North Carolina Senate Democrats have chosen Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, as their new minority party leader, following the long-anticipated decision by Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, to step down.

While the two are both from deep-blue Wake County, the shift indicates a change in tactics for Senate Democrats. Despite spending millions to try and block Republicans’ supermajority, the party remains at the same seat count it had before the election.

Blue, a fixture in state politics, leaves a complex legacy shaped by decades of leadership, including his tenure as the first black speaker of the House and more recent efforts to navigate a Republican-dominated General Assembly.

“No one can match Sen. Blue’s institutional knowledge about the General Assembly’s history and the way it operates,” said Mitch Kokai, John Locke Foundation senior political analyst. “Understanding the limits of Democrats’ numbers in the Senate, he focused on making an impact behind the scenes. If the Democratic caucus is willing to break from Blue’s leadership, it signals that they want to take a different approach toward getting the party’s views heard in 2025.”

Batch is a family law attorney and social worker in private practice with her husband. She was first elected to serve in the North Carolina House in 2018. She was appointed to serve in the NC Senate in 2021 and re-elected in 2022.

The selection of Batch represents a shift to younger leadership, but the question remains whether this change will translate to substantive legislative impact. With Gov. Roy Cooper in the Executive Mansion, Democrats under Blue had influence over the minority caucus. Cooper could use his considerable fundraising war chest to lean on members and keep them voting as a unit. However, with incoming Governor-elect Josh Stein, Batch will have to sort out the influence he is willing, or able, to have over the Democratic caucus members.

While Batch is known for her advocacy on progressive priorities like expanding Medicaid, the Republican majority in both chambers continues to steer the legislative agenda. Batch’s tenure could center less on progressive policy and more on opposing GOP initiatives and rebuilding the party’s political relevance in the state legislature.