Rob Bryan is returning to the General Assembly. This time as a member of the state Senate.
The Mecklenburg County Republican was picked Thursday, Sept. 26 to complete the term of Dan Bishop, who won election Sept. 10 to fill the vacant 9th U.S. Congressional District seat. The county’s GOP executive committee tabbed Bryan. Gov. Roy Cooper will formally name Bryan to serve District 39 through the 2019-20 General Assembly session.
Bryan, a Charlotte attorney, served two terms in the N.C. House and was active in education reform. He was a lead sponsor of the bills creating the state’s Opportunity Scholarship Program and the Achievement School District (now known as the Innovative School District).
In one of the closest races in the 2016 legislative cycle, Bryan lost a bid for a third House term to Democrat Mary Belk. The state Democratic Party and the House Democratic Party Caucus spent nearly $300,000 for Belk’s campaign. She defeated Bryan by 625 votes, 1.2% of the total cast.