{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Mary Patterson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"**Status update: Patterson lost the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary for U.S. House, North Carolina's 4th Congressional District, finishing third of three candidates with 3,274 votes (2.6%); Valerie P. Foushee won the primary with 61,776 votes (49.2%), narrowly ahead of Nida Allam's 60,605 votes (48.2%). Patterson will not appear on the November 2026 general-election ballot [3].**\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Mary Decomius Patterson is a registered voter in Durham County, North Carolina, registered since 1992 (34 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Mary Decomius Patterson's year of birth as 1963; 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 9 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 Mary Decomius Patterson can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 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, 2026 primary election results (`results_pct_20260303`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-24","firstname":"Mary","lastname":"Patterson","middlename":"Decomius","suffix":null,"token":"1280460cd51bed49"},"token":"13_cWpewCkQL-Kn8"},{"candidatename":"Nida Allam","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nNida Allam served on the Durham County Board of Commissioners and ran in the 2026 Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee in a rematch of their 2022 contest [1][4]. The race became the most expensive congressional primary in North Carolina state history, with outside groups spending more than $4.4 million [5]. Foushee won with 49.18% of the vote to Allam's 48.22%, a margin of roughly 1,202 votes out of nearly 122,000 cast [5][6]. Allam conceded on March 4, 2026 [6].\n\nAllam's 2026 platform prioritized economic justice, healthcare, housing, and national security. She advocated for Medicare for All, expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, establishing a Green New Deal, regulating artificial intelligence, overturning Citizens United, and blocking arms sales to Israel [3][4].\n\n## Background and education\nAllam was born on December 15, 1993, in Ottawa, Canada, to immigrant parents \u2014 her father from India and her mother from Pakistan [1]. She moved to North Carolina at age five when her father accepted a position with IBM at Research Triangle Park, and the family settled in Cary [1]. She graduated from Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh and earned a degree in sustainable materials and technology from North Carolina State University [1][2].\n\n## Career\nAfter college, Allam worked as a political organizer. She served as Political Director for Senator Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and New York, and later as an organizing director for Justice Cheri Beasley's campaign for the North Carolina Supreme Court [1]. From 2017 to 2021, she served as Third Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, becoming the first Muslim to serve on the party's executive board [1][4]. In 2020, she was elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners \u2014 becoming the first Muslim woman to hold elected office in North Carolina \u2014 and went on to chair the commission as of December 2024 [1][4].\n\nAllam's entry into civic life was shaped by the January 2015 Chapel Hill shooting, in which her close friends Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were killed in their home [1]. Motivated to carry on her friends' legacy, she became a nationally recognized voice for Muslim American political participation [1][2].\n\n## Family\nAllam lives in Durham with her husband, Towqir Aziz, and their two children [1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Nida Allam \u2013 Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nida_Allam)\n- [2] [About \u2013 Nida Allam](https://nidaallam.com/about)\n- [3] [NC-4 Representative: Nida Allam \u2013 Indy Week](https://indyweek.com/news/congressional-district-4-nida-allam-2026/)\n- [4] [Foushee narrowly leads in NC-04 Democratic primary \u2013 NC Newsline](https://ncnewsline.com/2026/03/04/foushee-narrowly-leads-in-nc-04-democratic-primary-recount-likely/)\n- [5] [Nida Allam concedes to Valerie Foushee \u2013 NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/03/04/nx-s1-5734577/north-carolina-election-results-foushee-allam)\n","firstname":"Nida","lastname":"Allam","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"bfb77316ad88274b"},"token":"eyEUj2mOjvs36oyJ"},{"candidatename":"Valerie P. Foushee","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Valerie Jean Paige Foushee is the incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative for North Carolina\u2019s 4th Congressional District and is seeking a second term in the 2026 election, with the general election scheduled for November\u202f3,\u202f2026 [1][9]. The district covers much of the Research Triangle and is considered a safe Democratic seat.\n\nBorn in Chapel Hill on May\u202f7,\u202f1956, Foushee grew up in a working\u2011class family that emphasized education and community service. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science and Afro\u2011African\u2011American studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008, graduating at age\u202f53 after a career in public administration [1][14][16].\n\nHer public\u2011service career began in 1987 as an administrative officer with the Chapel Hill Police Department, a position she held for 15\u202fyears while raising two sons [14][16]. In 1997 she was elected to the Chapel Hill\u2011Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, serving until 2004 and chairing the board from 2001\u20112003. She then won election to the Orange County Board of Commissioners, serving from 2004\u20112012 and becoming the first African\u2011American woman to chair the board (2008\u20112010) [1][14][16].\n\nFoushee entered state politics in 2012, winning a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives for the 50th district. In 2013 she was appointed to the North Carolina Senate to fill a vacancy and was subsequently elected to represent the 23rd district, serving until she ran for Congress in 2022 [1][14][16]. During her tenure she focused on voting\u2011rights protection, clean\u2011water legislation, and environmental health issues.\n\nIn the 2022 election she defeated Republican Courtney\u202fGeels with 66.9\u202f% of the vote, becoming the first African\u2011American and first woman to represent the 4th district in Congress [11][14]. She was sworn into the 118th Congress on January\u202f7,\u202f2023 and was re\u2011elected in 2024 with 71.8\u202f% of the vote [5][11]. In the 2026 Democratic primary she narrowly beat challenger Nida\u202fAllam, earning 49.2\u202f% of the vote (61,779 votes) to Allam\u2019s 48.2\u202f% (60,607 votes) [1][6][20].\n\nIn the U.S. House she serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (subcommittees on Highways and Transit; Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials) and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (Energy; Investigations and Oversight, Ranking Member) [1]. Her legislative priorities include modernizing transportation infrastructure, expanding broadband and AI\u2011related data\u2011center regulation, protecting voting rights, and advancing clean\u2011energy and environmental justice initiatives, as outlined on her campaign website [17][20]. She has also advocated for federal standards to mitigate the environmental impact of AI data centers and has publicly distanced herself from pro\u2011Israel lobbying groups after the 2024 Gaza conflict [20].\n\nFoushee\u2019s office locations are in Durham, NC, and Washington, D.C., with district\u2011office phone (919)\u202f967\u20117924 and D.C. office phone (202)\u202f225\u20111784. She can be contacted through the \u201cWrite To Valerie\u201d form on her official congressional site [12].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Valerie Foushee - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Valerie_Foushee)\n- [2] [Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D) defeated Nida Allam (D) and Mary Patterson (D) in the Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District - Ballotpedia News](https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/03/09/incumbent-valerie-foushee-d-defeated-nida-allam-d-and-mary-patterson-d-in-the-democratic-primary-for-north-carolinas-4th-congressional-district/)\n- [3] [Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D), Nida Allam (D), and Mary Patterson (D) are running in the Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District on March 3, 2026 - Ballotpedia News](https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/02/04/incumbent-valerie-foushee-d-nida-allam-d-and-mary-patterson-d-are-running-in-the-democratic-primary-for-north-carolinas-4th-congressional-district-on-march-3-2026/)\n- [4] [North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Democratic primary) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_4th_Congressional_District_election,_2022_(May_17_Democratic_primary))\n- [5] [North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2024 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_4th_Congressional_District_election,_2024)\n- [6] [North Carolina's 4th Congressional District - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_4th_Congressional_District)\n- [7] [Foushee wins Democratic primary for North Carolina's open 4th Congressional District - Ballotpedia News](https://news.ballotpedia.org/2022/05/18/foushee-wins-democratic-primary-for-north-carolinas-open-4th-congressional-district/)\n- [8] [North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_4th_Congressional_District_election,_2026_(March_3_Democratic_primary))\n- [9] [North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_4th_Congressional_District_election,_2026)\n- [10] [North Carolina State Senate District 23 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_District_23)\n- [11] [North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2022 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_4th_Congressional_District_election,_2022)\n- [12] [Home | U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee](https://foushee.house.gov/)\n- [13] [Meet Valerie | U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee](https://foushee.house.gov/about)\n- [14] [Valerie Foushee - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Foushee)\n- [15] [Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (@RepValerieFoushee)](https://www.facebook.com/RepValerieFoushee/)\n- [16] [Valerie P. Foushee | Archives of Women's Political Communication](https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/valerie-p-foushee/)\n- [17] [Valerie Foushee for Congress](https://valeriefoushee.com/)\n- [18] [Rep. Valerie Foushee [D-NC4, 2023-2026], Representative for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District - GovTrack.us](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/valerie_foushee/456913)\n- [19] [Rep. Valerie Foushee survives challenge from the left for North Carolina House seat - Live Updates - POLITICO](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/04/congress/valerie-foushee-wins-north-carolina-democratic-primary-00813677)\n- [20] [Rep. Valerie Foushee defeats progressive challenger Nida Allam in North Carolina Democratic primary race](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/nida-allam-valerie-foushee-north-carolina-primary-election-house-rcna261352)","firstname":"Valerie","lastname":"Foushee","middlename":"Paige","suffix":null,"token":"d6d7c84b24b7e71e"},"token":"pqjnL7foyfzELz00"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"us_representative","o.office":"us_house","office":"us_house","officedescription":"A United States Representative represents a single congressional district in the lower chamber of Congress, serving a two-year term. Representatives write and pass federal law, originate revenue bills, fund and oversee the executive branch, and serve constituents in dealings with federal agencies.","officequalities":"- Legislative craft at the federal level: reading, drafting, and amending federal statute, and knowing the law being changed.\n- Understanding of the district's economic and everyday concerns, and constituent-service capacity for casework with federal agencies.\n- Persuasion and coalition-building across party and factional lines to form working majorities.\n- Integrity: acting for constituents and the public good rather than personal gain, independent of undue influence.\n- Oversight judgment: the House funds and oversees the executive branch and the military.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"U.S. Representative","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Us House Of Representatives District 04"}