{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Jonah Garson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Jonah Aaron Garson is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate representing District\u202f23 and is on the ballot for the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. He was appointed to the seat on April\u202f10,\u202f2026 after Governor Josh Stein accepted the recommendation of a six\u2011member Democratic nominating committee that gave Garson 636 weighted votes to replace retiring Senator Graig\u202fMeyer\u202f[1][4][8][12][18].\n\nBorn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Garson earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009 and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2014\u202f[1][4]. He began his legal career in the Labor Bureau of the New\u202fYork State Attorney General\u2019s Office, then worked as a corporate attorney at Milbank\u202fLLP in New\u202fYork City before joining the Chapel Hill\u2011based firm Parry\u202fLaw, PLLC, where he has litigated complex civil and administrative matters for businesses, nonprofits, and state agencies for more than a decade\u202f[4][6][8][14].\n\nGarson has been active in Democratic politics for years. He served as chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, was a member of the Chapel Hill\u2011Carrboro NAACP executive committee, and sits on the Orange County Planning Board and the UNC\u2011Chapel Hill Board of Visitors\u202f[1][6][14][18]. In February\u202f2023 he was elected First\u2011Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, serving alongside Chair Anderson\u202fClayton\u202f[4][1][14][15].\n\nHis earlier political work includes staff positions for former State Senator Ellie\u202fKinnaird, the late Representative Paul\u202fLuebke, and a campaign for former House Speaker Joe\u202fHackney. He ran for the open North\u202fCarolina House District\u202f56 in 2022, losing a narrow Democratic primary to incumbent Allen\u202fBuansi by 48.5% to 51.5%\u202f[1][13][14].\n\nAs a state senator Garson represents the three\u2011county District\u202f23 (Caswell, Orange, and Person). The role entails drafting and voting on legislation, serving on Senate committees, and advocating for district priorities such as a timely state budget, regulation of new AI data\u2011center projects, Medicaid expansion, voting\u2011rights protection, student\u2011debt relief, climate action, LGBTQ\u202frights, and public\u2011university reform\u202f[13][14][15][18].\n\nGarson\u2019s campaign for a full term emphasizes \u201cstrategic vision\u201d and \u201corganizer\u2011oriented\u201d leadership, arguing that the district needs more than a consistent progressive vote\u202f[6][13][14]. He faces Republican Laura\u202fPichardo in the November\u202f2026 race; the district is heavily Democratic, making his election likely\u202f[1][5][9][18].\n\nDuring the appointment process, some Senate Democrats raised concerns about alleged drug use and misconduct at party events, which Garson has denied and called an \u201canonymous smear campaign\u201d\u202f[4][13]. The allegations have not resulted in any formal action.\n\nGarson\u2019s combination of legal expertise, party leadership, and community organizing positions him as a prominent young Democratic figure in North\u202fCarolina politics.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Jonah Garson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jonah_Garson)\n- [2] [Results in the five most expensive Democratic North Carolina House primaries - Ballotpedia News](https://news.ballotpedia.org/2022/06/01/results-in-the-five-most-expensive-democratic-north-carolina-house-primaries/)\n- [3] [Allen Buansi - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Allen_Buansi)\n- [4] [Jonah Garson - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah_Garson)\n- [5] [2026 North Carolina Senate election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_North_Carolina_Senate_election)\n- [6] [Garson wins appointment to fill N.C. Senate District 23 seat | Community | newsoforange.com](https://www.newsoforange.com/community/article_e35422d7-4a44-4bf5-9a5b-148aba8b1404.html)\n- [7] [Jonah Garson for North Carolina (@JonahGarsonNC)](https://www.facebook.com/JonahGarsonNC/)\n- [8] [Chapel Hill political organizer Jonah Garson appointed to NC Senate :: WRAL.com](https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/jonah-garson-graig-meyer-nc-senate-chapel-hill-orange-county-appoint-april-2026/)\n- [9] [North Carolina Democratic Party First Vice Chair Jonah Garson selected as Graig Meyer's replacement - Daily Tar Heel](https://dailytarheel.com/article/city-jonah-garson-district-23-seat-vote-20260404)\n- [10] [Candidate nominated to fill District 23 seat in the State senate](https://www.wral.com/video/candidate-nominated-to-fill-district-23-seat-in-the-state-senate/22344260/)\n- [12] [NC Democratic Vice Chair Jonah Garson to succeed state Sen. Graig Meyer \u2022 NC Newsline](https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/nc-democratic-vice-chair-jonah-garson-to-succeed-state-sen-graig-meyer/)\n- [13] [Jonah Garson will prioritize passing a budget and regulating AI centers as senator - Daily Tar Heel](https://dailytarheel.com/article/city-jonah-garson-profile-20260413)\n- [14] [Democratic Party Vice Chair, Chapel Hill Attorney Jonah Garson Campaigns for NC Senate Appointment - Chapelboro.com](https://chapelboro.com/local-election-coverage/democratic-party-vice-chair-chapel-hill-attorney-jonah-garson-campaigns-for-nc-senate-appointment)\n- [15] [Orange County lawyer to fill Meyer\u2019s N.C. Senate seat](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2026/04/04/jonah-garson-nc-senate-meyer)\n- [16] [3 Democrats run to replace outgoing state senator in Triangle district :: WRAL.com](https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/buansi-garson-vie-replace-sen-graig-meyer-orange-person-caswell-march-2026/)\n- [17] [Jonah Garson Will Succeed Graig Meyer in the N.C. Senate](https://indyweek.com/news/jonah-garson-will-succeed-graig-meyer-in-the-n-c-senate/)\n- [18] [Democratic Party Committee Selects Jonah Garson for Nomination to Succeed Graig Meyer in N.C. Senate - Chapelboro.com](https://chapelboro.com/news/state-government/democratic-party-committee-selects-jonah-garson-for-nomination-to-succeed-graig-meyer-in-n-c-senate)\n- [19] [HOME | Jonah Garson for NC Senate](https://www.jonahgarson.com/)","firstname":"Jonah","lastname":"Garson","middlename":"Aaron","suffix":null,"token":"c3b29a8917b8823a"},"token":"JzYS5IQfW1"},{"candidatename":"Laura Pichardo","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Laura Pichardo is the Republican nominee for North Carolina State Senate District\u202f23 in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. The district covers Caswell, Person and Orange counties. She also appeared on the ballot for the same seat in 2024, losing to Democrat Graig\u202fR.\u202fMeyer, and previously sought the U.S. House in North Carolina\u2019s 6th Congressional District in 2020.\n\nBorn in Greensboro, North Carolina, Pichardo earned a B.S. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2014 and an MBA from Winston\u2011Salem State University in 2018\u202f[1][10]. She worked as a global transaction services accounts\u2011payable analyst for a large corporation and later held a position at the Hanes Brandon plant in Winston\u2011Salem\u202f[1][20]. She has also served as Treasurer of the Caswell County Republican Party (2022\u20112023) and is active in her local Catholic community as a teacher at Holy Infant Catholic Church\u202f[17][10].\n\nPichardo\u2019s campaign emphasizes economic development, balanced budgets, and educational support. She advocates for policies that attract new industries, provide grant programs for small businesses, and keep taxes low\u202f[17][18]. Her platform calls for expanding high\u2011speed internet in rural areas, investing in infrastructure such as roads and public transportation, and securing funding for public schools and vocational\u2011technical programs\u202f[17][18]. On fiscal issues, she supports a balanced state budget and prudent spending of taxpayer dollars\u202f[18].\n\nOn social issues, Pichardo identifies as a moderate Republican. She supports allowing abortions up to nine weeks, opposes taxpayer funding for abortion providers, and disagrees with assisted\u2011suicide legislation\u202f[10]. She favors background checks for gun purchases and believes law\u2011enforcement agencies should be adequately resourced while opposing broad redirection of police funds to community programs\u202f[10].\n\nPichardo\u2019s prior congressional run highlighted concerns about the national debt, proposing solar panels on federal buildings and an immigration fee to help reduce fiscal pressure\u202f[20]. She continues to promote policies aimed at job growth, community prosperity, and preserving individual liberties for her district.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Laura Pichardo - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Laura_Pichardo)\n- [10] [iVoterGuide - Laura Pichardo iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/52271/race/17544/election/1206)\n- [11] [Vote-USA | Laura Pichardo | Previous Candidate for US Congress District 6, North Carolina](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=NC&Id=NCPichardoLaura)\n- [17] [Laura Pichardo for NC State Senate District 23](https://pichardonc.com/)\n- [18] [Laura Pichardo | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-pichardo)\n- [20] [Get to know Republican candidate Laura Pichardo who is running for U.S. 6th District](https://www.wxii12.com/article/republican-newcomer-says-father-was-a-big-reagan-fan/30994881)","firstname":"Laura","lastname":"Pichardo","middlename":"Natividad","suffix":null,"token":"b5039c133b36e344"},"token":"rz7FDrLbcS"}],"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 23"}