Marc Basnight served as a Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate, representing the 1st District, from 1984 through his resignation just before the start of what would have been his 14th term in 2011. His district included constituents in Beaufort, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Pasquotank, Tyrrell, and Washington counties. A small business owner, Basnight held the position of President pro tempore from 1993 until Democrats lost their Senate majority in the November 2010 elections. In December 2006, Senate Democrats officially backed him for a record eighth term in that post, and in January 2009, Senate Democrats and two Republicans backed him for a ninth term. Such bipartisan support is rare when electing presiding officers in the North Carolina legislature. In the wake of the 2010 elections, Basnight said he would not seek any leadership post in the minority Democratic caucus when the legislature reconvened in January 2011. Then, he announced he would resign just before the opening of the new legislature, due to health issues. In an Associated Press interview February 13, 2012, asked if he had Lou Gehrig's disease, Basnight said, "I may have it, may not." Dr. Benjamin Brooks of Carolinas Medical Center said Basnight had progressive bulbar palsy and that, while someone could die from the condition, it was also possible to live a long time. Brooks said medication was slowing the disease's progress, and that it was uncertain whether Basnight had ALS. On March 7, 2019, the North Carolina State Board of Transportation voted to name the 2.8-mile Oregon Inlet bridge opened three days earlier for Basnight.
Personal life and business
Basnight was born in Manteo, North Carolina and graduated from Manteo High School in 1966. He married the late Sandy Tillett on 23 March 1968; they parented two children together, Caroline and Vicki. Basnight chaired the Dare Countytourist bureau from 1974 to 1976, and was a member of the North Carolina Board of Transportation from 1977 to 1983. Though Basnight never attended college, he received an honorary bachelor's degree from East Carolina University in 1996. Basnight is a member of the Masons. Basnight owns a restaurant, the Lone Cedar Cafe, between Manteo and Nags Head on the Outer Banks. It burned to the ground May 1, 2007, in what was determined to be a fire caused by arson. It has since been rebuilt.
