Val Applewhite (born 1960 or 1961) is an American politician who has served as a member of the North Carolina Senate since January 1, 2023. A Democrat from Fayetteville, she represents the 19th district. She was first elected to the Senate in 2022, defeating incumbent Senator Kirk deViere in the Democratic primary. Applewhite is a retired United States Air Force veteran. She is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University and Strayer University.
Political career Applewhite was a candidate in the 2013 and 2015 Fayetteville, North Carolina mayoral elections.
She ran for the North Carolina Senate in 2022, challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Kirk deViere. She defeated him in the primary after receiving an endorsement from Roy Cooper, who was at the time the incumbent governor of the state. She defeated former state Senator Wesley Meredith in the general election, and was reelected in 2024.
Applewhite sponsored several bills in her first term to provide clean water for residents of Fayetteville. She opposes school vouchers and supports abortion rights, voting against North Carolina's 12-week ban. She has described herself as an "advocate for health care" and supports expanding Medicaid. A breast cancer survivor, she supported a bill by Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch to improve health coverage for detecting breast cancer.
In 2023, she was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote for a party-line bill, the Fairness in Women's Sports Act, that would prevent transgender women from playing in women's sports. She reported receiving "frightening" messages as a result of this vote.
Electoral history 2024
2022
2015
2013
References