{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Richard Hudson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Richard Lane Hudson\u202fJr. is the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative for North Carolina\u2019s 9th Congressional District and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election\u202f[2]. He has served in Congress since January\u202f2013, first representing the 8th district before redistricting moved him to the 9th\u202f[18].\n\nBorn on November\u202f4,\u202f1971, in Franklin, Virginia, Hudson grew up in the Charlotte area, graduating from Myers Park High School in 1990. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1996, where he was student\u2011body president and a member of the Kappa Alpha Order\u202f[18].\n\nHudson\u2019s early political career included work as district director for Congressman Robin Hayes (1999\u20112005) and staff positions for Representatives Virginia\u202fFoxx, John\u202fCarter, and Mike\u202fConaway. He served as communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party in the mid\u20111990s and managed Pat\u202fMcCrory\u2019s 2008 gubernatorial campaign. He also founded a small\u2011business consulting firm, Cabarrus Marketing Group, which he dissolved upon his election to Congress\u202f[18].\n\nIn the House, Hudson has risen to senior leadership. He served as Secretary of the House Republican Conference (2021\u20112023) and was elected Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in January\u202f2023, becoming the fourth\u2011in\u2011line for the speakership\u202f[13][17]. He is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and chairs its Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, where he has pursued policies to bridge the digital divide, streamline regulations, and lower energy costs\u202f[13]. Hudson authored the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R.\u202f38) and has received high ratings from the NRA and the Family Research Council for his stance on the Second Amendment and pro\u2011life issues\u202f[13].\n\nHudson\u2019s electoral record shows consistent victories. He won his first congressional race in 2012 with 53\u202f% of the vote, and has been re\u2011elected in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, and is listed as a candidate for 2026\u202f[18][2][9]. In the 2024 general election he defeated Democratic challenger Nigel\u202fBristow with 56.3\u202f% of the vote\u202f[2].\n\nOutside of his legislative duties, Hudson is active in his community. He has served on the Rowan\u2011Cabarrus Community College Board of Trustees, the UNC\u202fCharlotte Alumni Association Board of Governors, the West Cabarrus YMCA Board of Managers, and the Cabarrus Jaycees Board of Directors. He lives in Southern Pines with his wife, Renee, and their son\u202f[13].\n\n## Sources\n- [2] [North Carolina's 9th Congressional District - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_9th_Congressional_District)\n- [3] [Endorsements by Richard Hudson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Endorsements_by_Richard_Hudson)\n- [6] [North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election, 2024 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_9th_Congressional_District_election,_2024)\n- [9] [North Carolina's 8th Congressional District election, 2018 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_8th_Congressional_District_election,_2018)\n- [13] [About | Congressman Richard Hudson - House.gov](https://hudson.house.gov/about)\n- [14] [Home | Congressman Richard Hudson](https://hudson.house.gov/)\n- [16] [RICHARD HUDSON NORTH CAROLINA VICTORY COMMITTEE; THE - committee overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00564526/)\n- [17] [N. Carolina Rep. Hudson named to lead House campaign arm | Congressman Richard Hudson](https://hudson.house.gov/media/in-the-news/n-carolina-rep-hudson-named-to-lead-house-campaign-arm)\n- [18] [Richard Hudson (American politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hudson_(American_politician))\n- [20] [The winner will take on Richard Hudson in the General ...](https://www.facebook.com/WFMYNews2/posts/the-winner-will-take-on-richard-hudson-in-the-general-election/1351558220348563/)","firstname":"Richard","lastname":"Hudson","middlename":"Lane","suffix":"JR","token":"df2cbaa20921bdc4"},"token":"AXIX8dbLk2"},{"candidatename":"Richard N. Ojeda II","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Richard Neece Ojeda\u202fII is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina\u2019s 9th Congressional District in the 2026 election.  To serve in the House a candidate must be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and reside in the state they wish to represent\u202f[1].  Ojeda meets all of those constitutional requirements and is seeking to succeed incumbent Republican Rep.\u202fRichard Hudson.\n\nOjeda was born on September\u202f25,\u202f1970 in Rochester, Minnesota and raised in Logan County, West Virginia, where he graduated from Logan High School in 1988\u202f[1][20].  He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in General Education from West Virginia State University in 1997 and an MBA in Business and Organizational Security from Webster University\u202f[11][20].  He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1989, served 24 years, and retired as a Major in 2013 after two tours in Iraq, a deployment to Afghanistan, and numerous other overseas assignments, earning two Bronze Star Medals\u202f[1][11][18].  After leaving the military he taught Junior ROTC at Chapmanville Regional High School from 2013 to 2017\u202f[11][20].\n\nIn 2016 Ojeda was elected to the West Virginia State Senate representing District\u202f7, serving until January\u202f10,\u202f2019\u202f[1][19].  While in the Senate he championed medical\u2011cannabis legislation, supported the historic 2018 West Virginia teachers\u2019 strike, and positioned himself as a pro\u2011labor, pro\u2011veteran voice\u202f[18][20].  He ran for the U.S. House in West Virginia\u2019s 3rd District in 2018, losing to Republican Carol\u202fMiller\u202f[7][8][18].  In November\u202f2018 he announced a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the second sitting office\u2011holder to do so, but suspended the campaign in January\u202f2019\u202f[5][18].  He later sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 2020, losing the primary to Paula\u202fJean\u202fSwearengin\u202f[11][20].\n\nAfter those statewide campaigns Ojeda relocated to North Carolina, where he filed to run for Congress in the 9th District.  He won the Democratic primary on March\u202f3,\u202f2026 with 41.8\u202f% of the vote (18,437 votes) against three opponents\u202f[1][2].  The general election is set for November\u202f3,\u202f2026, where he will face incumbent Rep.\u202fRichard\u202fHudson (R) and Independent Tita\u202fHunter\u2011Herod\u202f[1][2][6].\n\nOjeda\u2019s current campaign emphasizes \u201cVeterans, Education, Working Families, and North Carolina\u2019s future.\u201d  The campaign website lists priorities such as improving VA care and mental\u2011health services for veterans, raising teacher pay and reducing student\u2011debt, protecting Medicare and Medicaid, expanding Social Security benefits, and investing in agriculture and skilled\u2011trade jobs\u202f[13][15].  He stresses a grassroots, small\u2011donor approach and claims to have taken no corporate PAC money\u202f[13][15].  The platform reflects his long\u2011standing focus on labor rights, veterans\u2019 issues, and rural economic development, themes that have defined his public service from the Army to the state senate.\n\nOverall, Ojeda brings a blend of military leadership, legislative experience, and a history of populist campaigning to a race that could be competitive in a district that has swung between parties in recent cycles.  Voters will be evaluating his record on labor, cannabis legalization, and veteran advocacy alongside his recent relocation to North Carolina and his ability to connect with district\u2011specific concerns.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Richard Ojeda - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Richard_Ojeda)\n- [2] [North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_9th_Congressional_District_election,_2026)\n- [3] [West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/West_Virginia's_3rd_Congressional_District_election,_2018)\n- [4] [West Virginia State Senate District 7 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/West_Virginia_State_Senate_District_7)\n- [5] [Richard Ojeda suspends 2020 presidential campaign \u2013 Ballotpedia News](https://news.ballotpedia.org/2019/01/27/richard-ojeda-suspends-2020-presidential-campaign/)\n- [6] [Richard Hudson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Richard_Hudson)\n- [7] [West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/West_Virginia's_3rd_Congressional_District)\n- [8] [Battleground Friday: West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Battleground_Friday:_West_Virginia's_3rd_Congressional_District)\n- [9] [OJEDA, RICHARD NEECE SENATOR II - Candidate overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H8WV03048/)\n- [10] [Richard Ojeda - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ojeda)\n- [11] [Richard Ojeda - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ojeda)\n- [12] [2026 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_North_Carolina)\n- [13] [Vote Ojeda \u2013 A Look at The Work of Richard Ojeda](https://voteojeda.com/)\n- [14] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/147777/richard-ojeda-ii)\n- [15] [Richard Ojeda for NC09 - United We Win](https://ojedafornc.com/)\n- [16] [Richard Ojeda for NC09 - Richard Ojeda for NC09](https://ojedafornc.com/about-richard-ojeda/)\n- [18] [9 things to know about Richard Ojeda \u2013 Center for Public Integrity](https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/presidential-profiles-2020/richard-ojeda-candidate/)\n- [19] [State Senator Richard Ojeda | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/22224)\n- [20] [Who is Richard Ojeda? | wusa9.com](https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/who-is-richard-ojeda/507-8454da34-2530-4fa6-b7e6-8a9692d4779b)","firstname":"Richard","lastname":"Ojeda","middlename":"Neece","suffix":"II","token":"42fbc0186a199679"},"token":"SCv1ojfrpH"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"us_representative","o.office":"us_house","office":"us_house","officedescription":"A United States Representative represents a single congressional district in the lower chamber of Congress, serving a two-year term. Representatives write and pass federal law, originate revenue bills, fund and oversee the executive branch, and serve constituents in dealings with federal agencies.","officequalities":"- Legislative craft at the federal level: reading, drafting, and amending federal statute, and knowing the law being changed.\n- Understanding of the district's economic and everyday concerns, and constituent-service capacity for casework with federal agencies.\n- Persuasion and coalition-building across party and factional lines to form working majorities.\n- Integrity: acting for constituents and the public good rather than personal gain, independent of undue influence.\n- Oversight judgment: the House funds and oversees the executive branch and the military.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"U.S. Representative","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Us House Of Representatives District 09"}