LinkedIn

Senator Lisa Grafstein Biography

Lisa earned her bachelor's degree in English from Northwestern University, and her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Lisa lives in Wake County with her adult son. 

Lisa is currently a lawyer for Disability Rights North Carolina. She previously ran her firm, the Law Office of Lisa Grafstein, PLLC. She also served as campaign manager for Suzanne Reynolds, Linda Stephens, and Robin Hudson for their North Carolina Supreme Court races.

Lisa Grafstein currently serves as a state senator in District 13. She was elected in 2022 and is serving her first term. 

Candidate website

Believes a just economy requires living wages, safe working conditions, and fair tax policies. Criticizes state policies for harming workers and failing to fund critical public goods like healthcare and education.

Believes a just economy requires living wages, safe working conditions, and fair tax policies.

Believes wages have not kept up with the cost of living and opposes state anti-union laws that undermine workers' ability to organize for better conditions and wages.

Opposes state anti-union laws that undermine workers' ability to organize for better conditions and wages.

Believes businesses benefiting from North Carolina’s workforce and quality of life should pay their fair share in taxes. Supports strong workforce and fair policies as beneficial for business.

Belives businesses benefiting from North Carolina’s workforce and quality of life should pay their fair share in taxes. 

Believes income has not kept pace with rising home prices and rents, and supports raising wages to improve housing affordability.

Believes housing affordability is impacted by investment firms buying properties, pricing out first-time home buyers. Supports policies to discourage using housing stock as an investment vehicle.

Supports policies that prevent housing from being used solely for investment.

Plans to restore the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund to expand accessibility to affordable housing for low-income families.

- Believes a just economy requires living wages, safe working conditions, and fair tax policies.
- Opposes state anti-union laws that undermine workers' ability to organize for better conditions and wages.
- Supports policies that prevent housing from being used solely for investment.
- Plans to restore the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund to expand accessibility to affordable housing for low-income families.

Economy

Supports bold and immediate action on the climate crisis, including investing in renewable energy, incentivizing solar adoption, and developing clean energy public transit.

Believes environmental justice is crucial for addressing the climate crisis and highlights the disproportionate exposure to pollutants in communities of color.

Believes environmental justice is crucial for addressing the climate crisis. 

- Supports bold and immediate action on the climate crisis, including investing in renewable energy, incentivizing solar adoption, and developing clean energy public transit.
- Believes environmental justice is crucial for addressing the climate crisis. 

Energy & the Environment

Believes in protecting "the right to abortion and reproductive freedom." Supports healthcare policies including medical marijuana, insurance, public health, and COVID-19 measures.

Supports abortion rights and reproductive freedom. 

Believes in making community-based services more accessible for people with disabilities by increasing funding.

Supports increasing funding for community-based services to support people with disabilities. 

- Supports abortion rights and reproductive freedom. 
- Supports increasing funding for community-based services to support people with disabilities. 
- Supports expanding Medicaid.

Healthcare

Believes the electoral system must be "equitably funded" to ensure strong processes and adequate staffing at all levels and locations.

Believes all voters should have ample opportunities to vote, both in person and by absentee ballot.

Believes protecting voting rights is essential for improving access to healthcare, housing, and living wages.

Supports implementing a non-partisan redistricting commission to prevent gerrymandering.

- Believes the electoral system must be "equitably funded" to ensure strong processes and adequate staffing at all levels and locations.
- Believes all voters should have ample opportunities to vote, both in person and by absentee ballot.
- Believes protecting voting rights is essential for improving access to healthcare, housing, and living wages.
- Supports implementing a non-partisan redistricting commission to prevent gerrymandering.

Voting & Elections

As of June 14, 2024, Lisa Grafstein’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Public Safety

Believes North Carolina fails to provide children with a "sound, basic education" as mandated by the state Supreme Court in the Leandro case.

Believes teachers are overworked and underappreciated. Supports treating and paying teachers as professionals to better meet students' needs.

 Supports providing teachers with fair compensation.

Believes in valuing communities, investing in children, and dismantling divisive policies in education. Supports a different, achievable approach to education reform.

Believes in valuing communities, investing in children, and dismantling divisive policies in education. 

- Believes North Carolina fails to provide children with a "sound, basic education" as mandated by the state Supreme Court in the Leandro case.
-  Supports providing teachers with fair compensation.
- Believes in valuing communities, investing in children, and dismantling divisive policies in education. 

Education

Foreign Policy and Immigration

Facebook

Twitter

Lisa Grafstein

Lisa earned her bachelor's degree in English from Northwestern University. She also earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Lisa lives in Wake County with her adult son. 

Lisa Grafstein currently serves as State Senator in State Senate District 13. She was elected in 2022 and is serving her first term. 

Believes overturning Roe v. Wade signals a retreat from equal rights and emphasizes the need to address disparities in abortion access due to geography and poverty.

The candidate's website says, "This was a wholly avoidable tragedy. After years of relentless efforts by Governor Cooper and Democrats in the General Assembly, Medicaid Expansion will go into effect on December 1, 2023."

Believes North Carolina has excellent healthcare facilities but criticizes the lack of Medicaid expansion, resulting in 600,000 people without affordable healthcare and loss of federal funding.

Believes healthcare and public education suffer when underfunded and prioritizes people over profit.

Believes in fighting for the right to control one's own body. As President of the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, worked with advocates to advance women's rights in North Carolina.

Believes improving healthcare includes addressing unmet needs in behavioral healthcare for mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders.

Believes lack of access to behavioral healthcare excludes people from the social and economic mainstream, causing an "incalculable" human toll.

Believes extreme gerrymandering and voting restrictions erode citizens' power in critical issues. Supports three core values to drive the election system.

Believes political divisions worsen when elected officials choose their voters instead of voters selecting their representatives.

Believes "we can do better" in fixing the education system and supports implementing the Leandro plan to improve K-12 school policies.

 Supports providing teachers fair compensation.

- Believes North Carolina fails to provide children with a "sound, basic education" as mandated by the state Supreme Court in the Leandro case.
-  Supports providing teachers fair compensation.
- Believes in valuing communities, investing in children, and dismantling divisive policies in education. 

As of July 8, 2024, Lisa Grafstein’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Lisa Grafstein has been a civil rights lawyer since 1995 and is currently working with Disability Rights North Carolina. She previously ran her own firm, Law Office of Lisa Grafstein, PLLC, from 1995 to 2011. Additionally, she has experience managing political campaigns, having served as campaign manager for Suzanne Reynolds, Linda Stephens, and Robin Hudson for their respective North Carolina Supreme Court races.

- Your State Senator participates in the legislative process at the state level. They are one of 50 members of the North Carolina Senate. The North Carolina Senate is the upper house of the North Carolina General Assembly (the state's lawmaking body).
- Your State Senator drafts laws, approves budgets, has oversight of the state executive branch, and debates and votes on proposed laws.
- In addition to drafting and voting on bills, your State Senator can serve on committees. This is important because many bills can be stalled in committee, preventing them making it to a vote.
- Your State Senator is responsible for representing your interests. They also are responsible for helping you navigate the state's services and bringing back resources to your district.
- The State Senator is elected to a 2-year term. There is no term limit.