LaKeshia Alston secured the Republican nomination for North Carolina Senate District 22 in Durham County and will now face incumbent Sen. Sophia Chitlik in the November midterm election.
DURHAM, N.C. — The tea is already spilling in Durham County after a longtime Democrat just snagged the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s Senate District 22.
According to public voting records, LaKeshia Mashonda Ruddi Alston — who has been registered to vote since 2008 — is now the Republican nominee for the North Carolina Senate District 22 seat, setting up a November race against Democratic incumbent Sophia Chitlik.
But here’s where the plot thickens.
A Political Switch That Has People Talking
Voting records show Alston previously cast ballots for Democratic candidates twice in 2012 and again in 2024, before later supporting a Republican candidate during the October 2025 primary election.
Despite that history, Alston says her political shift is part of a personal evolution.
Back in December, she told reporters:
“When I was a child I thought as a child, but as I matured, I’m converted as a Republican — in order to form a more perfect union.”
With no other Republicans filing for the race, Alston automatically secured the GOP nomination and will represent the party in the upcoming midterm election.
The Incumbent Already Has Momentum
Standing in her way is first-term Senator Sophia Chitlik, who already cleared her own Democratic primary this year.
Chitlik defeated former DeDreana Freeman to secure the party’s nomination and currently holds the seat after winning it in 2024. She received about 65% of the vote.
Political observers say the Durham-based district leans heavily Democratic, meaning Chitlik enters the general election with a significant advantage.
Still, Alston’s unexpected path to the Republican nomination has already sparked conversation across local political circles and they aren’t good.
With the primary now settled, the race for North Carolina Senate District 22 will officially be decided in November’s midterm election, where voters will choose between the incumbent Democrat and the newly converted Republican challenger.
