Local Limelight: Meet N.C. Senate minority leader Dan Blue

Democratic Senate minority leader Dan Blue, who represents part of Wake County, has served nearly four decades in North Carolina's legislature.

He's the latest guest in our "Local Limelight" series, where we get to know leaders in the community.

🥢 Favorite places to eat in Raleigh: Caffe Luna, Sono Sushi and Sitti, though he said he is still easing back into the restaurant scene post-pandemic.

🚈 What Raleigh is missing: A reliable, fast transportation system that will "get you around and make you abandon the use of cars."

🗞 First thing he reads in the morning: The News & Observer.

• He wakes up at 4:30am or 5 am and reads the digital edition of The N&O.
• Then he grabs a coffee and sits down with the print edition to "dig deeper into the actual stories that interest me."

📖 Last great book he read: The Federalist, which he's re-reading because of the environment we're in now.

• "I find myself referring back to books that I read when I was in college, when I was younger, just to get a deeper sense of what they were talking about," Blue said. "I'm more into going back, looking at the books that make me think a little bit more about the environment that I'm in now, what the country is about, what the challenges are and things like that."

🌊 Favorite long weekend spot: Anywhere his grandkids are, plus the beach.

⛱ Favorite beach: Figure Eight Island.

🤍 If he could pass any law, it would be one that guarantees food and a “decent place to call home” for all.

👧 Something he's looking forward to: His seven grandchildren (ages 7 to 15) growing up and seeing what paths they choose and how they navigate future challenges.

• "They spend weekends talking to each other by phone, visiting the ones who are here, so they're very close little knit group," Blue said.

📺 How he unplugs: Sits down, recaps the "momentous events" of the day, catches up on the news and eats dinner with his wife.

🍷 Plus: "It rhymes to some degree: To unwind, I will drink a glass of wine," Blue said.