{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"CJ Domingo","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nCharles \"CJ\" Domingo is the Republican candidate for the North Carolina State Senate, District 49 (Buncombe County), in the November 3, 2026 general election, running against Democratic incumbent Julie Mayfield; the March 3, 2026 Republican primary was canceled [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nDomingo was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. His father, Gilbert Domingo, worked for four decades in the City of Asheville's Information Technology Services, exposing CJ to municipal operations from an early age. Domingo attended the Francine Delany New School, where he developed a lasting appreciation for the arts, and later worked for the city's Transportation Department from 2022 to 2023 [3]. After leaving municipal employment, he took a position as an operations supervisor with Securitas Loomis, a private security firm [3].\n\n## Career\n\nDomingo has been active in the local arts community, describing music as a \"language\" that expresses hidden parts of people; he cites Jim Croce as a personal influence, tied to his father's own musical aspirations [3]. He supports community-based arts programs such as pottery and metal-working workshops but opposes direct government payroll for artists, arguing that public funding can alter artistic integrity [3].\n\n## Office history\n\nDomingo's first campaign for elected office was a 2024 run for an at-large seat on the Asheville City Council. He appeared on the November 5, 2024 general-election ballot as a nonpartisan candidate, having also run in the March 5, 2024 primary; although the council race is officially nonpartisan, Domingo identified himself as the lone registered Republican among the six council candidates [1][3]. During that campaign he highlighted housing affordability and criticized what he called a \"pink palace\" culture at Asheville City Hall, where ideas from frontline employees go unheard \u2014 a view shaped by his own experience as a city employee [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Charles Domingo (Asheville City Council, North Carolina, candidate 2024) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Charles_Domingo_(Asheville_City_Council,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2024)), accessed 2026-07-20\n[2] [North Carolina State Senate District 49 \u2014 Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_District_49), accessed 2026-07-20\n[3] [On the Record: Music, mountains and thoughts on self-determination with Asheville City Council candidate Charles 'CJ' Domingo \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/arts/on-the-record-music-mountains-and-thoughts-on-self-determination-with-asheville-city-council-candidate-charles-cj-domingo/), accessed 2026-07-20","firstname":"Charles","lastname":"Domingo","middlename":"Joseph Pangle","suffix":null,"token":"84f9f3c9aec7dbf3"},"token":"JzfDmJOFTo"},{"candidatename":"Julie Mayfield","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Julie Virginia Mayfield is the incumbent Democratic State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 49th District, a seat she has held since being sworn in on January\u202f1,\u202f2021 and which she is seeking to retain in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  North Carolina State Senators serve four\u2011year terms, represent their district\u2019s constituents in the General Assembly, and participate in standing committees that shape state policy and budgetary decisions\u30101\u2020L1-L4\u3011\u30101\u2020L13-L18\u3011.  In the 2025\u20112026 session Senator Mayfield serves as the Senate Democratic Caucus Secretary and sits on the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee; the Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural and Economic Resources Committee; the Health Care Committee; the Senate Transportation Committee; and the Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee\u30101\u2020L31-L38\u3011.\n\nBorn in Atlanta, Georgia, Mayfield earned a Bachelor of Arts in religion from Davidson College in 1989 and a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 1996\u30101\u2020L9-L11\u3011\u30104\u2020L13-L16\u3011.  Early in her career she worked for Amnesty International USA, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and the Georgia Justice Project, focusing on prisoners\u2019 rights and death\u2011penalty opposition\u30104\u2020L20-L24\u3011.  She later practiced law at Kilpatrick Stockton, clerked for a federal judge, and directed the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory Law\u30104\u2020L25-L28\u3011.  From 2003 to 2008 she was vice president and general counsel of the Georgia Conservancy, a statewide environmental advocacy organization, before returning to Western North Carolina in 2008 to lead the regional nonprofit MountainTrue as its executive director\u30104\u2020L30-L34\u3011\u301018\u2020L9-L13\u3011.\n\nMayfield entered elected office in 2015 when she won a seat on the Asheville City Council, where she served on the Transit and Multi\u2011Modal Commissions and helped pass local climate\u2011action, police\u2011reform, and affordable\u2011housing measures\u30104\u2020L36-L38\u3011\u301018\u2020L1-L5\u3011.  She announced her candidacy for the state Senate in March\u202f2019, won the Democratic primary in March\u202f2020, and was elected in November\u202f2020, succeeding Terry Van\u202fDuyn\u30104\u2020L40-L45\u3011.  She was re\u2011elected in 2022 and again in 2024, defeating Republican Kristie Sluder with 69.1% of the vote\u30101\u2020L57-L62\u3011.  In the 2026 cycle the Democratic primary was canceled, and she advanced automatically to the November ballot opposite Republican C.J.\u202fDomingo\u30101\u2020L45-L50\u3011.\n\nDuring her tenure Senator Mayfield has sponsored a range of legislation reflecting her environmental, health\u2011care, and social\u2011justice priorities.  Notable bills include SB\u202f94 to repeal the death penalty, SB\u202f110 (North Carolina Work and Save), SB\u202f65 to restore down\u2011zoning in Buncombe County, and SB\u202f166 to repeal limitations on auxiliary containers\u30103\u2020L73-L84\u3011.  She has also championed bills to expand Medicaid, protect LGBTQ+ rights, eliminate the \u201cpink tax\u201d on menstrual products, and promote a living\u2011wage standard, as outlined on her campaign\u2019s issue pages\u30108\u2020L1-L20\u3011.\n\nMayfield\u2019s public statements emphasize a \u201cpractical progressive\u201d approach: protecting the environment through clean\u2011energy legislation such as H951, improving water quality in the French Broad River, and opposing corporate\u2011driven health\u2011care consolidation.  She positions herself as a defender of reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and voting access, and she frequently highlights her work building coalitions across the aisle while maintaining progressive values\u30106\u2020L9-L15\u3011\u301011\u2020L13-L20\u3011.\n\nOutside the legislature, Mayfield remains involved with MountainTrue as a senior policy advisor and continues to serve on regional boards, including the North Carolina Conservation Network and the Western North Carolina chapter of the ACLU\u301018\u2020L14-L18\u3011.  She lives in West Asheville with her spouse, attorney Jim Grode, and maintains strong ties to the community she represents.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Julie Mayfield - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Julie_Mayfield)\n- [2] [Senator Julie Mayfield - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/432)\n- [3] [Senator Julie Mayfield's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/S/432)\n- [4] [Julie Mayfield - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Mayfield)\n- [6] [Home - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/)\n- [7] [About - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/about/)\n- [8] [Issues - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/issues/)\n- [9] [Vote-USA | Julie Mayfield | Candidate for State Senator District 49, North Carolina | November 3, 2026 North Carolina General Election](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=NC&Id=NCMayfieldJulie)\n- [11] [Mayfield files for re-election to Senate District 49 - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/mayfield-files-for-re-election-to-senate-district-49/)\n- [12] [What happens if Republicans take full control? - Julie Mayfield for NC Senate](https://mayfieldforncsenate.com/what-happens-if-republicans-take-full-control/)\n- [18] [Asheville City Council member Julie Mayfield to run for N.C. Senate District 49 \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/blogwire/asheville-city-council-member-julie-mayfield-to-run-for-n-c-senate-district-49/)\n- [19] [Sen. Julie Mayfield (@MayfieldforNC) / X](https://x.com/mayfieldfornc)","firstname":"Julie","lastname":"Mayfield","middlename":"Virginia","suffix":null,"token":"8d8a462712b777f0"},"token":"PmmCZYcFkA"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_senator","o.office":"state_senate","office":"state_senate","officedescription":"The Tennessee Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature, with 33 members elected from single-member districts to four-year terms. Senators pass state laws, approve the state budget, confirm certain gubernatorial appointments, and \u2014 with the House \u2014 propose constitutional amendments.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Senator","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc State Senate District 49"}