{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Kevin Crutchfield","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Kevin Roger Crutchfield is the Republican candidate for the North Carolina State Senate, District\u202f34, in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  The Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly; candidates must be at least 25\u202fyears old, be qualified voters, and have lived in the district for at least one year before the election\u202f[1].\n\nBorn in Kingston, New\u202fYork, Crutchfield graduated from Owego Free Academy in 1978 and earned an associate degree from Broome Community College in 1981\u202f[1][4].  He later completed a computer\u2011science equivalency at the University of North\u202fCarolina\u2011Charlotte, where he achieved a 3.9\u202fGPA\u202f[12].  He is married to Cheryl, and they have three sons and nine grandchildren\u202f[4][12].\n\nCrutchfield\u2019s professional career spans more than four decades in technology, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.  He began at IBM Corporation (1981\u20111994), serving as an electronic\u2011technician engineer, purchasing agent, and software developer\u202f[1][6][7].  After IBM he was national sales manager for Cabarrus Plastics (1994\u20111995) and vice\u2011president of operations for Rite\u202fLite\u202fSigns (1995\u20111996)\u202f[1][6].  In 1998 he and his wife founded Casco\u202fSigns, where he serves as president and chief financial officer, and also created The\u202fCrutchfield\u202fGroup, a real\u2011estate and equipment\u2011leasing company\u202f[1][5][7][12].  Additional ventures include Castaway\u202fProperties (managing partner) and Crutchfield\u202fFarms (president/CFO, 2015\u20112023)\u202f[12][7].  He holds a general\u2011contractor license, an electrical\u2011contracting license, and UL manufacturing certification\u202f[1].\n\nPolitically, Crutchfield first served on the Cabarrus County Republican Party Executive Committee before resigning to run for office in 2022\u202f[4].  He was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from the newly created District\u202f83, serving from January\u202f1,\u202f2023 to January\u202f1,\u202f2025\u202f[1][4][12].  During his term he was appointed Freshman Majority Leader\u202f[7][12], founded and co\u2011chaired the House Small Business Caucus, and co\u2011chaired the Economic Development Manufacturing Caucus\u202f[7][12].  Committee assignments included Appropriations, Appropriations\u2011Education, Education\u2011Universities, Health, and Local Government\u2011Land Use\u202f[1].  He sponsored numerous bills covering concealed\u2011carry permits, firearms training, government\u2011agency permits, school health services, and human\u2011trafficking penalties, among others\u202f[3].  His legislative achievements were recognized with awards such as the 2023\u202fNC\u202fChamber Jobs Champion, Legislator of the Year from the North\u202fCarolina Federation of Young Republicans, and Defender of Public Safety from the State Sheriffs Association\u202f[7].  He helped secure more than $185\u202fmillion in appropriations for his district\u202f[5][7].\n\nIn the 2026 election cycle, Crutchfield announced his candidacy for the State Senate seat in District\u202f34\u202f[5][4].  He defeated incumbent Senator Chris\u202fMeasmer in the Republican primary on March\u202f3,\u202f2026, earning 53.7\u202f% of the vote (7,472 votes)\u202f[1].  He will face Democrat April\u202fCook in the November general election\u202f[1].  His campaign platform emphasizes support for small\u2011business growth, protection of the Second Amendment, increased funding for law\u2011enforcement and first\u2011responders, and legislation to combat human trafficking and protect seniors from financial scams\u202f[9][5].\n\nCrutchfield\u2019s extensive business background, legislative leadership, and community\u2011service record are central to his bid for the Senate, where he seeks to continue advocating for economic development, public safety, and limited government for North\u202fCarolina residents.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Kevin Crutchfield - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kevin_Crutchfield)\n- [3] [Representative Kevin Crutchfield's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/801/2023/true)\n- [4] [Kevin Crutchfield - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Crutchfield)\n- [5] [Official Campaign Site | Kevin Crutchfield for NC Senate District 34 \u2013 Kevin Crutchfield for Senate](https://www.votekevincrutchfield.com/)\n- [6] [iVoterGuide - Kevin Crutchfield iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/64937/race/8431/election/1090)\n- [7] [Resume \u2013 Official Campaign Site | Kevin Crutchfield for NC Senate District 34](https://www.votekevincrutchfield.com/resume/)\n- [9] [Issues \u2013 Official Campaign Site | Kevin Crutchfield for NC House 83](https://www.votekevincrutchfield.com/issues/)\n- [12] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/202738/kevin-crutchfield)\n- [15] [State Representative Kevin Crutchfield | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/28117)\n- [16] [Get to know Rep.-elect Kevin Crutchfield - NC Tribune](https://nctribune.com/news/2022/jun/13/get-to-know-rep-elect-kevin-crutchfield/)\n- [17] [Kevin Crutchfield - North Carolina Leadership Forum](https://sites.duke.edu/nclf/kevin-crutchfield/)\n- [18] [Former State Rep. Kevin Crutchfield - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/442619/Kevin_Crutchfield.html)","firstname":"Kevin","lastname":"Crutchfield","middlename":"Roger","suffix":null,"token":"3733a901d602a9ee"},"token":"KRdFUdRDa_G3q7nD"},{"candidatename":"Chris Measmer","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"> **Status update.** Chris Measmer lost the Republican primary for NC Senate District 34 to Kevin Crutchfield, 6,473 votes to 7,498 (Cabarrus County, March 3, 2026); Crutchfield advances to the November 3, 2026 general election [3].\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Christopher Allen Measmer is a registered voter in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, registered since 2005 (21 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Christopher Allen Measmer's year of birth as 1987; 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 17 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\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 34 (REP): Kevin Crutchfield 7,498, Chris Measmer 6,473.","firstname":"Christopher","lastname":"Measmer","middlename":"Allen","suffix":null,"token":"04bc654230e9a457"},"token":"K6YYXsg6dVohV_ZM"}],"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 34"}