Jay Chaudhuri
2019 - Present
2027
6
Jay Chaudhuri (Democratic Party) is a member of the North Carolina State Senate, representing District 15. He assumed office on January 1, 2019. His current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Chaudhuri (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the North Carolina State Senate to represent District 15. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Chaudhuri was first appointed to the chamber to represent District 16 on April 19, 2016, but ran in District 15 in 2018 due to redistricting.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Chaudhuri was assigned to the following committees:
- Education/Higher Education Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Pensions and Retirement and Aging Committee
- Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee
2021-2022
Chaudhuri was assigned to the following committees:
- Appropriations on Education/Higher Education Committee
- Education/Higher Education Committee
- Pensions and Retirement and Aging Committee
- Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee
- Appropriations/Base Budget Committee
2019-2020
Chaudhuri was assigned to the following committees:
- Pensions and Retirement and Aging Committee
- Appropriations/Base Budget Committee
- Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural and Economic Resources Committee
- Education/Higher Education Committee
- Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| North Carolina committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources |
| • Appropriations on Pensions, Compensation, and Benefits |
| • Appropriations/Base Budget |
| • Education/Higher Education |
| • State and Local Government |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 15
Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri defeated David Bankert and Kat McDonald in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jay Chaudhuri (D) | 65.9 | 67,355 |
 | David Bankert (R) | 30.2 | 30,867 | |
 | Kat McDonald (L) | 3.8 | 3,915 | |
| Total votes: 102,137 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. David Bankert advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Kat McDonald advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chaudhuri in this election.
2022
See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 15
Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri defeated Emanuela Prister and Sammie Brooks in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jay Chaudhuri (D) | 67.6 | 52,742 |
| Emanuela Prister (R) | 29.2 | 22,776 | ||
| Sammie Brooks (L) | 3.2 | 2,463 | ||
| Total votes: 77,981 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Emanuela Prister advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Sammie Brooks advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Campaign finance
2020
See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 15
Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri defeated Mario Lomuscio and Kat McDonald in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jay Chaudhuri (D) | 58.0 | 71,700 |
 | Mario Lomuscio (R) | 36.8 | 45,457 | |
| Kat McDonald (L) | 5.2 | 6,441 | |
| Total votes: 123,598 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Mario Lomuscio advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Kat McDonald advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15.
Campaign finance
2018
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 15
Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri defeated Alan David Michael and Brian Lewis in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jay Chaudhuri (D) | 73.1 | 60,805 |
| Alan David Michael (R) | 23.3 | 19,365 | ||
 | Brian Lewis (L) | 3.6 | 3,005 | |
| Total votes: 83,175 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15
Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Jay Chaudhuri |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15
Alan David Michael advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Alan David Michael | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016.[1] The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.[2] Incumbent Josh Stein (D) resigned from the state Senate on March 21, 2016. Jay Chaudhuri (D) was appointed to the seat on April 19, 2016.
Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri defeated Eric Weaver in the North Carolina State Senate District 16 general election.[3][4]
| North Carolina State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jay Chaudhuri Incumbent |
65.33% | 68,842 | |
| Republican | Eric Weaver | 34.67% | 36,530 | |
| Total Votes | 105,372 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Jay Chaudhuri defeated Ellis Hankins in the North Carolina State Senate District 16 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| North Carolina State Senate, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Jay Chaudhuri |
62.93% | 20,232 | |
| Democratic | Ellis Hankins | 37.07% | 11,916 | |
| Total Votes | 32,148 | |||
Eric Weaver ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 16 Republican primary.[7][8]
| North Carolina State Senate, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Eric Weaver (unopposed) | |
2016 primary
- Main article: Battleground state primaries in North Carolina, 2016
Chaudhuri questioned Hankins' Democratic credentials, bringing up Hankins' donations to Republican candidates in the 1990s, like U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R). Chaudhuri distributed campaign mailers stating that Hankins "has a long record of supporting right-wing Republicans."[9]
Hankins confirmed that he donated between $100 and $200 to Republican candidates in 1995 and 1996 after he had been asked by a former law partner to provide small donations to Republicans after the party's takeover of the General Assembly of North Carolina in 1994. "I reluctantly made some of those, and it was 21 years ago," Hankins said. Hankins also criticized Chaudhuri for raising the issue, commenting that "we should be focused on issues that matter to people and their qualifications to serve."[9]
Below were key endorsements for Chaudhuri and Hankins.[10][11]
| Key endorsements | |
|---|---|
| Chaudhuri | Hankins |
| American Federation of Teachers - North Carolina | Former Treasurer Richard Moore |
| NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina | State Employees Association of North Carolina |
| North Carolina State AFL-CIO | Former Raleigh Mayor Smedes York |
| Raleigh Police Protective Association | |
| Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association | |
| Teamsters Local 391 | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jay Chaudhuri did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Jay Chaudhuri did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Jay Chaudhuri did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Jay J. Chaudhuri participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 9, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Jay J. Chaudhuri's responses follow below.[12]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | 1) Investing in public education |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | I am personally passionate about seeing properly funding class size reductions, common-sense gun reform, and creating a better system for reporting hate crimes.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[14]
|
” |
2016
Chaudhuri's website highlighted the following campaign themes:
| “ | Providing a World-Class Education
As the father of two young children, Jay believes nothing is more important than ensuring children are able to reach their potential. In the Senate, he will fight every day to restore the funding Republicans cut from public schools, to raise teacher salaries to above the national average, and to reduce the amount of classroom time spent on high-stakes standardized testing. Standing Up for Women Jay Chaudhuri is one hundred percent pro-choice and committed to protecting funding for Planned Parenthood. In the State Senate, he will fight the extremists in the legislature who want to put politicians between women and their doctors. Building an Economy for All North Carolinians As State Senator, Jay Chaudhuri will focus on creating jobs, growing the local economy, and reducing inequality between the rich and the poor. His plan to make the economy more fair includes cutting taxes for working and middle class families by making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, raising the minimum wage, and making sure women receive equal pay for equal work. Reducing Gun Violence As State Senator, Jay Chaudhuri will take on Republicans to push for stronger gun control laws that will keep guns out of the hands of those who commit domestic violence and those who are on the terrorist watch list. Protecting Our Environment and Creating Green Jobs Jay Chaudhuri is a champion for North Carolina's environment. In the State Senate, he will crack down on the big coal companies that pollute our rivers and air - and will work to combat climate change by making clean, renewable energy like wind and solar more accessible and affordable for North Carolina families and businesses.[15][14] |
” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of North Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2024, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from April 24 to December 13.
|
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2023, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 25.
|
2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2022, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from May 18 to July 1.
|
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2021, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 13 to December 30.
|
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2020, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from April 28 to September 3. The legislature was in recess from July 8 to September 1 and then reconvened September 2 to September 3.
|
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 9 through August 27.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2018, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 10 through July 4.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2017, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from January 11 through June 30. Before the legislature adjourned its regular scheduled session, the legislature scheduled the following additional session dates: August 3, August 18 to August 25, August 28 to August 31, and October 4 to October 17.
|
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2016, the General Assembly of North Carolina was in session from April 25 through July 1.
|
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate North Carolina State Senate District 15 |
Officeholder North Carolina State Senate District 15 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ The primary for U.S. congressional elections was rescheduled to June 7, 2016, following legal challenges to North Carolina's district maps. State races were unaffected.
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Filing," archived January 19, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election results lookup," accessd December 21, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 News & Observer, "Democratic state Senate candidate Hankins gave to Republicans in ’90s," March 4, 2016
- ↑ Hankins for NC Senate, "Endorsements," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ Jay for NC, "Endorsements," accessed March 7, 2016
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Jay J. Chaudhuri's responses," April 9, 2018
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Chaudhuri for New North Carolina Committee, "Issues," accessed March 5, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Alexander (R) |
North Carolina State Senate District 15 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
North Carolina State Senate District 16 2016-2019 |
Succeeded by Wiley Nickel (D) |
