State Sen. Sam Searcy to leave as second term begins

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina state senator plans to resign as his second General Assembly term is about to begin.

Wake County Democrat Sam Searcy won reelection in November, but he said in a statement, on Wednesday, he’s stepping aside in part due to the potential “to serve the people of North Carolina in a different capacity.” He didn’t provide details.

The next two-year session begins on Jan. 13. After he resigns, Wake County Democratic activists would choose someone to fill his term through 2022.

Searcy joined the Senate after defeating then-Republican Sen. Tamara Barringer in 2018.