A groundbreaking figure in North Carolina politics will no longer serve as leader of state Senate Democrats. Sen. Dan Blue of Wake County first joined the General Assembly in 1981 and was elected the state's first Black House speaker in 1991. Blue has been the Senate minority leader for over a decade. But on Monday the Senate Democratic Caucus elected Sen. Sydney Batch as the minority leader for the next two-year session. A caucus news release said Blue announced his desire to decline another term as leader before the caucus election. The House Democratic Caucus reelected Rep. Robert Reives as minority leader on Monday.
