Wake and Granville Democrats tap Haseeb Fatmi for state Senate race

Haseeb Fatmi’s move from Wake Forest town government to North Carolina Senate District 18 gives northern Wake County and Granville County a new candidate and immediately creates another vacancy at home. Wake and Granville Democratic leaders voted Thursday night to place Fatmi on the ballot for the seat, which became open when Terence Everitt resigned effective May 1 to focus on voting-rights advocacy.

Fatmi is not a career politician. He is a corporate attorney and a political newcomer who won his first election in November 2025 to the Wake Forest Town Commission, where he led the field with 5,731 votes, or 27.6 percent. His jump to the state Senate means Wake Forest voters will now see one of their newest elected officials leave town government before completing even a full cycle in office.

The district he is stepping into stretches across northern Wake County and Granville County, tying Wake Forest suburbs to communities farther north. That geography has made District 18 one of the most closely watched contests in North Carolina, especially because Democrats see it as important to any effort to break the GOP supermajority in the state Senate. Senate leadership remains Republican-controlled, with Phil Berger as president pro tempore and Sydney Batch leading the Democratic caucus.

Fatmi will face Republican Chris Stock and Libertarian Brad Hessel in the general election, which Ballotpedia lists for November 3, 2026. The race is drawing attention because Everitt won the seat by only about 100 votes in 2024, underscoring how narrow the district’s margins can be. Everitt represented District 18 from January 1, 2025, until his resignation took effect this spring.

Fatmi’s departure also leaves the Wake Forest Town Commission short a member. The board has five members elected at large, and the town has already navigated a similar vacancy this year. When Ben Clapsaddle moved from commissioner to mayor, the remaining board members filled his seat after reviewing 14 applicants, interviewing five finalists and going through three rounds of voting. The board chose Nicolas Sliwinski for the unexpired term, which runs through December 2027.

Now, the same process is likely to unfold again, giving Wake Forest residents a second look at how quickly local results can ripple into countywide and state politics. For voters in northern Wake and Granville, Fatmi’s selection means representation in Raleigh will be fought over immediately, while the town he leaves behind will have to choose who speaks for them next.