Name: Evonne Hopkins
Age: 50
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: hopkinsforhouse.com
Occupation & employer: Board Certified Family Law Specialist and Owner/Operator of the Raleigh Law Center
Years lived in the area: 23 years
1. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of your North Carolina district effectively? What would you cite as your three biggest career accomplishments?
“I intend to fight and advocate for North Carolina’s families and children in the General Assembly, just as I have throughout my 21-year legal career. North Carolinians deserve to be put first by their elected officials. For the past 15 years, the Republican supermajority has failed to do that. I will be an advocate who understands the day-to-day issues families in our community face and is willing to stand up and fight for them. I am here to put North Carolinians first, not special interests.
Being raised in a family of small business owners, and now owning my own business, I understand the challenges of owning and operating a small business while raising a family. These experiences have shaped the way I approach my work and my commitment to advocating for families and small businesses in our community.
In 2023, I was honored as Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Hero of the Year for my work with The Child’s Advocate (TCA), a Legal Aid project. Through my work with TCA, I represented children in high-conflict custody cases where they were often the only witnesses to critical evidence of physical or mental abuse, domestic violence, substance abuse, criminal activity, and other traumatic circumstances. I helped ensure these children had a voice and that the Court had the information it needed to make decisions in their best interests.
In 2015, I became a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist, a distinction held by approximately 1% of licensed North Carolina attorneys. Throughout my career, I have been especially proud of the work I have done helping people recover from abusive relationships. I have worked with families who have experienced trauma, abuse, and psychological manipulation, and I have seen how difficult it can be to find a path forward.
Nothing makes me prouder than seeing a family recover, get the help and treatment they desperately need, and achieve the results they deserve. That is the same commitment I will bring to the General Assembly: listening to our families, advocating for our communities, and putting the people of North Carolina first.”
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?“1.
Affordability
North Carolina is facing an affordability crisis, and families in our community are feeling it. We need to make smart, practical decisions that make it easier for people to afford a home and build a life here.
That means encouraging more housing, supporting responsible development, helping first-time homebuyers, and making the infrastructure investments needed to support our growth. But growth cannot come at the expense of the communities we call home. Our schools, roads, and public transportation need to keep pace with the rapid growth we are experiencing in NC House District 35.
I will work to make sure our communities can grow while remaining affordable, connected, and a place where families can thrive.
Infrastructure
Healthcare
No one should have to choose between getting the care they need and paying their bills. I will fight to protect access to Medicaid, expand access to quality, affordable healthcare, and work to lower the insurance premiums families across North Carolina are facing. Healthcare should not be a luxury. It should be something every family can afford when they need it.”
Infrastructure
One of the most pressing issues in HD35 is infrastructure, specifically finding ways to address the rapid growth of Wake County. Traffic is a nuisance, and the quality of our roads is degrading. We need to ensure that the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) gets the funding it needs to address these issues. Currently, the NCDOT receives its funding primarily from the gas tax. We need to ensure that NCDOT has adequate funding to address vital projects, like the Capital Boulevard and Rogers Road expansions in Northern Wake County. It is reckless for us to continue to grow at these exponential rates without addressing infrastructure.
3. Federal cuts to Medicaid are expected to cost the state $50 billion over the next decade, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. How would you address Medicaid funding to maintain coverage for the millions of North Carolinians enrolled?
“Medicaid expansion took years of work, and it finally happened because Republicans and Democrats came together to put the health of North Carolinians first. It would be a tragedy to see that work undone and families lose the coverage they now depend on.
If federal changes force us back to the drawing board, I would work to bring that same bipartisan spirit with us. We would need to review the trigger law and bring legislators, health care professionals and state officials together to develop a sustainable funding plan that protects coverage. My priority would be keeping people connected to care and preserving the progress North Carolina worked so hard to make.”
4. The General Assembly has voted to put a constitutional amendment on ballots that, if passed, would put a cap on property tax increases. Do you support the amendment? Why or why not?
No. No one likes rising property taxes, but this amendment is not the solution. It would require a cap on local property tax revenue without telling voters what the cap would be or how it would work. Depending on the details, large property owners could see substantial savings while local governments lose funding for our schools, roads, police, and fire departments. I support targeted relief for homeowners struggling with rising bills, with funding to protect those essential services. To be fair, Republicans have controlled the budget for 15 years. Their decisions got us here, and they have the power to act today if they choose.
5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, childcare, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?
“Families are feeling squeezed by the rising costs of housing, childcare, and other basic necessities. It is the NC General Assembly’s job to make it easier for families to buy a home, raise a family, and build a life here.
I will support responsible housing development, increase opportunities for first-time homebuyers, and work to expand access to quality, affordable childcare. We also need to address the rising costs of healthcare, groceries, and utilities that are straining family budgets.
As a mother and small business owner, I understand how quickly these costs add up. My focus will be on making North Carolina more affordable for working families and creating an economy where families can get ahead, not just get by.”
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?
While we still need funding to repair neighborhoods damaged by Hurricane Helene, we must do more to prepare for the extreme weather that will continue throughout our state. This means investing in stormwater systems, roads, bridges, drinking-water infrastructure, and other public systems before we have to react to disasters. Investing in resilience saves money in the long run by strengthening infrastructure before a storm requires massive taxpayer spending to rebuild and repair. We can also work to better inform people about what steps they can take on their own, such as installing rain gardens, which soak up stormwater runoff from hard surfaces and reduce local flooding.
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?
“House District 35 has been shaped by partisan gerrymandering, and I believe that is wrong. North Carolinians deserve to have their voices heard at the polls, and partisan gerrymandering undermines that principle.
I fully support an independent redistricting commission. Our districts should be drawn based on communities and geography, not political advantage. An independent process would help ensure that voters get to choose their representatives, rather than politicians choosing their voters.”
8. North Carolina ranks near the bottom nationally in teacher pay. How would you address teacher compensation, and what will you do to ensure a budget passes that adequately funds education?
“North Carolina should not rank 43rd in teacher pay and last in per-pupil funding. Our teachers deserve competitive pay, and our public schools deserve the resources they need to give every child a quality education.
Here in Wake County, our local taxpayers are being asked to help fill gaps left by inadequate state funding. The Wake County Public School System has repeatedly had to rely on local dollars to support our schools, and this year alone the district had to cover an additional $17.6 million in local costs tied to the state budget. That is not a sustainable way to fund public education.
As a member of the General Assembly, I will fight for a state budget that fully funds our public schools and provides meaningful, competitive raises for teachers. We have to prioritize taxpayer dollars toward the public schools that serve the vast majority of North Carolina’s children rather than continuing to underfund them while expanding spending on private school vouchers.
I will also work across the aisle to build the support necessary to pass a budget that treats education as the investment it is. A strong public education system is the foundation of a strong economy, and our teachers, students, and families deserve a state government that treats it that way.”
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, believe access should be expanded, or would you support further restrictions?
North Carolina should restore and expand access to abortion care. Our current restrictions make it harder for women and families to get the care they need. Healthcare decisions should be made at the doctor’s office, not at the NC General Assembly.
As an attorney who has spent my career advocating for families, I know how important it is for people to have access to the healthcare that is right for their individual circumstances. This is about more than abortion. It is about protecting access to reproductive healthcare, including contraception and IVF. North Carolina families deserve to know that they can make personal healthcare decisions with their doctors without government interference.
10. Federal legislation will ban most hemp-derived THC products, like Delta-8, by December 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 would you address the upcoming federal ban, if at all?
Banning THC products and recreational marijuana doesn’t eliminate demand; it pushes sales into an unregulated market. I support legalizing and regulating medical and recreational marijuana, along with responsible regulation of hemp-derived THC products. That means requiring independent testing, accurate labeling of ingredients and potency, and strict rules about access for and advertising to minors. These safeguards would help protect consumers from contaminants and unsafe products. A regulated market could also generate tax revenue for public schools, infrastructure, and mental health services while supporting North Carolina’s farmers and small businesses. Although the General Assembly cannot overturn the federal ban, I would urge our congressional delegation to replace it with responsible regulation.
11. Iryna’s Law 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 these criminal justice reforms?
“Iryna Zarutska’s murder was a horrific tragedy. People deserve to feel safe on public transportation and in their communities. I support the parts of Iryna’s Law that strengthen protections against dangerous repeat offenders, improve victim notification and examine how our justice system handles mental illness.
But I oppose the provisions that expand execution methods and put pressure on courts to accelerate death penalty proceedings. When the state is making an irreversible decision, protecting due process and preventing a wrongful execution must come first.
My position on the death penalty is that we should not expand its use or weaken the safeguards around it. Life without parole provides a serious punishment that protects the public without the irreversible risk of executing an innocent person.
I would work to preserve the law’s public safety protections while changing those death penalty provisions. We also need enough prosecutors, mental health treatment and resources for our courts to intervene before another tragedy happens.”
12. Tech companies are investing heavily in North Carolina data centers, bringing tax revenue but also consuming significant electricity and water resources. How should the state balance data center investment with environmental protection and community concerns?
“North Carolina can encourage innovation while protecting our natural resources and the people who live here, which means data center investment should come with enforceable safeguards and meaningful benefits for surrounding communities.
Developers should disclose projected water and electricity use, pay for the infrastructure upgrades their projects require, and meet strong standards for noise, lighting, and pollution. Existing utility customers should not be left paying for these companies’ increased demand, and we need environmental monitoring and protections for water supplies, especially during droughts.
Residents also deserve clear public notice and a meaningful voice before projects are approved. Local governments should have the authority to address community concerns and negotiate benefits, including support for emergency services. Any tax incentives should be tied to measurable public benefits, with accountability if companies fail to deliver. These projects should strengthen our communities, and the companies profiting from them should pay their fair share.”
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.
“One issue where my thinking has changed is the waiting period before a divorce can be finalized. I understand the value of giving people time to consider such a significant decision. But as a family law attorney, listening to the people who actually live through that waiting period has changed how I see it.
For someone leaving an abusive marriage, that wait can mean prolonged fear, financial pressure and opportunities for a controlling spouse to continue exerting influence. I deal with families navigating these situations every day, and their experiences have convinced me that we need more flexibility, especially when safety is at stake.
I would support reforming the waiting period to give people a safer path forward. Listening to those affected has taught me that a policy intended to protect families can sometimes make it harder for them to move on safely.”
14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?
