Eldon Sharpe "Buck" Newton III (born July 5, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who serves as a Republican state senator in the North Carolina General Assembly (the state's legislature) representing N.C. Senate District 4 (Wilson, Greene and Wayne counties).[1] Newton originally won a seat in the North Carolina Senate in the 2010 election by defeating the Democratic incumbent, Albin B. Swindell.[2][3]
Newton is a graduate of the Campbell University School of Law. He has practiced law for 16 years at his firm, Newton and Lee, in Wilson.[8]
State office
From 2007 to 2011, Newton served as the chairman for the Wilson County Republican Party before taking office in the state capital in early 2011, replacing State Senator Albin B. Swindell.[9]
In response to the state's law on LGBT issues Newton, at a conservative rally supporting the North Carolina's House Bill 2 (a.k.a. "HB2"),[10] said “Go home, tell your friends and family who had to work today what this is all about and how hard we must fight to keep our state straight.” [11] In a later interview, Newton said his remarks at the rally were intended to mean “keep men out of the ladies’ room.” [12] Newton has also said that "folks that wave the rainbow flags” need to get used to “the way things have always been in this state.” [13]
Newton ran as the Republican candidate for the North Carolina Attorney General election in 2016,[14] but lost to Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee.
He was elected to the State Senate again in 2022, defeating incumbent Senator Toby Fitch.[15]
In 2024, Newton sponsored legislation to prohibit the wearing of masks in public. His legislation made no exception for wearing masks for health reasons.[16]
