After eight terms of distinguished service to the people of Lenoir, Greene, Pitt, and Wayne Counties, Senator Louis Pate (R-Wayne) today announced his retirement in a letter to Governor Roy Cooper.

Senator Pate recently began his fifth term in the North Carolina Senate after serving four terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

In October, Senator Pate told constituents that he was recovering from a health complication and that this would be his final term in office. Senator Pate has improved substantially in recent weeks and continues to improve. Still, after careful consideration with his loved ones, Senator Pate decided to retire early, effective today.

John Nix, chairman of the Lenoir County Republican Party, said he knew Pate well and knew that he would probably be stepping down due to health issues.

“Louis is a great guy,” Nix said. “He’s one of my favorite people. I just pray for his health and pray everything goes well for him.”

Nix said executive committee members of the Lenoir County and Wayne County GOP Party will meet and form a combined executive committee to vote on a replacement for Pate, maybe by the end of the month.

A weighted voting system will be used by the planning organization of the N.C. GOP Party since Lenoir County has on 29 percent of the vote and Wayne County has 71 percent of the vote because there is a larger Republican Party in Wayne County, Nix said.

The weighted voting system is used when all voters do not have the same influence over the outcome of an election. Instead votes of different voters are given different weight.

Senator Pate is a decorated combat veteran. He served on active duty in the United States Air Force for 20 years. During his distinguished military career, Senator Pate earned multiple medals: the Distinguished Flying Cross; the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters; the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster; the Air Force Commendation Medal; and the National Defense Service Medal.

Senator Pate retired from the Air Force as a major in 1982. He navigated B-52 bombers, B-57 bombers, F-4 fighter-bombers, and F-111 Aardvarks, a supersonic attack aircraft, during his lengthy military career.

Between 1995 and 2008, Senator Pate served four terms in the N.C. House of Representatives. In 2011, Senator Pate became a member of the N.C. Senate, where he rose to Deputy President Pro Tempore. As a legislator, Senator Pate focused on healthcare policy, helping reform the state’s struggling and debt-burdened Medicaid program.

Sen. Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said Pate’s influence and work about continue to impact the General Assembly in the future.

“Senator Pate’s leadership and personal touch made this body more effective, and for that every Senator should be grateful,” Berger said in a prepared statement. “I know his legacy will continue to impact this body in the years ahead. It has been a privilege to serve the people of this state with a man of such character as Louis Pate.”