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Sen. Vickie Sawyer announced on Wednesday that she is seeking re-election to continue representing District 37, which includes all of Iredell County and the Towns of Cornelius and Davidson in Mecklenburg County, in the N.C. Senate.
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve the people of Iredell County and northern Mecklenburg in the Senate,” Sawyer, a Republican, said in her campaign announcement. “Whether it’s improving transportation infrastructure, bringing much-needed efficiency to DMV services, standing up for parents and students, protecting taxpayers, or fighting for common-sense solutions that make our state stronger, I’ve never forgotten where I came from and who I’m fighting for. We’ve delivered meaningful results – and I’m running for re-election to keep working for the families and communities that make this region so special.”
Sawyer touted her work on significant transportation improvements in District 37 and across North Carolina in her announcement. As chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, she has led efforts that accelerated construction on Highway 150 and Highway 73, worked to enhance safety at dangerous intersections, pushed for completion of long-overdue resurfacing projects, and advocated for pedestrian crosswalks to improve walkability and public safety.
On a statewide level, Sawyer spearheaded the NC TEN Commission – a bipartisan coalition of legislators and industry leaders – which successfully reformed how the state funds transportation projects. As a result of that effort, the State of North Carolina now invests an additional $800 million annually in transportation infrastructure.
As chair of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee, Sawyer also championed legislative reforms to streamline operations at the N.C. Department of Transportation in order to safeguard taxpayer dollars and increase efficiency in project delivery.
Sawyer has also worked to improve modernization of, investment in , and improvement of services for the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. As vice chair of the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, Sawyer led oversight hearings that exposed the DMV’s ongoing performance issues and uncovered the mismanagement of nearly $170 million in funding intended for technology upgrades over the past decade. In response, Sen. Sawyer and co-chair Sen. Michael Lazzara helped craft legislation requiring the DMV to partner with private-sector technology firms to modernize its systems – a transformation currently underway.
Sawyer has also pushed for legislation to hold high school athletic associations accountable, defend parental rights in education, and protect women’s sports and privacy in locker rooms. Recognizing the challenges of rapid growth, she has supported local zoning authority to give communities more control over development. She has also led efforts to crack down on illegal squatting on private property and sponsored legislation to raise the legal age of marriage in North Carolina.