{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"DeDreana Freeman","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nDeDreana Irene Freeman ran in the 2026 Democratic primary for North Carolina Senate District 22 (covering portions of Durham County) but lost to Sophia Chitlik, 11,968 votes to 22,739, in the March 3, 2026 primary; Chitlik advances to the November 3, 2026 general election [3]. Freeman previously served on the Durham City Council representing Ward 1 from 2017, when she defeated incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden, through a 2021 re-election, before losing her bid for a third term in 2025 [2].\n\nFreeman's Senate campaign was organized around a SEE framework \u2014 Social, Economic, and Environmental priorities \u2014 encompassing housing affordability, living wages, small business support, and environmental justice, per her campaign materials [1].\n\n## Background and education\nDeDreana Freeman was born on September 30, 1977. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and a Master of Arts from North Carolina Central University [2].\n\n## Career\nFreeman has worked in community finance and economic development, serving as Director of Thread Capital and Director of Partnership Development at CornerSquare Community Capital, part of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center [2]. Her campaign materials credit her Durham City Council tenure with helping secure more than $16 million in wage increases for workers and leading advocacy for the HEART (Housing, Economic Development, and Affordability in Real Time) program [1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [DeDreana Freeman for NC Senate \u2013 dedreanafreeman.com](https://dedreanafreeman.com)\n- [2] [DeDreana Freeman - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeDreana_Freeman)\n- [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 primary results by precinct (results_pct_20260303, dl.ncsbe.gov) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20; NC Senate District 22 (DEM): Sophia Chitlik 22,739, Dedreana Freeman 11,968.","firstname":"Dedreana","lastname":"Freeman","middlename":"Irene","suffix":null,"token":"b61d7481bfa66c23"},"token":"3KFfdCCEvMY4jbJY"},{"candidatename":"Sophia Chitlik","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Sophia Chitlik is the incumbent Democratic State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 22nd Senate district and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  North Carolina senators serve two\u2011year terms, must be at least 25 years old, a qualified voter, and have resided in the state for two years and in the district for one year before election\u202f[2].  Senators assume office on January\u202f1 following the election and earn a salary of $13,951 per year plus a $104 per\u2011day per diem\u202f[2].\n\nChitlik earned a Bachelor of Arts from New York University in 2011, graduating magna cum laude with a self\u2011designed major in Political Community Building\u202f[5][7].  She began her political career as a field organizer for Barack Obama\u2019s 2008 presidential campaign, leading general\u2011election operations in Loudoun County, Virginia\u202f[5][13].  After the campaign she served as a young presidential appointee in the Obama administration, working in the U.S. Department of Labor and later in the White House\u202f[5][17].\n\nLeaving federal service, Chitlik moved to Durham, North Carolina in 2017.  She became chief operating officer of The Future Project, an education\u2011focused nonprofit, overseeing an $11\u202fmillion budget and driving rapid growth\u202f[5][17].  She later worked as a strategic\u2011planning consultant, investor, and fractional chief operating officer for a range of community\u2011based organizations, focusing on women\u2011owned businesses, maternal health, and social\u2011impact ventures\u202f[5][7][13].  She co\u2011founded Aya Birth & Community Wellness, a Black\u2011owned birth center, and helped launch Tend, a pregnancy\u2011support company\u202f[5][17].\n\nIn the 2024 election cycle Chitlik defeated three\u2011term incumbent Mike Woodard in the Democratic primary with 57.6\u202f% of the vote and won the general election with 86\u202f% against Libertarian Ray\u202fUbinger\u202f[5][1].  She took office on January\u202f1,\u202f2025\u202f[1][5].  During her first term she served on the Appropriations on Education/Higher Education Committee, the Education/Higher Education Committee, and the Senate Judiciary Committee\u202f[1].  She sponsored over 100 bills, including an amendment on childcare that became law in 2025, and was the only freshman Democrat to have legislation signed that year\u202f[7][13].  Her legislative priorities, described as a \u201cPlatform of Care,\u201d focus on expanding public\u2011school access, affordable community\u2011college and apprenticeship programs, child\u2011care, women\u2019s reproductive rights, maternal\u2011health equity, affordable housing, and clean\u2011energy initiatives\u202f[8][14].\n\nChitlik\u2019s constituency work includes personally responding to more than 1,400 constituent emails in her first eleven months and assisting over 100 residents with issues ranging from immigration to TANF delays\u202f[13].  She has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Senate Democratic Caucus and local nonprofits, and has secured $6\u202fmillion in funding for survivors of sexual assault and additional resources for North Carolina Central University and Durham Tech\u202f[13].\n\nShe resides in Durham with her husband, Ben\u202fAbram, an energy\u2011sector executive, and their son\u202f[5][17].  Chitlik is a member of the Jewish\u202fFor\u202fGood network, a recipient of its 2021 Young Leadership Award, and an active participant in her local synagogue\u202f[5][17].  She continues to serve on the boards of several community organizations, including NC Funders for Maternal Health and Narrow Bridge Fund\u202f[1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Sophia Chitlik - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Sophia_Chitlik)\n- [2] [North Carolina State Senate District 22 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_District_22)\n- [5] [Sophia Chitlik - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Chitlik)\n- [7] [About - Sophia Chitlik for North Carolina Senate](https://sophiafornc.com/about/)\n- [8] [Sophia Chitlik for North Carolina State Senate](https://sophiafornc.com/)\n- [10] [Sophia for NC State Senate (@SophiaForNC)](https://www.facebook.com/SophiaForNC/)\n- [11] [State Senator Sophia Chitlik | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/29661)\n- [12] [Sophia Chitlik | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/sophia-chitlik)\n- [13] [NC Senate District 22: Sophia Chitlik | 2026 Primary Candidates](https://indyweek.com/news/n-c-senate-district-22-sophia-chitlik-2026/)\n- [14] [Candidate Questionnaire: Sophia Chitlik, NC Senate District 22](https://indyweek.com/news/elections-news/candidate-questionnaire-sophia-chitlik-nc-senate-district-22/)\n- [17] [Sophia Chitlik | NC Senate Democratic Caucus](https://www.ncsenate.org/sophia-chitlik)\n- [19] [North Carolina State Sen. Sophia Chitlik - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/516820/Sophia_Chitlik.html)","firstname":"Sophia","lastname":"Chitlik","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"cdf1c10209de9272"},"token":"gU7UbsjaGFGGlNDx"}],"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 22"}