Raleigh city councilman Patrick Buffkin is running for N.C. Senate, he announced Tuesday morning.
Buffkin, 38, has served on the city council since 2019. Prior to that, he served on the city’s Parks board. A graduate of N.C. Central University School of Law, Buffkin also works as a lawyer at the North Carolina Utilities Commission, which regulates the rates and services of public utilities such as electricity and water.
“(My city council) experience has made it clear that the most urgent challenges facing our community such as housing affordability, aging infrastructure, and educating our children, can use a fighter with city lawmaking experience at the state level,” Buffkin wrote in a news release.
“I see a legislature that is not committed to funding our schools and paying our teachers, a health care system that bankrupts people who are in need of help…and partisan political battles that promote self-interest over the public interest. These are problems that we can fix.”
Buffkin, a registered Democrat, is running for the 13th Senate District, which covers north and northwest Raleigh.
The primary is May 17, which means he could still file for re-election to the city council if he fails to pick up the Democratic nomination. The city council election, set for November 8, looks to be a heated one.
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