Incumbent Sen. Kevin Corbin will face newcomer Tom Downing in the race for the state Senate District 50 this November.
The two spoke with The Smoky Mountain News to discuss what they consider to be the biggest issues facing constituents this election.
The Senate district covers all of Cherokee, Clay, Macon, Craham, Swain, Jackson and Transylvania counties and most of Haywood County. It has a population of 222,250, according to U.S. Census data.
Downing (D-Jackson), who lives in Cullowhee, will face an uphill battle as he takes on the Macon County born-and-raised Corbin (R-Macon), who has held the seat since 2021, and is heavily favored in the district that favored him with nearly 67% of the vote in the 2024 election.
