{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Christopher Lamar Wilson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nChristopher Lamar \"Chris\" Wilson (Republican) ran in the 2026 Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 117, challenging incumbent Jennifer Balkcom. He lost the March 3, 2026 primary; only Balkcom and Democrat Lynne Russo advanced to the November general election [1][3].\n\nWilson's campaign focused on teacher compensation, rebuilding the educator pipeline, fulfilling the Leandro court mandates, and ensuring every child in western North Carolina has access to a well-funded, well-staffed public school [1].\n\n## Background and education\nWilson lives in Hendersonville, NC, and switched his voter registration from unaffiliated to Republican before filing for the District 117 seat [1]. By his own account, he has spent \"more than a decade\" advocating for educators across North Carolina [1].\n\n## Career\nWilson is the director of bands at Polk County Middle School [1][2]. He is also the volunteer director of the Bounty of Bethlehem, a nonprofit that organizes the community's free Christmas dinner each year [1][2].\n\n## Family\nWilson is a 45-year-old single father of two [1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [VOTER GUIDE: House District 117 \u2013 Hendersonville Lightning](https://www.hendersonvillelightning.com/four-seasons-politics/15844-voter-guide-house-district-117.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n- [2] [Christopher Wilson Named Volunteer Director of Bounty of Bethlehem \u2013 Polk County Schools](https://polkschools.org/polk-county-schools-christopher-wilson-named-volunteer-director-of-bounty-of-bethlehem/)\n- [3] [North Carolina State Board of Elections 2026 Candidate Filing List (CSV)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20 (confirms only Balkcom and Lynne Russo filed for the Nov. 3 general in District 117)","firstname":"Christopher","lastname":"Wilson","middlename":"Lamar","suffix":null,"token":"812d8f71fceb3199"},"token":"hZUrK63FxP4nkNuZ"},{"candidatename":"Jennifer Capps Balkcom","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Jennifer Capps Balkcom is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 117 and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election\u202f[1][2]. The 117th district covers most of Henderson County in western North Carolina. As a state legislator she serves a two\u2011year term that began on January\u202f1,\u202f2023 and runs through January\u202f1,\u202f2027\u202f[1][2].\n\nBalkcom was born and raised in Henderson County, graduating from East Henderson High School before earning an associate degree in Business Administration/Banking and Finance from Blue Ridge Community College in 2016\u202f[1][9]. She has spent her professional career in the banking and mortgage\u2011lending industry, advancing from teller to branch manager and later to mortgage loan officer, most recently with ALCOVA Mortgage\u202f[11].\n\nHer community involvement is extensive. She has held leadership positions as vice president of the Hendersonville Women\u2019s Club and the Hendersonville Lions Club, and served as treasurer of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Western North Carolina\u202f[1][11]. Balkcom also sits on the boards of the Henderson County Education Foundation, the Advent Health Foundation, the Henderson County Planning Board, and the non\u2011profit The Store House, among others\u202f[1][11][20].\n\nIn the legislature Balkcom has been assigned to several key committees, including Agriculture, Banking, House Finance, Local Government \u2013 Land Use, Planning and Development, and State Government during the 2023\u20112024 session\u202f[1][15]. She has sponsored a range of bills, such as the \u201cBack the Blue Pay Act\u201d (HB\u202f42) and the \u201cFarmers Protection Act\u201d (HB\u202f62), reflecting interests in public safety, agricultural preservation, and property rights\u202f[6].\n\nBalkcom\u2019s campaign platform emphasizes conservative priorities: returning to paper ballots and ballot inspection, strict border enforcement, eliminating the state income tax, protecting Second Amendment rights, defending the unborn, supporting parental rights, school choice, and opposing critical race theory\u202f[10]. She describes herself as a \u201cproven conservative fighter\u201d who grew up on a family farm and has deep roots in Henderson County\u202f[10][20].\n\nIf re\u2011elected, Balkcom will continue to represent the interests of Henderson County residents in the state House, drawing on her banking expertise, legislative experience, and long\u2011standing community service.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Jennifer Balkcom - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jennifer_Balkcom)\n- [2] [Jennifer Capps Balkcom - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jennifer_Capps_Balkcom)\n- [3] [Michael O'Shea (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Michael_O'Shea_(North_Carolina))\n- [4] [Representative Jennifer Balkcom - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/DistrictRepresentation/H/117)\n- [5] [Representative Jennifer Balkcom - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/820)\n- [6] [Representative Jennifer Balkcom's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/820)\n- [9] [Jennifer Balkcom - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Balkcom)\n- [10] [Jennifer Balkcom for State House](https://www.votebalkcom.com/)\n- [11] [Jennifer Balkcom's Biography](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/202758/jennifer-balkcom)\n- [14] [Jennifer Balkcom - Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124668538)\n- [15] [Jennifer Balkcom \u2013 North Carolina State Representative](https://repbio.org/jennifer-balkcom/)\n- [18] [Jennifer Balkcom - North Carolina House Republican Caucus](https://www.nchouserepublicans.com/members/jennifer-balkcom/)\n- [19] [Jennifer Balkcom - Representative from North Carolina](https://sengov.com/states/north-carolina/jennifer-balkcom/)\n- [20] [Get to know Rep.-elect Jennifer Balkcom - NC Tribune](https://nctribune.com/news/2022/dec/09/get-to-know-rep-elect-jennifer-balkcom/)","firstname":"Jennifer","lastname":"Balkcom","middlename":"Capps","suffix":null,"token":"48bf2461c322d4da"},"token":"m1u3OI8SaU27Nran"}],"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 117"}