Heather Rhyne is a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 97. Rhyne was chosen in the summer of 2024 to succeed longtime Representative Jason Saine, who resigned from the seat in August of that year, and took office on August 19, 2024, to complete the remainder of the term. Rhyne also took Saine’s place on the November 2024 ballot and won a full term without opposition. Rhyne is a candidate for re-election in 2026.1
District 97 takes in all of Lincoln County, west of Charlotte. Rhyne studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and works as a pharmacist. Before moving to the legislature, Rhyne served on the Lincoln County Board of Education and was chairing the board at the time of the House appointment. Rhyne and spouse Chris Rhyne have two children.
In the 2025–2026 session, Rhyne holds the leadership post of House Majority Freshman Leader. Rhyne is vice chair of the House Committee on K-12 Education and a member of the Appropriations Committee and its Health and Human Services subcommittee, as well as the Health, Higher Education and Oversight committees. Rhyne also serves on the House select committees on redistricting and on involuntary commitment and public safety, and on two joint panels: the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid. These assignments place much of Rhyne’s legislative work in the areas of public schools, health care and state spending.
