Tim Longest

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families in the wake of today’s senseless shooting at the old Wake County Courthouse here in Raleigh. I am grateful to law enforcement and first responders who quickly responded and stopped this tragedy from further endangering others.

Violence has no place in our society, and certainly not in our justice system. Every day, professionals from law enforcement to attorneys, judges, and court officials, to social workers and other essential workers quietly strive to ensure our justice system functions while working with people in some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

We must do everything we can to ensure they are able to do this vital work safely without fear, including by making sure law enforcement have the resources they need.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers across North Carolina today! Happy Mother’s Day especially to my mom, Sonya. I’m so grateful for you and the lessons and values you taught us!

I recently had the chance to tour Diaper Train. This organization does an amazing job working tirelessly to make diapers—a basic necessity—accessible to families who need them across Wake County. Thank you for having me and for what you do for our community!

Less competition often means increased costs. The proposal to combine Atrium Health with WakeMed should be carefully reviewed to ensure it does not increase patient costs or reduce quality care.

The attorney general should also have more tools to review hospital mergers to protect NC consumers, as NC House Democrats propose in HB 1175.

Charlotte-based Atrium Health targets WakeMed in proposed combination Atrium's proposed deal with WakeMed would extend the reach of the state's largest hospital system and raise new competition concerns.

This week, as part of NC Legislators in Schools Week, I visited Wiley Elementary () and Underwood Elementary (), two of the terrific elementary magnet schools in House District 34 that demonstrate the amazing things public schools across North Carolina do everyday to create opportunity and help our kids learn and grow.

Wiley, led by Principal Tracey Avery, is the oldest continuously operating elementary school in Wake County, and includes a magnet program focused on international studies, including foreign language study in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish, as well as 21st century skills. Seeing young students engage with these languages was truly impressive.

Underwood, led by Principal Anne Waechter, is celebrating 100 years in 2026. It focuses its magnet program on cultivating the gifts and talents of every student, including visual arts and music. I was treated to an impromptu concert from the band class, and their performance was better than students years older. It was incredible to see.

I’m grateful to Principal Avery and Principal Waechter for taking the time to show me all their schools are accomplishing and to the devoted teachers and parents that show up in support of these kids every day, including through and . As the son of a lifelong NC public school teacher and the proud product of NC schools, I know from personal experience the transformative impact public schools have in the lives of kids across our state.

I also know that we are not investing nearly enough in our public schools. As we return for the legislative short session next week, I am committed to finally passing a budget that gives schools across NC the resources they need to help our kids thrive.

I am deeply saddened by the death of Zoe Welsh, a beloved, longtime science teacher at Ravenscroft School, who was a mother, mentor, neighbor, and friend to many in Raleigh. I give my deepest condolences to her family during this time. Everyone deserves to be safe in their own home, and we must do everything we can to ensure this does not happen again.

Raleigh teacher fatally attacked while on phone with police, reporting burglary Raleigh police have arrested a suspect and charge him with murder and felony burglary. The victim, Zoe Welsh, was a well known educator at Ravenscroft School.

In 2025, I have squarely focused my work on making things more affordable for working families, striving to be a voice for ordinary North Carolinians in the General Assembly, and making North Carolina the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

This year, I introduced 20 bills as a primary sponsor in the NC House. These bills included:
- Introducing an Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit to bring tax relief to working families;
- Lower housing costs by prohibiting the use of algorithms to fix rent prices under our antitrust laws;
- Fighting for consumers by stopping junk fees, protecting your right to digital privacy, providing protections for home warranty agreements, and guaranteeing a "right to repair" electronic equipment;
- Fighting for workers by restricting the use of unfair noncompete agreements and automatically enhancing unemployment insurance benefits during natural disasters;
- Giving Wake County Public Schools school calendar flexibility;
- Promoting Law Enforcement as a career path, preventing gun deaths by requiring fi****ms in cars to be safely stored, and keeping kids safe online.

On the House floor, I helped lead efforts to get fairer House Rules, and I offered amendments to finally raise the minimum wage, raise unemployment insurance benefits, and stop the elimination of protections against politicization for all state employees in the State Auditor's office. On the floor and in committee, I regularly spoke out against policies that would be harmful to our state.

I also co-founded and now serve as co-chair for the Joint Legislative Anti-Poverty Caucus, which works across party lines to build bipartisan support for tackling the problems of poverty in North Carolina. Poverty affects both rural and urban communities across our state. Generations past have tackled this issue, as when Terry Sanford launched the North Carolina Fund as Governor, and there is much we can do now to ensure that no child goes hungry and poverty is eliminated in our State.

As we move into 2026, I know there is much work to be done. I will continue to advocate for a fiscally responsible state budget that ensures we have the resources to make the investments our State needs. It's time for Senate Republicans to come to the table and get it done, since North Carolina is the only state to end this year without a budget. I will continue to fight for all North Carolina families by lowering costs, creating jobs, fully funding public schools and vital government services, and ensure public safety. Above all, I will fight to ensure that ordinary people, not special interests, have a voice in their government, and that every North Carolinian, no matter where they start, is able to achieve their dreams if they work hard.

My work is just getting started. I'm proud to announce I am running for re-election for my third term in 2026. As this year closes and a new one begins, I hope you will join my efforts to build a better and brighter future for North Carolina. Please contribute what you can to these efforts here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tim-longest-for-nc

Merry Christmas! May this season be filled with peace and love for you and your family.

D.G. Martin was a model public servant to the state of North Carolina. As a veteran, longtime leader in the UNC System, candidate, and beloved writer and TV host, he contributed to the welfare of our state in countless ways as few have. North Carolina has lost one of its best. My prayers are with the Martin family in this time.

D.G. Martin, UNC leader, political candidate and longtime TV host, dies at 85 He narrowly lost his 1984 bid for Congress, but went on to make a statewide impact in other ways.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones! This is a time both for giving thanks for what we have with family and friends and for helping those in need.

Too many North Carolinians are going hungry and struggling to afford necessities like food. But organizations like do heroic work to meet that need—and they need help. A few weeks ago, I joined Governor Stein, Lieutenant Governor Hunt, and fellow legislators to volunteer with the .

If you have time over the holidays, I encourage you to donate or take a shift at this or another charitable organization. Every little bit makes a difference.

There have been reports of border patrol activity in Raleigh. I agree with Governor Stein: if you see something wrong, record it and report it to local law enforcement. Let's keep each other safe.