(The Center Square) – Haseeb Fatmi, commissioner in the Wake County community of Wake Forest, has been chosen by the Democratic Party of two North Carolina counties to succeed state Sen. Terence Everitt.
Everitt resigned effective May 1 from his post in District 18 to focus on voting rights advocacy. In January, he began work at the North Carolina Voter Protection Alliance.
Fatmi will be placed on the ballot in November. Republican Chris Stock and Libertarian Brad Hessel are on the ballot as well in what is expected to be a close race.
The district represents Granville County and the northern Wake County area.
In the Nov. 4 election, Fatmi and Keith Shackleford won the two seats to the Wake Forest commission from a six-candidate field. Fatmi led with 5,748 votes, Shackleford was 322 behind, and Thomas Dement was a distant third with 3,819.
Fatmi campaigned on stopping overdevelopment and refocusing on infrastructure; community economic development; and protection of the cost of living and affordable housing.
On Election Night in November 2024, Everitt trailed Republican Ashlee Adams of Wake Forest by 38 votes of 121,988 cast. When the race was certified, provisionals and all absentee ballots coming in later having been counted, Everitt prevailed by 128 votes of 119,206 cast in Senate District 18.
Everitt ran for the post as a favor to then-Gov. Roy Cooper; he had planned to retire from the state House of Representatives ending a term from 2018-24.
