Young pharmacist Defeats Longtime Incumbent in N.C. House District 110 GOP Primary

Political newcomer Caroline Eason, a 25-year-old pharmacist from Cleveland County, defeated eight-term incumbent Kelly Hastings in the Republican primary for North Carolina House District 110, according to unofficial election results.

Vote totals from 20 precincts reporting show Eason won with 3,585 votes (53.64%) to Hastings’ 3,099 votes (46.36%).

The race was one of a small number of North Carolina legislative primaries in which a sitting lawmaker lost re-nomination. 

Hastings said in a social media comment, "I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders! As many of you know, I announced that I would retire and decided to run again after others who wanted to run could not, and after people asked me to run again. We thought that the eventual opponent would run for school board instead of the House.

Regardless, I am thrilled that I can see light at the end of the tunnel and not be forced to drive to and from Raleigh so often. The trip is even harder when sick or when a family member is sick. It is a great feeling to be able to retire from public office at the end of 2026. Anika (my wife) and I are happy and pleased."

In May 2025, Hastings said, “We are a part-time General Assembly...so I started comparing it to Congress, which is full-time. I started thinking, you know, 16 years in the General Assembly is approximately eight years in Congress. Since we are part-time and from a term-limit standpoint, that would be approximately 4 terms of two years. So, I wanted to term-limit myself."

Four Republican House incumbents lost in the primaries, including A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr. in District 65, Keith Kidwell in District 79, and Mark Pless in District 118. The fourth was in District 110, where Eason won her first run for office.

Heading into the elections, Republicans were one seat shy of a supermajority in the House and held a 30-20 supermajority in the Senate. Nine House seats were open, meaning no incumbent filed to run, the fewest in the chamber since 2014. Twenty-nine Republican House incumbents faced primary challenges, the most for the party since 2010.

Of the 39 contested Republican primaries, 21 were considered battlegrounds, as designated by Ballotpedia. The nonprofit makes battleground designations for state legislative primaries based on electoral competitiveness and political context. Criteria include open seats, incumbents' prior electoral performance, and the presence of organized or experienced challengers.

Eason earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and works at TAS Drug, the independent pharmacy chain started by her grandfather in 1990.

“This campaign was built on hard work and service,” Eason said in a message after the election, thanking voters, supporters and her family for their support. She also thanked Hastings for his years of service to the district.

Hastings, who has represented the district since 2010, congratulated Eason following the results. The longtime lawmaker had previously announced in 2025 that he would not seek another term, but later reversed that decision and entered the race.

In a statement posted to social media after the primary, Hastings defended the tone of his campaign and addressed criticism tied to a campaign mailer circulated during the race.

“At my age, almost 65, I sensed a strong pull to become closer to Christ and to spend more time with my family,” Hastings wrote. “Serving in a state legislature is an honor, but it is not important enough to sell my soul for political expediency.”

Grassroots campaign

Eason entered the race last year and described her campaign as a grassroots effort focused on meeting voters throughout the district. Her appearances included community events and local parades.

“I am not running against anyone,” Eason said earlier in the campaign. “I am running for the people of the district.”

District 110 includes western Gaston County — including Cherryville — and parts of Cleveland County, including Lawndale, where Eason grew up.

Focus on independent pharmacies

Eason is a third-generation pharmacist and began working in her family’s pharmacy as a teenager.

Her campaign says she became politically active after consolidation in the health care industry threatened independent pharmacies like those operated by her family.

During her final year at UNC, she worked as a health policy intern and participated in policy discussions related to pharmacy benefit managers, commonly known as PBMs.

Eason argues that those companies — which act as intermediaries between insurers and pharmacies — can create financial challenges for independent pharmacies through reimbursement policies.

General election ahead

Eason will face Democrat Mary Silver of Cherryville in the November general election. The district is considered Republican-leaning.

If elected, Eason would become one of the youngest members of the North Carolina General Assembly.

Under North Carolina law, candidates for the state legislature must be at least 21 years old. Eason will be 26 by the time voters head to the polls in November.