NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Political newcomer Jessica Bichler has been declared the unofficial winner in the race for the District 7 seat in the state senate.
Bichler defeated longtime Republican incumbent Michael Lee on Tuesday, receiving 48,310 votes to Lee’s 43,469. Her win was one of the big wins for Democrats in New Hanover County.
She was in the studio to talk more about the election and her plans for the future of New Hanover County.
Bichler said she has been a member of the community for a long time, but after her mother passed last year, she wanted to be more involved.
“She was such a strong advocate for things like access to education and health care and rights for women, and I was just seeing that deteriorate on the local level and the federal level,” she said. “I felt like I wanted to be more involved rather than sitting anxiously by the sidelines.”
Bichler said that early voting results were promising, and her campaign knew the percentages it needed to reach in that period.
“We worked for it. I knew it was possible,” she said. “I knew what our win numbers were, and we did the work to make it happen.”
Ahead of taking office in the state senate, Bichler said she has built relationships and has gotten to know several sitting senators.
She is scheduled to take the oath of office in Raleigh in January.
Watch the full interview at the top of this story.
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