a crisis, but a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t the answer. The state can help in more creative ways, such as investing in infrastructure so towns can grow responsibly; expand funding for affordable housing and rehab programs, especially in rural areas; and supporting “missing middle” housing through incentives and technical assistance. The state should be a partner with local municipalities, not a bully.

5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, child care, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?

If I’m elected, I’ll take affordability head-on, because families are being squeezed on every side. Other states have shown there are practical and successful ways to lower costs starting at the state leadership level. Child care is an infrastructure problem. We can lower costs by expanding access to pre-K, supporting tri-share and other childcare assistance programs, and investing in grants that help childcare centers stay open and stable. On housing, we should support “missing middle” homes, invest in repairs and rehab – especially in rural communities, and protect seniors who want to age in place. There are other ways as a state we can take the pressure off of family budgets in direct ways, like paid FMLA and free school meals. Let’s stop talking about how hard things are, and instead start taking action to create policies that actually make life more affordable.

6. Climate disasters are intensifying: Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded the Triangle in 2025, and coastal erosion threatens the Outer Banks. With much affordable housing located in flood-prone areas and FEMA resources stretched thin, what is your plan for climate resilience and disaster relief?

Climate resilience is not a special project saved for after a disaster and waiting for the next emergency is the most expensive option. At the state level, we need to protect and prioritize funding for the kinds of projects that prevent major damage in the first place: fixing drainage systems, upgrading wastewater treatment, protecting watersheds, and improving floodplain mapping and planning. Local municipalities are doing this work everyday, but they can’t do it with unpredictable funding. We’ve already seen what happens when these programs get jerked around. Right here in House District 50, nearly $7M in funding for the Hillsborough wastewater pump station project was put at risk after FEMA canceled the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program last year. A federal court recently ordered it restored, but our infrastructure and safety should not be at risk. 

We can’t do any of this without addressing environmental justice – disasters don’t hit everyone equally. Affordable housing communities are often recovering last. The state should prioritize those neighborhoods for prevention efforts, emergency housing support, renter protections after storms, and buyouts that actually come with a real path to safe, affordable housing. 

7. The General Assembly recently passed a new congressional redistricting map. This marks the state’s seventh congressional map since 2016. How do you view the most recent redistricting? And do you support independent redistricting processes, or do you believe the legislature should retain this power? 

It says everything that this is our seventh map in ten years. Constantly redistricting maps fuels distrust in our elections. Voters should choose our politicians, not the other way around. I support an independent redistricting process with clear rules and transparency – one that creates maps that reflect communities and not politicians’ careers. The process as is gives every incentive to protect incumbents and power instead of fairly representing the people of this state. 

8. The General Assembly failed to pass a 2025–27 budget, leaving teachers without raises. North Carolina ranks 43rd nationally in teacher pay. How would you address teacher compensation, and what will you do to ensure a budget passes that adequately funds education?

I come from a family of public school teachers, and I’ve seen what the job takes. Teaching is hard work and it’s one of the most important jobs in our state. It is unacceptable that the General Assembly has failed to pass a budget and teachers have been left without raises. North Carolina ranking 43rd in teacher pay is a choice, and if we keep paying teachers less, we’ll keep losing educators.

I will fight for teacher starting pay that’s above the national average, so new teachers can actually afford to live in the communities where they teach. I also want a real path for tenured teachers to stay – meaning strong raises over time. 

Passing a budget is basic governing. When it turns into a power struggle, or political weapon, our communities are the ones paying the price. If elected, I’ll push to start budget work earlier, keep negotiations transparent, and stay at the table until we get it done. I mean that literally – I’ll be in my seat in Raleigh every day, and I don’t believe legislators should collect a paycheck when they’re failing to do the most BASIC part of the job. 

9. North Carolina currently has a 12-week abortion ban with certain exceptions. Some legislators have proposed further restrictions. Do you support the current law, do you believe access should be expanded, or would you support further restrictions?

I’m very concerned about ongoing efforts to push further restrictions on abortion access beyond North Carolina’s current 12-week ban. The current law didn’t just change the timeline, it added new barriers like counseling and mandatory waiting periods, making access harder for working people, rural residents, and anyone without time off, transportation, or childcare. The direction we’re headed is dangerous. 

I am pro-choice, and I speak on this issue from personal experience. I’ve spent the last decade being outspoken about protecting reproductive healthcare, because I believe reproductive freedom is healthcare and a basic right. I oppose any effort to restrict it further, and will continue to fight for expanding access. I’m running because too many leaders are too quiet when our rights and our values are under attack, and I’m ready to be the kind of leadership that speaks up boldly and consistently, and delivers.

10. Federal legislation will ban most hemp-derived THC products, like delta-8, by November 2026, threatening North Carolina’s hemp industry. Meanwhile, recreational marijuana remains illegal and medical marijuana bills have stalled. What is your position on hemp regulation and how would you address the upcoming federal ban, if at all?

I support common-sense regulation of hemp-derived THC products, including age restrictions, product testing, and clear labeling. If these products are being sold openly, there should be rules to keep people – especially kids – safe. As someone who works in hospice, I see how much people need safe options for things like pain, nausea, appetite, and anxiety. If access disappears overnight, people won’t just stop using these products – they’ll just be forced toward unsafe or unregulated alternatives. The state can’t override federal law but we can prepare and support our farmers and small business owners that will be impacted.That means working with farmers and businesses on a transition into products that are still legal and usable, instead of leaving them stranded and scrambling. 

11. Gov. Josh Stein recently signed “Iryna’s Law,” which eliminates cashless bail, requires mental health evaluations for certain defendants, and attempts to restart the death penalty by requiring alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable. The law also accelerates death penalty appeals. Where do you stand on the death penalty and changes made by the law?

I understand why “Iryna’s Law” was introduced – what happened was horrific, and people want to feel safe. But cutting corners and rushing through a bill in a few days that includes big changes to bail, mental health, and the death penalty in a way that creates new problems is not the answer. We should be investing in solutions that actually work – like addressing current mental health treatment capacity and funding local diversion programs. I do not support restarting or accelerating executions. We need stronger crisis response, but requiring more mental health evaluations without funding actual treatment just makes the wait for psychiatric beds even worse. That won’t make the community any safer. Let’s address the real systemic issues. 

12. Tech companies are investing heavily in North Carolina data centers, bringing jobs and tax revenue but also consuming significant electricity and water resources. How should the state balance data center investment with environmental protection and community concerns?

We should be putting the community and environment first. Local governments should have real say in whether a project fits their community; the state shouldn’t be dictating land use decisions, putting in zoning rules, or overriding local ordinances. If a county doesn’t have the capacity or the infrastructure to handle a huge facility, they should be able to slow it down or say no.

We also need environmental review before these projects get approved, and not after communities are already dealing with water or power issues. That includes looking at wastewater, stormwater runoff, noise, air quality, and the long-term impact on the power grid and what all of that means for pollution. Ultimately, ANY company wanting to invest here should be transparent about water and power use, held accountable to environmental standards, and pay for fair use of water and power. Growth is only worth it if it strengthens communities.

13. Give an example of an opinion, policy, vote, or action you changed based on constituent feedback. If you have not yet held elected office, describe a time when you changed your position on an issue after listening to those affected by it.

I haven’t held elected office yet, but I have changed my perspective by listening to people living through it. In healthcare, a lot of what we track is measurable – appointments, medications, follow-ups – and it’s easy to think that if we check all the boxes, we’re delivering “good” care. Through conversations and seeing caregiver burnout up close, I realized the biggest barriers in our system often aren’t medical – they’re practical: transportation, food, safety at home, and whether someone has sutsainable support at home. I studied social determinants of health at length while earning my Master’s in Healthcare Management at Johns Hopkins, and I see it play out right here in our community everyday. When we focus only on policies and checklists, we miss real life – and that’s when people fall through the cracks. I’ll carry these principles with me as I continue to lead, and if I’m elected, as I work to represent NC House District 50. That’s why I’m running – because people are not check boxes, and it’s time we got back to a government that’s truly for the people and by the people.

14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address? 

It’s time for next-generation leadership. Leadership that’s outspoken, accountable, and actively present in the everyday communities it’s supposed to serve. Silence isn’t service.