{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Mike Hager","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"> **Status update.** Michael Dean Hager lost the Republican primary for NC House District 113 to Jake Johnson, 4,685 votes to 7,341 (Henderson, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford counties, March 3, 2026); Johnson advances to the November 3, 2026 general election [3].\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Michael Dean Hager is a registered voter in Rutherford County, North Carolina, registered since 1996 (30 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Michael Dean Hager's year of birth as 1962; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 10 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Michael Dean Hager can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections -- Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 primary results by precinct (results_pct_20260303, dl.ncsbe.gov) -- accessed 2026-07-24; NC House District 113 (REP): Jake Johnson 7,341, Mike Hager 4,685.","firstname":"Michael","lastname":"Hager","middlename":"Dean","suffix":null,"token":"4a1eb439e7bc6879"},"token":"VuYCVTHiLgQNIq3g"},{"candidatename":"Jake Johnson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Jake Hunter Johnson is the incumbent Republican representative for North Carolina's House District 113 and is seeking re-election in the 2026 general election on November 3 [4].\n\n> **Editorial note \u2014 same-name confusion.** A different Jake Johnson - a Minnesota high-school teacher running for the U.S. House in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District - shares this candidate's name and generates substantial, unrelated search results and news coverage. That person is not the candidate profiled here. Jake Hunter Johnson is a North Carolina real-estate agent and former Polk County commissioner from Saluda, NC [8].\n\n## Background and education\n\nJohnson was born and raised on a farm in Saluda, Polk County, North Carolina, on May 15, 1994. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2016 [8].\n\n## Career\n\nJohnson works as a real-estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Hendersonville, North Carolina [8].\n\n## Office history\n\nHe won a seat on the Polk County Board of Commissioners at age 22 (from December 5, 2016) and later served as its chairman, before resigning to join the state legislature [8]. In August 2019 Johnson was appointed to the North Carolina House to fill the unexpired term of Cody Henson, and was subsequently elected to full terms in 2020, 2022, and 2024 [8][7].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nHe was appointed House Deputy Majority Whip for the 2025-2026 session and represents District 113, covering Henderson, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford counties [7]. During the 2023-2024 session he served as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Chair of the Appropriations on Information Technology Committee, and Vice Chair of the Commerce Committee, with additional seats on Banking, Education-K-12, and Wildlife Resources [3]. He won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary against Michael Hager with 61.0% of the vote (7,341 to 4,685), per North Carolina State Board of Elections precinct-level results [9][3].\n\n## Sources\n[3] [Jake Johnson (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jake_Johnson_(North_Carolina)) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[4] [North Carolina House of Representatives District 113 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_113)\n[7] [Representative Jake Johnson - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/762) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[8] [Jake Johnson (politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Johnson_(politician)) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[9] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 primary precinct-level results (`results_pct_20260303`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[12] [Jake Johnson for NC 113 - NC House campaign site](https://www.jakefornc.com/)","firstname":"Jake","lastname":"Johnson","middlename":"Hunter","suffix":null,"token":"1aff3a7956d9d0c1"},"token":"x8W_6TluC64UPPlT"}],"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 113"}