{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Claire Kempner","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Claire Renee Kempner is the Democratic nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives District\u202f9 in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. She advanced from a decisive primary victory, earning 67.2% of the vote (4,781 votes) against Lenton\u202fBrown in the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Democratic primary and will face incumbent Republican Timothy\u202fReeder on the ballot [1].\n\nKempner, 46, lives at 1575 Black\u202fJack\u2011Simpson Road in Pitt County with her husband Greg and their three children. A stay\u2011at\u2011home mother, she describes herself as a community advocate and organizer, having served as the secretary of the Pitt County Democratic Party and volunteered on numerous local campaigns and causes, including Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, the Humane Society, United Way, and a maternity home for unhoused women and children [15][18].\n\nBefore entering electoral politics, Kempner\u2019s professional background centered on raising her family, gardening, and supporting her children\u2019s activities. Her public\u2011service experience is rooted in grassroots organizing: she has acted as a data chair for state and regional gun\u2011safety initiatives and has been active in Democratic Party operations at the county level [15][18].\n\nKempner first ran for the same House seat in 2024, winning the Democratic primary with 70.9% of the vote but losing the general election to Reeder, who captured 55.9% of the vote (26,888 votes) to her 44.1% (21,173 votes) [1]. Undeterred, she returned to the race in 2026, securing the party\u2019s nomination again and adding endorsements from organizations such as Gun Sense Voter, Lillian\u2019s List of North Carolina, Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic, and Red Wine and Blue [5].\n\nHer campaign platform emphasizes a \u201cpeople\u2011first\u201d agenda. Kempner advocates for fair redistricting through an independent bipartisan commission, fully funding public schools and raising teacher salaries to the national average, and protecting reproductive freedom. She calls for policies that lower the cost of living\u2014addressing housing, childcare, and inflation\u2014while supporting workforce training, a higher minimum wage, and paid family leave. Public safety proposals include common\u2011sense gun safety laws paired with expanded mental\u2011health and addiction services. Kempner also pledges to safeguard voting rights, maintain transparent elections, and increase legislative pay to broaden representation [15][17][18].\n\nKempner\u2019s community\u2011focused experience and repeated primary successes position her as a challenger seeking to shift District\u202f9 toward Democratic representation in the 2026 cycle.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Claire Kempner - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Claire_Kempner)\n- [5] [Endorsements for Claire Kempner - North Carolina Democratic Party Candidate](https://bluevoterguide.org/NC/candidate_Claire_Kempner/526365)\n- [10] [Claire Kempner (@ClaireforNC) / X](https://x.com/clairefornc?lang=en)\n- [15] [Claire Kempner: State House 9 Democratic primary Q&A | Local News | reflector.com](https://www.reflector.com/news/local/claire-kempner-state-house-9-democratic-primary-q-a/article_8f42f0ee-c9f8-11ee-983b-8f60cb09048d.html)\n- [17] [Claire Kempner for NC House](https://www.clairekempnernc.com/)\n- [18] [Claire Kempner platform & website | North Carolina State Representative, District 9, Democratic Primary](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-primary-election-nc-state-state-representative-nc-state-house-9-d/candidates/claire-kempner)\n- [19] [Claire Kempner - HD9 \u2014 C2C+NoC](https://c2cnoc.org/2024-candidates/kempner)","firstname":"Claire","lastname":"Kempner","middlename":"Renee","suffix":null,"token":"b5ec37055413930f"},"token":"65cbhFUPbSgFgdV2"},{"candidatename":"Lenton Brown","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nLenton Credelle Brown ran as a Democrat in the 2026 primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 9. He lost the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary to Claire Kempner.\n\n## Background and education\n\nBrown was born in Ahoskie, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in psychology from East Carolina University in 1979.\n\n## Career\n\nBrown served in the United States Navy from 1982 to 1991. After his military service, he pursued a real estate career, studying at J.Y. Monk and becoming a licensed broker and realtor.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Lenton Brown \u2013 Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Lenton_Brown)","firstname":"Lenton","lastname":"Brown","middlename":"Credelle","suffix":null,"token":"7e6463fd16dd8986"},"token":"1mA0ut_KKsSQa4kC"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_representative","o.office":"state_house","office":"state_house","officedescription":"The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the state legislature, with 99 members elected from single-member districts to two-year terms. Representatives pass state laws, originate revenue bills, approve the state budget, and \u2014 with the Senate \u2014 confirm gubernatorial appointments and 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 Representative","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 009"}