Politics

Moffitt announces run for state Senate

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 2, 2021

State Rep. Tim Moffitt announced on Thursday that he will run for state Senate next year in the newly-drawn District 48, which encompasses all of Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford counties.

The seat is currently held by Chuck Edwards, who announced on Tuesday that he will run for Congress.

Moffitt's decision creates an opening in House District 114 (formerly House District 117), a seat many local Republican leaders would like former County Manager Steve Wyatt to run for.

"I'm talking to a lot of people," Wyatt said Thursday night. "A lot of people are talking to me. I'm getting encouragement to do it. I've talked to Tim. I'm excited about Tim running for Senate. I think he's the right man for that job." As for a possible run for Moffitt's House seat, he said, "It's a big decision and there are a lot of considerations."

Moffitt, a Republican, currently represents the northern half of Henderson County in the North Carolina House, where he is now serving his third term. He has distinguished himself there as a leader in the areas of government oversight, private property rights, regulatory reform and tax policy. Currently he chairs the committee on Alcoholic Beverage Control and serves on the Commerce, Finance, Health, Local Government, Regulatory Reform and Transportation committees.
Moffitt and Edwards recently announced that they had secured nearly $300 million in this year’s state budget to fund conservation and infrastructure projects and economic development initiatives in Western North Carolina.
“I am enormously proud to be part of the conservative majority in Raleigh that has delivered so much for the people of our state,” said Moffitt, 57. “It has been the honor of my life serving in the House, and if the good folks of Henderson, Polk, and Rutherford send me to the state Senate, I will build upon that record of success.”
In his freshman term, Moffitt was ranked as the most conservative member of the state house by the Civitas Institute. In his second term, he was the author of 118 bills, 45 of which became state law — ranking him as the most effective legislator in North Carolina by the Raleigh News & Observer’s “N.C. Insider,” a subscription newsletter that covers state government and politics. This year, the N.C. Free Enterprise Foundation awarded Moffitt the top spot in its latest legislative ratings, which is based on the voting records of all 170 members of the North Carolina General Assembly as they relate to advancing business opportunities within the state.
Moffitt, 57, runs an executive search and management consulting firm. He and his wife, Dina, have five grown children.