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Nickel served as a member of the North Carolina Senate from the 16th district from 2019 to 2023.[3] He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022.[4] On December 16, 2023, Nickel decided not to seek re-election after his seat was redrawn to heavily favor the Republican Party.[5]
On April 9, 2025, Nickel launched his campaign for the United States Senate in the 2026 election,[6] but withdrew on July 29 after former Governor Roy Cooper declared candidacy. Instead, Nickel is reportedly going to run for District Attorney of Wake County.[7]
Nickel worked for Vice President Al Gore from 1996 to 2001 as a member of his national advance staff.[11] He is also a member of Gore's Climate Reality Leadership Corps.[11]
Nickel later worked on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and served on the White House national advance staff from 2008 until 2012. He is a member of the Obama Alumni Association and was part of Obama's first wave of political endorsements in 2018. Obama endorsed six candidates in North Carolina, including Nickel, in August 2018.[12][13]
Nickel ran in California's 12th State Senate district in 2006 against incumbent Republican Jeff Denham. He was called "a moderate Democrat" and the race was seen as potentially competitive.[2] During the primary election, he spent $250,000 on advertisements, mainly funded by personal loans. The ads, which mainly ran in the Sacramento media market, did not mention what district he was running in or his party affiliation.[14] He lost the general election to Denham, receiving 40.2% of the vote to Denham's 59.8%.[15]
Nickel was first elected to represent the 16th senate district with over 65% of the vote on November 6, 2018.[17] He held a seat that had been opened when incumbent Jay Chaudhuri was redistricted into the neighboring 15th district.[18] His victory helped to break the Republican supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly.[19][20][21]
Nickel ran for reelection in 2020. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary[17] and defeated Republican nominee Will Marsh with 65.6% of the vote.[22] He was endorsed by The News & Observer.[23]
Nickel was appointed to the Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources Committee, the Pensions/Retirement/Aging Committee and the Education/Higher Education Appropriations Committee on January 18, 2019.[24] He co-sponsored a bill to restore master's degree and doctoral degree pay for teachers in North Carolina.[25]
Nickel co-sponsored Senate Bill 209, which would increase the scope and punishment of hate crimes and require the SBI to maintain and create a hate crimes statistics database. He spoke about SB 209 during a candlelight vigil at the Islamic Center of Cary to remember the New Zealand terror attack victims.[26]
Nickel served on the Redistricting and Elections Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Pensions/Retirement/Aging Committee, and the Appropriations on General Government/Information Technology Committee in the state senate.[27]
Nickel ran for Congress in North Carolina's newly drawn 13th congressional district. The district covers southern Wake County, all of Johnston County, and parts of Wayne and Harnett Counties. Nickel won the Democratic nomination.[28]
The conservative Carolina Journal wrote that Nickel ran "as a moderate despite a fairly left-wing voting record".[29]
On April 9, 2025, Nickel announced his candidacy for the United States Senate.[53][54] On June 29, 2025, Thom Tillis withdrew from the election.[55] The race is expected to be highly competitive, potentially deciding control of the Senate in 2026.
With the entry of former Governor Roy Cooper into the US Senate race, Nickel suspended his US Senate campaign, endorsed Cooper, and will run instead for Wake County, North Carolina District Attorney seat.[56]
Born in California, Nickel moved to North Carolina in 2009.[64] He lives in Cary with his wife, Caroline, and their two children. Nickel is a second cousin of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson.[65]
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