By Roy Surrett, Democratic Candidate for NC Senate District 2
My journey to represent the people of North Carolina Senate District 2—spanning Carteret, Chowan, Halifax, Hyde, Martin, Pamlico, Warren, and Washington counties—started way back in December 2025 on filing day.
I had never run for political office in my life, so the process was entirely new to me. Nearly 10 months later, while we didn’t get the outcome we worked so hard for, my heart is full of gratitude for every single person across our district. Over the past year, traveling to every corner of Senate District 2, I had the incredible privilege of meeting folks where they are and listening to what keeps them up at night. Learning from your stories and building genuine connections across Eastern North Carolina has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
In total, I traveled over 18,000 miles by car, crisscrossing all eight counties—from the banks of the Bogue Sound to the Virginia border, across the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke Island, and every rural community in between. Winning an election was the political goal, but the true reward was sitting on front porches, standing in local barbershops, talking with watermen on the docks, visiting families in their living rooms, attending football games, visiting schools, speaking at churches, and scooping ice cream. Every single mile was worth it.
A region built on resilience and deep history
Eastern North Carolina is a region of breathtaking natural beauty and incredible heritage. Driving through our farming communities and small rural downtowns, you see a landscape shaped by grit and tradition.
This region literally helped build the state of North Carolina and the United States of America—in many cases, on the very backs of enslaved people whose forced labor, sacrifice, and endurance laid the groundwork for our nation’s growth. That history, still very visible in Eastern North Carolina, is part of our landscape, demanding both reverence for the past and accountability in the present.
Yet, as I traveled through community after community, I saw a stark, painful reality that Republican leaders in Raleigh have ignored for far too long.
Ignored, forgotten, and left behind
Behind the scenic beauty lies an unmistakable truth: Eastern North Carolina has suffered from nearly two decades of a legislative supermajority in Raleigh that could care less about the real conditions on the ground in District 2.
In my travels, I saw some of the most abject, multi-generational poverty imaginable. I visited families living in broken-down homes and neglected trailers, struggling with little to no food, inadequate clothing, and no reliable transportation to get to work or access medical care. I saw homes ravaged by hurricanes from a decade ago that remain unrepaired—or repaired so poorly that they are nearly uninhabitable.
I saw hunger on the faces of our neighbors, and most heartbreakingly, on the faces of children.
I met men and women with an intense desire to work and build a secure future, but who live in communities with a near-total lack of job growth or economic opportunity. I drove through vast healthcare deserts where emergency medical care is miles away, and entire regions that exist as complete dental care deserts.
At the same time, I watched the devastating impact of state policy on our children’s future. While the Republican supermajority poured hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into private school vouchers, I saw closed public schools in our rural towns, dedicated teachers who are drastically underpaid, and public school systems struggling to afford the absolute basic necessities critical for foundational educational success. Our tax dollars are being siphoned away to private institutions while rural public schools—the bedrock of our communities—are left to scrape by.
When knocking on doors across all eight counties, one phrase echoed repeatedly from residents I spoke to: “We have never seen a politician in our neighborhood before, much less a State Senator from Raleigh.”
Standing on the edge on Ocracoke and our coast
On Ocracoke Island and throughout our coastal communities, residents are living on the edge.
Our island families depend on the North Carolina Ferry System as a vital lifeline—for healthcare, commerce, education, and daily survival. Yet, Republicans in the General Assembly continue to push for tolls and the stripping of residential privileges, treating an essential public thoroughfare as an unnecessary expense. And my opponent voted for those tolls.
At the same time, I listened as watermen and local business owners spoke about the ongoing environmental damage threatening our coastal ecosystems, sounds, and estuaries—the very natural resources that sustain our regional economy and way of life.
And yet, all along, my opponent and the Republican supermajority claimed they were “working hard” for Eastern North Carolina, leading great initiatives, and insisting they were doing what “God wanted them to do.”
The challenge: Leadership is about showing up
I congratulate Senator Sanderson on his reelection and wish him well in the coming term. But as he prepares to represent us once again in Raleigh, I leave him with an honest challenge.
Senate District 2 is home to deeply resilient, hard-working people, but too many of our families are carrying heavy burdens—facing real poverty, underfunded schools, and economic hardship.
Leadership isn’t about holding a title; it is about showing up. To speak of faith and divine purpose in leadership as Sen. Sanderson does is a solemn thing—and true faith demands showing up for “the least of these”.
Senate District 2 is facing real pain and widespread economic hardship. My challenge to Senator Sanderson is to step out of the statehouse bubble and truly walk among the people of this district. Show up for them, be present in every community, listen to our working families who feel forgotten, and deliver the dedicated, selfless, compassionate leadership they so desperately deserve.
Our families need more than promises—they need a champion.
The journey continues
Although this election cycle has ended, my commitment to the people of Ocracoke and all eight counties of Senate District 2 remains unchanged. The 18,000 miles I traveled gave me a profound gift: an enduring love for our people and an unshakeable resolve to fight for our region’s fair share.
Thank you for opening your doors, sharing your lives, and traveling this road with me. The work for a stronger, more compassionate Eastern North Carolina goes on.
Dear Mr. Surrett,
While I don’t live in your district, I am proud to call you a neighbor in our state. I am grateful for your willingness to make changes, and to bring about better lives for the people in your district, which ultimately affect us all. I hope you’ll run again.
In gratitude,
Deb Bowen