Local Limelight with Wake County Sen. Sydney Batch
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals; Photo: Courtesy of North Carolina General Assembly
State Sen. Sydney Batch, a Triangle native, is North Carolina's first Black female minority leader in her chamber.
Why it matters: Since she burst onto the political scene when she won her race for a Wake County House seat in 2018's blue wave, Batch has become a rising star in her party and made a rapid ascent in the ranks of state politics.
- She assumed one of the most powerful positions in North Carolina politics in December, when Senate Democrats ousted political giant and longtime lawmaker Sen. Dan Blue as minority leader and installed Batch in his place.
We talked with Batch for our latest Local Limelight conversation. The Q&A has been edited for Smart Brevity.
🥩 Favorite place to eat in the Triangle? Oak Steakhouse or Salsa Fresh.
🏀 What do you think the Triangle is missing? Another professional sports team.
🤳 What's your first read in the morning? Text messages.
📖 Last great book you read? "The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride.
🎧 Go-to podcast? "How Stuff Works."
⛱️ Favorite place to go for a long weekend? The beach, and if she had to pick one: Carolina Beach.
🎓 How did you end up in the Triangle? Batch grew up in Chapel Hill and has three degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill, including a law degree and master's in social work. After graduation, she founded Raleigh law firm Batch, Poore & Williams with her husband.
If you could pass any law, what would it be? Paid family leave. (Read about the bill she introduced this year.)
- "It would fundamentally change people's lives," Batch said.
What's something you're looking forward to, unrelated to politics/your work? Going on family vacation with her extended family in Cancun this summer.
How do you unplug at the end of the day? Putting a jigsaw puzzle together while watching a TV show.
- 💬 Lucille's thought bubble: Sen. Batch and I discovered years ago that we both love to unplug via puzzling, and she has long tried to tell me I should get a puzzle board so I can do puzzles in bed.