10/21/2026
Two Dare County candidates are running in this year’s election for North Carolina Senate District 1: Republican state Sen. Jerry Tillett, who was appointed to the seat last month following the resignation of former Sen. Bobby Hanig (R-Currituck), and Democrat Melissa Zehner.
Senate District 1 includes 10 counties: Bertie, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans and Tyrrell.
Outer Banks Insider interviewed the candidates and reviewed information from public records, including campaign finance reports, for this article.
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📸 Tillett photo (left) courtesy North Carolina General Assembly, Zehner photo (right) courtesy Zehner
