Buck Newton
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eldon Sharpe "Buck" Newton III (born July 5, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who serves as a Republican state senator in the North Carolina General Assembly (the state's legislature) representing N.C. Senate District 4 (Wilson, Greene, and Wayne counties).[1] Newton originally won a seat in the North Carolina Senate in the 2010 election by defeating the Democratic incumbent, Albin B. Swindell.[2][3]
July 5, 1968
Buck Newton | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the 4th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Toby Fitch |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the 11th district | |
| In office January 5, 2011 – January 11, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | A. B. Swindell |
| Succeeded by | Rick Horner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eldon Sharpe Newton III July 5, 1968 Wilson, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Hope |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Appalachian State University (BS) Campbell University (JD) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
In 2016, Newton was the Republican nominee for North Carolina Attorney General, losing to Democrat Josh Stein[4] by 25,000 votes, a 0.5% margin.
In 2022, Newton won a seat in North Carolina Senate District 4, defeating incumbent Democrat Toby Fitch by a 16 point margin.[5]
Early life and education
A native of Wilson, North Carolina, Newton graduated from Hunt High School. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Appalachian State University.[6] After college, Newton was an aide to Senator Jesse Helms on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[7]
Newton is a graduate of the Campbell University School of Law. He has practiced law for 16 years at his firm, Newton and Lee, in Wilson.[8]
State office
From 2007-2011, Newton served as the chairman for the Wilson County Republican Party before taking office in the state capital in early 2011, replacing State Senator Albin B. Swindell.[9]
In response to the state's law on LGBT issues Newton, at a conservative rally supporting North Carolina's House Bill 2 (a.k.a. "HB2"),[10] said “Go home, tell your friends and family who had to work today what this is all about and how hard we must fight to keep our state straight.” [11] In a later interview, Newton said his remarks at the rally were intended to mean “keep men out of the ladies’ room.” [12] Newton has also said that "folks that wave the rainbow flags” need to get used to “the way things have always been in this state.” [13]
Newton ran as the Republican candidate for the North Carolina Attorney General election in 2016,[14] but lost to Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee.
He was elected to the State Senate again in 2022, defeating incumbent Senator Toby Fitch.[15]
In 2024, Newton sponsored legislation to prohibit the wearing of masks in public. His legislation made no exception for wearing masks for health reasons.[16]
