State

State Senator, 50th District

Vote for: 1
Term: 2 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A state senator votes on North Carolina laws and the state budget in the General Assembly.

Candidates Compare by issue

Tom Downing

Democratic

Local government administrator · Cullowhee

The gist

Opposes public money for private school vouchers.
Pledges bipartisan work on housing, child care and insurance costs.
Supports rethinking the flat income tax and corporate tax cuts.
Supports changing how lottery money helps schools.
Supports a clearer regional plan for disaster response.

More about Tom

View sources (3)

Opposes public money for private school vouchers.
Corbin defends Senate seat against Downing
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · smokymountainnews.com
“We just have to stop siphoning off our tax dollars and giving it to private schools”
2026 NCGA Candidate Survey response: Tom Downing
Candidate questionnaire · Public School Forum of North Carolina · Question 4 · ncforum.org
Pledges bipartisan work on housing, child care and insurance costs.
Tom Downing for NC: For Everyone
Campaign website · Tom Downing for NC Senate · tomdowning4nc.com
“find real solutions to our shortages of affordable housing, affordable daycare, and the rising costs of health insurance”
Supports rethinking the flat income tax and corporate tax cuts.
Corbin defends Senate seat against Downing
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · smokymountainnews.com
“including rethinking flat income taxes and corporate tax cuts that he sees as unfair and fiscally short-sighted”
2026 NCGA Candidate Survey response: Tom Downing
Candidate questionnaire · Public School Forum of North Carolina · Question 2 · ncforum.org
Supports changing how lottery money helps schools.
Corbin defends Senate seat against Downing
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · smokymountainnews.com
“Downing is interested in making changes to the North Carolina Education Lottery to better support schools.”
Supports a clearer regional plan for disaster response.
Corbin defends Senate seat against Downing
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · smokymountainnews.com
“argued that the state and region lack a clear, widely understood plan for how people should get information and respond”

Kevin Corbin

RepublicanIncumbent

State senator; insurance agency owner · Franklin

The gist

Supports focusing schools on reading and math proficiency.
Pledges continued focus on Hurricane Helene recovery.
Supports lowering corporate and individual income taxes.
Supports raising teacher pay to competitive levels.
Supports protecting human life from conception.
Sponsored requiring cardiac emergency plans and AEDs in schools.In office

In office = from the candidate's own official statements or legislation as an officeholder, not their campaign.

More about Kevin

View sources (3)

Supports focusing schools on reading and math proficiency.
Corbin defends Senate seat against Downing
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · smokymountainnews.com
“Getting students on grade level in reading and math is the heart of it”
Pledges continued focus on Hurricane Helene recovery.
Corbin defends Senate seat against Downing
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · smokymountainnews.com
“All we can do is be as prepared as we possibly can and build back to be more resilient”
Supports lowering corporate and individual income taxes.
Kevin Corbin for North Carolina Senate
Campaign website · Kevin Corbin for North Carolina Senate · kevincorbin.com
“I believe NC needs to lower the Corporate and Individual income tax”
Supports raising teacher pay to competitive levels.
Kevin Corbin for North Carolina Senate
Campaign website · Kevin Corbin for North Carolina Senate · kevincorbin.com
“teacher pay should continue to be increased to a competitive level”
Supports protecting human life from conception.
Kevin Corbin for North Carolina Senate
Campaign website · Kevin Corbin for North Carolina Senate · kevincorbin.com
“I believe that the government must respect and protect all human life from conception to natural death.”
Sponsored requiring cardiac emergency plans and AEDs in schools.
Senate Bill 278 (2025-2026 session), as filed: The Smart Heart Act.
Government record · North Carolina General Assembly · S.B. 278, long title · ncleg.gov
“to require public schools to develop cardiac emergency response plans and to require THE PLACEMENT OF one AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR (AED) in each public school”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 6 issues covered in this race.