Meet Sen. Kevin Corbin: Why the ‘voice of the far west’ believes in public schools
Sadie Ann, Sen. Kevin Corbin's granddaughter, held the Bible during his swearing in at the Macon County Courthouse for his third term in the North Carolina Senate.
Corbin, R-Macon, represents District 50, which includes Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Macon, Jackson, Swain, and Transylvania.
He is respected across party lines for his leadership on Medicaid expansion, receiving an award from NC Child.
In the 2025-26 session of the N.C. General Assembly, Corbin will serve as co-chair in the Senate of both the Appropriations Committee on Education/Higher Education and the Committee on Education/Higher Education.
Macon County is home
When we meet people as we travel across North Carolina, we ask “Who are you?” over and over again as a way to get to know the person better. As we researched this article, we came up with our own “Who are you?” for Corbin.
Corbin is from Macon County. He loves western North Carolina. He attended public schools. He is a first-generation college graduate. He is a Mountaineer. He was first elected to the Macon County Board of Education at 22. He was inducted into Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC Hall of Fame in 2013, the highest honor for brokers and agents. He is a gospel singer. He is "Pop" to his grandchildren. He is a Republican. He is a life-long public servant. He was a leader on Medicaid expansion. He is committed to change across party lines.
He is a North Carolina senator.
Corbin was born and raised in Macon County and still calls it home. When he talks about the region he serves, he uses the word "beloved."
Corbin attended public schools in Macon County, graduating from Franklin High School in the class of 1979.
He went on to Appalachian State University (App), where he graduated in 1983 with honors and a degree in business administration. While at App, he served as news editor of the university's paper.
Corbin founded and owns The Corbin Insurance Agency, Inc., and the Blue Ridge Insurance Group, which provide home, auto, health, business insurance, and more in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.
At 22, Corbin was elected to the Macon County School Board. He served on the board for 20 years, serving as chair for 16 of those. He led a 25-year, long-range plan to build new schools countywide costing $300 million, which will conclude with a new building for the high school.
He says his commitment to improving local education set the foundation for his "enduring dedication to public service."
Corbin served two terms on the Macon County Commission before being elected to the N.C. House of Representatives. He served two terms in the House in 2017-18 and 2019-20 before being elected to the N.C. Senate.
On his campaign website, his issues include broadband expansion, free enterprise, taxes, jobs, regulations, individual liberty, sanctity of life, efficient state government including the rainy day fund, voting as a fundamental right, and education.
Corbin is married to his wife, Beth, formerly a social worker. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in 2024 and have two children, Matt and Maggie. To their grandchildren, they are "Pop" and "Mimi."
Matt served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force before returning home to open Corbin Dental Care. You can see the whole family's commitment to public service on his son's website, which says, "His passion for the local community and desire to serve others is what drove Dr. Corbin to the field of dentistry.... Dr. Corbin is so honored to be back and serve Macon County, North Carolina, this great place we call home."
Maggie graduated from Southwestern Community College -- where her dad has served on the board of directors of the college's foundation -- and she is also in a helping profession, serving as a certified occupational therapist. Maggie is a cancer survivor and thanks her faith, family, friends, and community, she says. Throughout 2022, people -- including the girls she coaches in cheer -- had signs and t-shirts that said, "Her fight is our fight. #MaggieStrong."
The Corbins are members of Holly Springs Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon. Corbin sings gospel and is a founding member of Blue Ridge.
In a Facebook post in 2024, Maggie said to her dad, "We are so thankful for you and all the hard work, love, and support you give to your family, friends, and community."
Corbin's leadership on Medicaid expansion
Corbin's campaign website says, "His efforts were instrumental in the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina, extending coverage to 600,000 residents for the first time -- an accomplishment that highlights his ability to effect substantial change across party lines."
Corbin says, "I was one of the first Republicans in the building to favor Medicaid expansion."
According to The Mountaineer, when Corbin had the opportunity to move from the House to the Senate, he negotiated with leadership to not lose seniority, and he secured a promise to "discuss" Medicaid expansion.
He is proud that it passed the Senate with just two "no" votes, saying in an article in the Smoky Mountain News, “Two years ago, most people would have found it impossible to believe that the North Carolina Senate would even hear Medicaid expansion, much less pass it by an overwhelming bipartisan majority.”
Democratic Leader Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, has noted the "heat" Corbin took in the Republican caucus on the way to getting buy in across party lines.
As a health insurance agent, Corbin was able to share stories with legislators of single mothers who couldn't afford health insurance because their income was too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private insurance.
Corbin knew too many of his constituents fell in that coverage gap. Swain and Transylvania -- both counties in his district -- were in the top 10 counties with the largest share of non-elderly adults who became eligible for Medicaid, according to this study by the N.C. Justice Center.
As Corbin was fighting for Medicaid expansion, his daughter Maggie was fighting against cancer.
Access to health care, he knew, matters.
Why Corbin is pro public school
At a recent convening by the Public School Forum of North Carolina, Corbin kicked off his remarks with, "First out of the gate, let me tell you, I am very pro public school."
He said his grandfather was a farmer, and his father went to high school through 10th grade when he joined the military. Corbin is proud both of his kids went to college.
"My family has gone through that evolution of education," he says. "So I've seen how important it is for the outcomes of your life."
"I went to public school. My wife went to public school. My kids went to public school.
I really believe in public schools."-- Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon
Corbin said he thinks we all want better educated children so we need to talk about what outcomes matter.
He supports changing the funding model for public schools, and he thinks that shift could lead to more money for small school districts and rural schools.
"Teachers in NC deserve to have their pay adjusted to competitive levels," he says. "We don’t need to blame the Democrats or Republicans, it just needs to be fixed."
Corbin also says, "It is our responsibility as state leaders to provide our teachers with the tools necessary for them to perform in the classroom," noting that "teachers should not have to spend their personal funds for classroom materials." He says, "I believe NC can put more money into the classroom."
He supports advanced teaching roles, master's pay, and state supplements for rural counties that can't afford local supplements.
He supports the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT).
"If schools are getting public money, then they should be held accountable," says Corbin, when asked about funding for Opportunity Scholarships, which are taxpayer funded vouchers for eligible private schools. "I think everybody should be held accountable in the same way."
He supports a parent's right to choose a nonpublic school for their child, but he says, "Beginning my career in public service on the Macon County Board of Education, I am a strong advocate for public education."
Julie Pittman, the western regional teacher of the year in 2018 and later special advisor to the state superintendent during Catherine Truitt's tenure, says Corbin is "the voice of the far west."
"People out here like him," she says, "because he shows up."
Corbin's "beloved" western North Carolina
Even before Hurricane Helene, Corbin was "committed to ensuring that Western North Carolina’s voice is heard loud and clear in the General Assembly." He showed up during COVID. He showed up when Pactiv Evergreen closed a papermill in Canton, the state's largest layoff of that year.
After Helene, he made national headlines when he denounced the “conspiracy theory junk” that was circulating.
"PLEASE help stop this junk," Corbin posted. "It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job. Folks, this is a catastrophic event of which this country has never known."
At the statewide level, Corbin is serving on Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's Rebuilding Western North Carolina Advisory Committee.
At the local level, Corbin took the "Plunge for a Purpose" in January to raise money for a local family whose house was submerged by flood waters during Helene.
As Pittman says, Corbin shows up.
This article first appeared on EducationNC and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Posts
