Natalie Murdock Becomes 1st Black Woman Under 40 To Serve As State Senator

Raleigh, NC – Today (April 2), Durham Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor Natalie Murdock was sworn in as the Senator for NC Senate District 20, filling the vacancy of Sen. H.M. “Mickey” Michaux following his resignation on March 31, 2020. Murdock was appointed by Governor Cooper and will be the first black woman under the age of 40 to serve in the NC Senate.

Retired state Rep. Mickey Michaux, whose service in the North Carolina House covered more than 45 years, was appointed in January to the state Senate to serve during this year’s legislative session. He filled the seat vacated by Sen. Floyd McKissick Jr., a Democrat who resigned to join the state Utilities Commission. Cooper, also a Democrat, was required by law to formally appoint Michaux because he was the pick of Durham County Democrats to serve briefly as a placeholder in the 20th Senate District seat before stepping down.

Murdock received the most votes among the three candidates seeking the district’s Democratic nomination in the March primary. It was anticipated that the governor would appoint the primary winner to succeed Michaux in time for the “short session” this spring.

Natalie Murdock has over a decade of experience in communications, local government affairs, grants management, project management, and economic development in various roles in local, regional and state levels of government. She was in her first term as Durham County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor, having been elected in 2018.

She began her career working with Chris Kromm at the Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, NC. Natalie furthered her career at the City of Asheville Economic Development Office and Advantage West Economic Development Group where she developed a passion for Agribusiness. To further her knowledge of regional economic development projects and transportation, she joined the Land-of-Sky Regional Council working on urban and rural transportation projects. As a transportation planner, she developed a passion for government affairs and public engagement. She worked to ensure that members of the public, particularly marginalized communities, were informed and included as transportation projects developed.

Natalie went on to work for the Town of Chapel Hill as a Grants Coordinator and GoTriangle as a Public Involvement Manager and Communications and Marketing Director. While at GoTriangle, she worked on the Durham-Orange Light Rail Project (D-O LRT) and Wake County Transit Plan.

Before elected in 2018, Natalie served as the Deputy Director of Communications and Community Outreach and Partnerships Manager for Attorney General Josh Stein, and Traveling Press Secretary for the Deborah Ross for Senate Campaign. Natalie has held local and state-level positions within the Democratic Party and African-American Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party.

Natalie is from Greensboro, NC and has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communication Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill. She completed graduate work at Western Carolina University in Public Administration and in Leadership and Organizational Change at Pfeiffer University.

In 2017, Natalie launched Murdock Anderson Consulting LLC where she serves as the Principal and Chief Strategist.

North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Goodwin released the following statement:

“The North Carolina Democratic Party is pleased to welcome Senator Natalie Murdock. Murdock has served the Durham community for many years and has been committed to improving life for Durham citizens, especially through her work to improve our environment, expand programs to provide environmental education and take on the crisis of food deserts. She is following in the footsteps of political giants like Senators Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, Floyd B. McKissick Jr., and Mickey Michaux and we are confident she will carry on their legacy and serve as an excellent representative for Durham for many years to come.”

Watch Now: Natalie talks about her platform and goals as Senator for NC Senate District 20 on “PC Politics” before the March primary.