{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Elizabeth A. Temple","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n**Editorial note \u2014 lost March 2026 primary.** Temple placed 5th of 7 Republican candidates in the March 3, 2026 U.S. Senate primary, receiving 23,892 votes (3.8%) to winner Michael Whatley's 405,140 votes (64.6%); Temple will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [4].\n\nElizabeth Anne Temple (listed on the ballot as \"Elizabeth A. Temple\") is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections' 2026 candidate filing list [1]. Elizabeth filed for candidacy on December 1, 2025, for statewide [1]. The race appears on the March 3, 2026 primary ballot [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Elizabeth Anne Temple is a registered voter in Johnston County, North Carolina, registered since 1989 (37 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2]. The voter file shows Elizabeth Anne Temple's year of birth as 1970; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2]. The voter history file shows 16 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary [3].\n\nThis biography draws on the North Carolina State Board of Elections' candidate filing records and the state's public voter registration and history files. No additional published biographical information (news coverage, a campaign website, or a Ballotpedia profile) was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Elizabeth Anne Temple can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing List (bulk CSV), accessed 2026-07-21 -- https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections - Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n[4] [North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 Official Precinct-Level Results](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) \u2014 U.S. Senate Republican primary, accessed 2026-07-24","firstname":"Elizabeth","lastname":"Temple","middlename":"Anne","suffix":null,"token":"a6be307b9b4b9d2d"},"token":"FYKegE8FGe7U34em"},{"candidatename":"Richard Dansie","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRichard Dansie is a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina, running in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary.\n\nDansie's campaign, which he titled \"Courage Over Socialism,\" was organized around priorities including strengthening families, law and order, reducing pharmaceutical dependency in mental health treatment, ending welfare dependency, dismantling federal bureaucracy by returning power to states, and protecting children from ideology in schools. He drew on the economic philosophy of Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell in framing his positions on limited government and fiscal discipline.\n\n## Background and education\nDansie grew up in Utah. He served in the United States Army in Army intelligence before pursuing a civilian career.\n\n## Career\nAfter military service, Dansie built a career as a network security engineer working in enterprise-level cybersecurity. He also pursued entrepreneurship.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Richard Dansie for U.S. Senate \u2013 dansieforsenate.us](https://www.dansieforsenate.us/)\n","firstname":"Richard","lastname":"Dansie","middlename":"Tracy","suffix":null,"token":"6c9c664c95214b08"},"token":"xh4x00_zZOy6rs8H"},{"candidatename":"Orrick Quick","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nOrrick Romaine Quick is a Democrat from High Point, North Carolina, who ran in the March 3, 2026 primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Thom Tillis [1][4]. He launched his campaign in August 2025 and filed with the State Board of Elections on December 17, 2025 [1][4]. He is registered with the Federal Election Commission as candidate S6NC00423 [6].\n\nQuick finished fifth in a six-candidate field with 7,275 votes (0.88 percent); former Gov. Roy Cooper won the primary with 761,345 votes (91.98 percent) and advanced to the November 3, 2026 general election [3][5].\n\nQuick told WUNC he entered the race over the effects of President Trump's budget legislation - \"It's going to take food off of the table of families, and so that's what really got me involved, is just seeing the neglect of our country\" - and argued that his personal experience distinguished him from the field: \"I thank God for Gov. Roy Cooper, but Roy Cooper is not Orrick Quick. I think that we have to elect officials who know how to legislate when you have experienced the struggles of life\" [4]. WUNC also reported that Quick's campaign worked with Hockomock Digital, a firm that has previously done work for prominent Republicans including Nikki Haley and former U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry and whose founder, Jason Ross, worked for the Massachusetts Republican Party before starting it; Quick said of Ross, \"He reached out to me and we clicked\" [4]. Quick told WUNC he is a loyal Democrat who does not always agree with his party: \"Even though there may be some things that I disagree with, even in the Democratic Party, but that does not mean that I'm going to abandon the Democratic Party just because I disagree\" [4].\n\nIn his WCTI candidate questionnaire, Quick listed affordability, access to healthcare, \"public safety rooted in constitutional policing,\" protection of civil rights, education and economic opportunity as the most pressing issues facing North Carolinians; WCTI notes that its candidate answers come from the candidate and have not been fact-checked [2].\n\nWUNC reported that Quick has previously run for the High Point City Council [4].\n\n## Background and education\n\nThe North Carolina voter registration file lists Quick's year of birth as 1983 and shows him registered as a Democrat in Guilford County since October 2001 [7]. State voter history records show he has voted in 16 elections since 2016 - municipal, primary and general - most recently the March 3, 2026 primary [8].\n\n## Career\n\nQuick is the pastor of New Covenant Church in High Point [4]. WUNC reported that he is a former North Carolina State University football player and that he briefly co-hosted a 2016 Fox television talk show called \"The Preachers\" [4]. In his WCTI candidate questionnaire he described himself as \"a community leader, speaker, pastor, and small-business owner based in North Carolina\" [2].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Candidate Listing 2026 (candidate filing file)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [Meet Orrick Quick: Candidate for U.S. Senate](https://wcti12.com/news/local/meet-orrick-quick-candidate-for-us-senate) - WCTI 12 (Sinclair), accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [Official precinct-level results, March 3, 2026 primary (results_pct_20260303)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[4] [New U.S. Senate candidate enters race, with help from consultant to GOP candidates](https://www.wunc.org/politics/2025-08-20/orrick-quick-high-point-senate-candidate-enters-race) - WUNC, accessed 2026-07-30\n[5] [Early voting in the N.C. primaries starts Thursday. Meet the top Republicans running for Senate.](https://ncnewsline.com/2026/02/11/voting-in-the-republican-u-s-senate-primary-begins-thursday-meet-the-top-candidates/) - NC Newsline, accessed 2026-07-30\n[6] [Candidate overview: QUICK, ORRICK ROMAINE (S6NC00423)](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S6NC00423/) - Federal Election Commission, accessed 2026-07-30\n[7] [Statewide voter registration file, Guilford County (ncvoter41.zip)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/data/ncvoter41.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[8] [Statewide voter history file, Guilford County (ncvhis41.zip)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/data/ncvhis41.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30","firstname":"Orrick","lastname":"Quick","middlename":"Romaine","suffix":null,"token":"297c356fa06bb2dd"},"token":"DaTYhIbMTQV34g50"},{"candidatename":"Michael Whatley","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Michael David Whatley is the Republican nominee for the United States Senate seat from North Carolina in the 2026 midterm election, facing Democrat former Governor Roy\u202fCooper on November\u202f3,\u202f2026\u30101\u3011.  Whatley\u2019s candidacy follows a career in party leadership and federal government service, but he has never held elected office.\n\nBorn in 1968 or 1969 in western North Carolina, Whatley grew up in Blowing\u202fRock, the son of an accountant and a librarian.  He graduated from Watauga High School in 1987 and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1991, a master\u2019s in religion from Wake\u202fForest University in 1993, and both a master\u2019s in theology and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre\u202fDame in 1994\u20111997\u30104\u3011.  He later worked as a federal law clerk in Charlotte before entering public service.\n\nWhatley\u2019s early federal experience began as legal counsel to U.S.\u202fSen. Paul\u202fCoverdell (R\u2011GA) in 2000, followed by a role as deputy assistant secretary at the U.S.\u202fDepartment of Energy under the George\u202fW.\u202fBush administration from 2001\u20112003\u30101\u3011.  He later served as chief of staff to U.S.\u202fSen. Elizabeth\u202fDole (2004\u20112007)\u30104\u3011 and as a partner at lobbying firm HBW\u202fResources (2007\u20112022)\u30101\u3011.  From 2008\u20112019 he was executive vice\u2011president of the Consumer Energy Alliance, a trade group representing oil and gas interests\u30101\u3011.\n\nIn June\u202f2019, Whatley was elected chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, a position he held until March\u202f2024 when he was chosen by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to replace Ronna\u202fMcDaniel as national chair\u30104\u3011\u30101\u3011.  He served as RNC chair from March\u202f8\u202f2024 until his resignation on August\u202f22\u202f2025 after announcing his Senate run\u30101\u3011\u30103\u3011.  During his tenure he oversaw staff reductions and helped steer the party\u2019s 2024 election strategy, working closely with President Donald\u202fTrump, who endorsed Whatley for the Senate seat in July\u202f2025\u30101\u3011\u301014\u3011.\n\nWhatley\u2019s 2026 Senate campaign was officially filed on December\u202f2\u202f2025 via the State Board of Elections, with a campaign website at michaelwhatley.com and a Facebook page announcing his candidacy\u301011\u3011\u30106\u3011.  He has framed his platform around \u201cputting America First,\u201d promising lower taxes, higher wages, stronger border security, and disaster\u2011relief leadership after Hurricane\u202fHelene, a role he held as a Trump\u2011appointed \u201crecovery czar\u201d for western North Carolina\u301015\u3011\u30107\u3011.  He emphasizes his experience in energy policy, citing his work on the Trump administration\u2019s Farm and Energy Plans, and positions himself as a \u201chard\u2011core conservative\u201d and a loyal Trump ally\u301012\u3011\u301014\u3011.\n\nWhatley\u2019s campaign has attracted both praise and criticism.  Republican leaders such as Rep. Richard\u202fHudson and former Senate candidate Cory\u202fGardner have lauded his leadership and fundraising abilities\u301015\u3011.  Conversely, Democratic opponents have highlighted his support for former Lt.\u202fGov.\u202fMark\u202fRobinson and his ties to the oil lobby, portraying him as an extremist on cultural issues\u301013\u3011.  Financial disclosures show he has raised roughly $1.4\u202fmillion for the Senate race as of late 2025, while Cooper has raised over $10\u202fmillion\u301014\u3011.\n\nIf elected, Whatley would join the Senate without prior legislative experience, bringing a background in party administration, energy policy, and federal executive work.  The race is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate contests in the nation, with both parties viewing the seat as pivotal for control of the chamber in the 2026 cycle\u301014\u3011\u301017\u3011.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Michael Whatley - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Michael_Whatley)\n- [2] [Roy Cooper (D), Michael Whatley (R), and three other candidates are running in North Carolina's U.S. Senate election on November 3, 2026 - Ballotpedia News](https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/04/06/roy-cooper-d-michael-whatley-r-and-three-other-candidates-are-running-in-north-carolinas-u-s-senate-election-on-november-3-2026/)\n- [3] [Republican National Committee - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Republican_National_Committee)\n- [4] [Michael Whatley - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Whatley)\n- [5] [Michael Whatley for Senate (@whatleyfornc)](https://www.facebook.com/whatleyfornc/)\n- [6] [Home | Whatley for Senate](https://www.michaelwhatley.com/)\n- [7] [What to know about Michael Whatley, the WNC native running for US Senate in 2026 \u2013 The Appalachian](https://theappalachianonline.com/what-to-know-about-michael-whatley-the-wnc-native-running-for-us-senate-in-2026/)\n- [8] [Roy Cooper, Michael Whatley secure nominations in North Carolina US Senate race | wcnc.com](https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/elections/march-3-2026-nc-us-senate-gop-primary-election/275-1720dfd7-8337-4879-b9bf-015fa8258b3f)\n- [9] [Michael Whatley - Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124450754)\n- [11] [Michael Whatley officially enters North Carolina Senate race, endorsed by Trump](https://wlos.com/news/local/michael-whatley-officially-enters-north-carolina-senate-race-endorsed-president-donald-trump-usa-politics-government-roy-cooper-republican-gop-state-board-elections)\n- [12] [Michael Whatley on the Issues](https://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Michael_Whatley.htm)\n- [13] [Democrats hammer NC Senate candidate Michael Whatley for support of Mark Robinson \u2022 NC Newsline](https://ncnewsline.com/2025/08/12/democrats-hammer-nc-senate-candidate-michael-whatley-for-support-of-mark-robinson/)\n- [14] [Michael Whatley ties himself closely to Trump in the early stages of North Carolina's critical Senate race](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/michael-whatley-ties-trump-north-carolina-senate-race-rcna249551)\n- [15] [Republican Michael Whatley enters US Senate race in North Carolina](https://www.carolinajournal.com/republican-michael-whatley-enters-us-senate-race-in-north-carolina/)\n- [17] [Brown, Temple seek to upend Whatley for GOP nomination in NC\u2019s U.S. Senate race :: WRAL.com](https://www.wral.com/news/state/brown-temple-seek-upend-whatley-gop-nomination-nc-senate-race-2025/)\n- [18] [Michael Whatley - Previously held position: Republican National Committee (March 2024-Aug. 2025), Chair - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/29995/Michael_David_Whatley.html)","firstname":"Michael","lastname":"Whatley","middlename":"David","suffix":null,"token":"c4c0b0d05a9259b7"},"token":"oe-gyNjl47Mz2Ova"},{"candidatename":"Marcus W. Williams","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nMarcus Whittman Williams is a Democrat and attorney from Lumberton, in Robeson County [6][7]. He ran in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Thom Tillis, finishing third in a six-candidate field with 20,336 votes, 2.5% of the Democratic primary vote; former Gov. Roy Cooper won the nomination with 761,345 votes, 92.0% [1]. The Federal Election Commission lists him as a Senate candidate in North Carolina under candidate ID S8NC00270, with federal candidacies on file for 2008, 2010, 2022 and 2026 and a committee registered as Marcus W Williams for US Senate [4].\n\nIn a candidate statement published by WCTI in New Bern, which noted that \"[t]hese answers are from the candidate and have not been fact checked,\" Williams wrote: \"My vast experience of 46 consecutive and continuous years as an Attorney At Law (17 as Executive Director of Legal Services Programs), is well chronicled on my Facebook page. Having served as a Legal Services advocate for 24 years and 6 years as a Public Defender, strained or scarce resources for clients and their families (aka Affordability) has been the central constant condition that had to be creatively addressed. I am the best proven candidate, with experience in three states, to serve as the United States Senator for the citizens of North Carolina\" [2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nWilliams was born in 1953 in North Carolina and has been registered to vote as a Democrat in Robeson County since July 13, 2001 [6]. Vote Smart's biographical record gives his birthplace as Lumberton, a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975, and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1978 [3]. In his WCTI statement, Williams said he was elected student body president of Lumberton High School \"immediately after the consolidation of the City schools,\" and later served as student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill and at the University of Minnesota Law School [2].\n\n## Career\n\nVote Smart's record of Williams's professional experience lists him as attorney, law clerk and community fellow with Southern Minnesota Regional Services from 1976 to 1983; executive director of Legal Services of the Coastal Plains from 1983 to 1987; executive director of Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear from 1987 to 1996; executive director of Pennsylvania Legal Services from 1996 to 2000; an assistant public defender for the State of North Carolina from 2001 to 2006; and owner of Marcus W. Williams, Attorney At Law, since 2006 [3]. The same record lists him as a former chair of the Association of Legal Services Project Directors of North Carolina, a member of the North Carolina, Minnesota and Pennsylvania bars, president of the Robeson County Bar Association in 2010, and a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2001 [3].\n\nHis campaign site describes him as \"Licensed to Practice Law in 3 States, The U.S. Supreme Court, The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and other Federal Courts,\" and reproduces an October 7, 1992 Wilmington Morning Star item identifying him as executive director of Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear and crediting his group with setting up a community development corporation [8]. In a 2022 candidate questionnaire for Port City Daily, Williams cited his work on the renovation of the Tileston School in Wilmington, the 79-unit Hadden Hall Apartments for elderly and disabled residents, and the Wilmington/New Hanover Community Development Corporation and its business incubator [7].\n\n## Office history\n\nWilliams has not held elected office. Official North Carolina precinct-result files record the following primary candidacies [5]:\n\n- 2008 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate: 170,970 votes, 12.8%\n- 2010 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate: 35,984 votes, 8.5%\n- 2012 Democratic primary, U.S. House District 8: 17,393 votes, 27.4%\n- 2014 Democratic primary, N.C. Senate District 13: 5,496 votes, 27.3%\n- 2016 Democratic primary for N.C. Attorney General: 445,524 votes, 46.6%\n- 2020 Democratic primary, U.S. House District 9: 10,527 votes, 13.0%\n- 2022 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate: 17,444 votes, 2.8%\n- 2024 Democratic primary for governor of North Carolina: 39,257 votes, 5.7%\n\nVote Smart's record also lists a 1992 candidacy for governor of North Carolina [3].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [NC State Board of Elections official precinct results, March 3, 2026 primary (results_pct_20260303)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [Meet Marcus Williams: Candidate for U.S. Senate](https://wcti12.com/news/local/meet-marcus-williams-candidate-for-us-senate-02-12-2026) - WCTI 12 (New Bern), accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [Marcus Williams' Biography](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/102890/marcus-williams) - Vote Smart, accessed 2026-07-30\n[4] [Candidate overview: WILLIAMS, MARCUS W. (S8NC00270)](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S8NC00270/) - Federal Election Commission, accessed 2026-07-30\n[5] [NC State Board of Elections official precinct-results archive (files results_pct_20080506, 20100504, 20120508, 20140506, 20160315, 20200303, 20220517, 20240305)](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/?prefix=ENRS/) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[6] [NC State Board of Elections voter registration file, Robeson County extract (ncvoter78)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/data/ncvoter78.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[7] [2022 Primary Election: Marcus Williams runs for US Senate](https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/elections/2022/04/27/2022-primary-election-marcus-williams-runs-for-us-senate/) - Port City Daily, accessed 2026-07-30\n[8] [Attorney Marcus W. Williams For U.S. Senate](https://williamshouseusa.com/) - Marcus W. Williams campaign website, accessed 2026-07-30","firstname":"Marcus","lastname":"Williams","middlename":"Whittman","suffix":null,"token":"5e106b680c9d8331"},"token":"CP22PCOSh3l1uI_V"},{"candidatename":"Margot Dupre","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nMargot Patrice Dupre filed as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat from North Carolina in the 2026 election. The North Carolina State Board of Elections disqualified her candidacy before the March 3, 2026 primary after determining she was not a North Carolina resident [1]. Because the disqualification came after primary ballots had already been printed, her name remained on the ballot; she recorded 14,886 votes in the Republican primary, which were not counted toward the nomination [3].\n\n## Background\n\nFederal Election Commission records show a Margot Dupre previously ran for U.S. Senate in Colorado across the 2020, 2022, and 2024 cycles under the committee \"Margot For US Senate\" (FEC candidate ID S0CO00641, committee agent based in Portland, OR) before filing for the North Carolina Senate seat on October 2, 2025 (FEC candidate ID S6NC00449) [2].\n\n## Sources\n\n- [1] [Meet Marcus Williams: Candidate for U.S. Senate \u2013 WCTI12](https://wcti12.com/news/local/meet-marcus-williams-candidate-for-us-senate-02-12-2026) (news roundup of the 2026 NC Senate field; confirms Dupre's disqualification for not being an NC resident)\n- [2] [DUPRE, MARGOT \u2013 FEC Candidate Search](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S6NC00449/)\n- [2b] [DUPRE, MARGOT (Colorado, 2020-2024) \u2013 FEC Candidate Search](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S0CO00641/)\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 2026-07-20","firstname":"Margot","lastname":"Dupre","middlename":"Patrice","suffix":null,"token":"206bd4cb089ad142"},"token":"p0YL6qlB2xC44gFR"},{"candidatename":"Robert Colon","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRobert Colon is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina. He ran in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary against former Governor Roy Cooper and other candidates. He is based in Rocky Point, in Pender County.\n\nColon's campaign emphasized public safety, immigration law enforcement, peace, and tax reform. He expressed the view that the country had become overly bureaucratic and that elected leaders should represent the interest of ordinary people.\n\n## Career\nColon is a family caregiver. He has run for federal office on multiple prior occasions, including a 2020 Democratic primary for North Carolina's 7th Congressional District. He is a civic volunteer and has served as an Eagle Scout, Assistant Scoutmaster, and USO member. He has received the Governor's Award for Volunteer Service.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Robert Colon for U.S. Senate \u2013 robertcolonforsenate.com](https://robertcolonforsenate.com/)\n","firstname":"Robert","lastname":"Colon","middlename":"John","suffix":null,"token":"2fbe9d3d90945454"},"token":"QfZvY9H8OLpqIcNL"},{"candidatename":"Thomas Johnson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nThomas Lee Johnson (Republican) ran for U.S. Senate in North Carolina in the 2026 primary, where he lost to the Trump-endorsed candidate.\n\n## Background and education\n\nJohnson entered foster care at birth and was adopted at age five. He graduated as class valedictorian from Richard Montgomery High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy (Dean's List and Commandant's List) and a master's degree in Space Commercialization from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology.\n\n## Career\n\nFollowing graduation, the CIA recruited Johnson to study space commercialization and build intelligence satellites at the National Reconnaissance Office. He narrowly escaped harm at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. He subsequently held senior leadership roles at Lockheed Martin, Capital One, and Accenture, and founded and serves as CEO of Agile Immersive. He has also lectured on artificial intelligence and cultural transformation at Goethe Graduate Business School.\n\n## Family\n\nMarried to Amanda Bradley Johnson; the couple has four children \u2014 Ezra, Elijah, Ephraim, and Eden-Lee.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [1] [About \u2013 Thomas Johnson US Senate 2026](https://www.tlj2026.com/about/)\n- [2] [In NC's US Senate GOP Primary \u2013 WUNC](https://www.wunc.org/elections/2026-02-24/in-north-carolinas-u-s-senate-gop-primary-contenders-try-to-topple-trump-endorsed-candidate)","firstname":"Thomas","lastname":"Johnson","middlename":"Lee","suffix":null,"token":"69a60be731b9bb81"},"token":"Hr3Kyyhs9L0GRJ6x"},{"candidatename":"Donald M. (Don) Brown","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nDonald Mitchell \"Don\" Brown Jr. is a Republican attorney from Union County, North Carolina, who ran in the March 3, 2026 primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Thom Tillis, who announced his retirement in June 2025 [1][2]. Brown filed his candidacy with the State Board of Elections on December 1, 2025 and appeared on the ballot as \"Donald M. (Don) Brown\" [1]. He is registered with the Federal Election Commission as candidate S6NC00373 [6].\n\nBrown finished second in a seven-candidate Republican field, receiving 97,891 votes (15.60 percent) to Michael Whatley's 405,140 votes (64.57 percent), according to the State Board of Elections' official precinct-level results [3]. He did not advance to the November 3, 2026 general election.\n\nBrown told WCTI he was running \"because North Carolinians deserve a constitutional conservative who will fight - not just talk - when our freedoms are threatened,\" and listed the national debt, border security, \"ending political prosecutions and weaponization of government,\" and \"protecting medical freedom\" among his priorities; WCTI notes that its candidate answers come from the candidate and have not been fact-checked [2]. He told WITN in December 2025 that federal spending prompted him to enter the race: \"We have 3.2 million federal employees, over 400 agencies, and yet the national debt explodes at $37,000 per second\" [5].\n\nOn disaster recovery, NC Newsline reported in February 2026 that Brown's \"proposed solution is a Hurricane Helene trust fund: millions of dollars invested in local banks, which Christian charities would disburse in partnership with local governments,\" quoting him as saying, \"We're going to get FEMA out of the way - FEMA should be abolished\" [4]. NC Newsline also reported that Brown raised $146,000 in 2025, compared with $5.2 million for Whatley [4].\n\n## Background and education\n\nBrown was born in Plymouth, North Carolina [2][5]. The North Carolina voter registration file lists his year of birth as 1960 and shows him registered as a Republican in Union County [7]. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and of the Campbell University School of Law, and holds a non-resident certificate in international law from the United States Naval War College [2].\n\n## Career\n\nBrown is a former U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps officer who served at the Pentagon and a former Special Assistant United States Attorney [2][5]. He is the managing attorney of Brown & Associates, PLLC, and his campaign biography says he has handled complex litigation across North and South Carolina [2][8]. NC Newsline described him as \"a former U.S. Navy JAG officer turned author and conservative media personality\" and reported that he \"is perhaps best known for representing U.S. Army Lt. Clint Lorance - convicted for ordering the killing of two Afghan men - and helping to secure a pardon from Trump\" [4].\n\nHis campaign site describes him as a Publishers Weekly national best-selling author of 16 books, four of which achieved national bestseller status [8]. Among them is the 2015 military expose \"Call Sign Extortion 17: The Shootdown of SEAL Team Six,\" which his campaign says served as a basis for the 2021 docu-drama \"Fallen Angel: Extortion 17\" [8].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Candidate Listing 2026 (candidate filing file)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [Meet Don Brown: Candidate for U.S. Senate](https://wcti12.com/news/local/meet-don-brown-candidate-for-us-senate) - WCTI 12 (Sinclair), accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [Official precinct-level results, March 3, 2026 primary (results_pct_20260303)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[4] [Early voting in the N.C. primaries starts Thursday. Meet the top Republicans running for Senate.](https://ncnewsline.com/2026/02/11/voting-in-the-republican-u-s-senate-primary-begins-thursday-meet-the-top-candidates/) - NC Newsline, accessed 2026-07-30\n[5] [Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Brown campaigns in Eastern NC](https://www.witn.com/2025/12/19/don-brown-enters-crowded-gop-primary-north-carolina-us-senate-race/) - WITN, accessed 2026-07-30\n[6] [Candidate overview: BROWN, DON (S6NC00373)](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S6NC00373/) - Federal Election Commission, accessed 2026-07-30\n[7] [Statewide voter registration file, Union County (ncvoter90.zip)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/data/ncvoter90.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[8] [About Don Brown](https://www.donbrownfornc.com/about) - Don Brown for US Senate campaign site, accessed 2026-07-30","firstname":"Donald","lastname":"Brown","middlename":"Mitchell","suffix":"JR","token":"97008d185c968c3f"},"token":"WvDhDAHjyt0hVfzB"},{"candidatename":"Daryl Farrow","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Daryl Trent Farrow was a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from North Carolina in the 2026 election cycle, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections' 2026 candidate filing list [3].\n\n**Status update.** Farrow lost the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary, placing fourth of six candidates with 9,727 votes (1.2%); Governor Roy Cooper won the nomination in a landslide with 761,345 votes (92.0%), followed by Justin E. Dues (22,295 votes, 2.7%) and Marcus W. Williams (20,336 votes, 2.5%); Cooper advances to the November 3, 2026 general election [4].\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Daryl Trent Farrow is a registered voter in Onslow County, North Carolina, registered since 2024 (2 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Daryl Trent Farrow's year of birth as 1956; 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 3 elections voted in since 2020, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (ncvhis_Statewide), published at dl.ncsbe.gov\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing List (bulk CSV) -- https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv\n[4] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 primary results by precinct (results_pct_20260303, dl.ncsbe.gov)","firstname":"Daryl","lastname":"Farrow","middlename":"Trent","suffix":null,"token":"be85e196ff3d112e"},"token":"JrkIhG5BvtkhzSM1"},{"candidatename":"Justin E. Dues","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nJustin Edward Dues is a Democrat from Concord, North Carolina, who ran in the March 3, 2026 primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Thom Tillis [1][2]. He filed with the State Board of Elections on December 18, 2025 and appeared on the ballot as \"Justin E. Dues\" [1]. He is registered with the Federal Election Commission as candidate S6NC00456 [6].\n\nDues finished second in a six-candidate field with 22,295 votes (2.69 percent); former Gov. Roy Cooper won the primary with 761,345 votes (91.98 percent) and advanced to the November 3, 2026 general election [3][4].\n\nDues was previously the Democratic nominee in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District in 2024, losing to Republican Mark Harris by 238,640 votes (59.6 percent) to 161,709 (40.4 percent) [5]. He told Elon News Network that the 2024 campaign shaped his decision to run statewide: \"That's part of the reason I switched to the Senate race, because you can't gerrymander out an entire state, whereas you can gerrymander 14 districts within it\" [4].\n\nHe campaigned on a platform he abbreviated as ACT - affordability, ending corruption and togetherness - and said his campaign accepted no donations over $200 and no political action committee money [4]. In his WCTI candidate questionnaire he wrote that he was running because \"North Carolina and the country are stuck in an affordability crisis that's being made worse by corruption in both parties,\" listing a phased $30-an-hour living wage by 2030, \"healthcare as a human right,\" housing affordability measures and anti-corruption reforms including term limits and overturning Citizens United; WCTI notes that its candidate answers come from the candidate and have not been fact-checked [2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nThe North Carolina voter registration file lists Dues's year of birth as 1985 and his state of birth as Ohio, and shows him registered as a Democrat in Cabarrus County since April 2021 [7]. State voter history records show he has voted in 10 elections since 2016, including every general election from 2016 through 2024 and the March 3, 2026 primary [8].\n\n## Career\n\nDues served in the U.S. Marine Corps. His WCTI candidate questionnaire describes him as a \"Marine Corps Squad Leader from 2003 to 2012\" and \"a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan\" [2]; Elon News Network reported that he served nine years in the Marine Corps and afterward worked in the private sector [4].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Candidate Listing 2026 (candidate filing file)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [Meet Justin Dues: Candidate for U.S. Senate](https://wcti12.com/news/local/meet-justin-dues-candidate-for-us-senate) - WCTI 12 (Sinclair), accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [Official precinct-level results, March 3, 2026 primary (results_pct_20260303)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[4] [U.S. Senate Democratic Candidates - 2026 primaries voter guide](https://elonnewsnetwork.shorthandstories.com/primaries-voter-guide/us-senate/democrat-senate-candidates/) - Elon News Network, accessed 2026-07-30\n[5] [Official precinct-level results, November 5, 2024 general election (results_pct_20241105)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2024_11_05/results_pct_20241105.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[6] [Candidate overview: DUES, JUSTIN (S6NC00456)](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S6NC00456/) - Federal Election Commission, accessed 2026-07-30\n[7] [Statewide voter registration file, Cabarrus County (ncvoter13.zip)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/data/ncvoter13.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[8] [Statewide voter history file, Cabarrus County (ncvhis13.zip)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/data/ncvhis13.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30","firstname":"Justin","lastname":"Dues","middlename":"Edward","suffix":null,"token":"f382b159fe1cc0b8"},"token":"NPAsLEBAnJuYWjW_"},{"candidatename":"Roy Cooper","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nRoy Asberry Cooper III is the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate from North Carolina in the November 3, 2026 general election; the North Carolina State Board of Elections lists one U.S. Senate seat on that statewide ballot [3]. The Federal Election Commission records him as a Democratic candidate for an open North Carolina Senate seat, candidate ID S6NC00407, with Cooper for North Carolina (C00913566) as his principal campaign committee [1].\n\nIn the March 3, 2026 primary, Cooper received 761,345 of the 827,755 votes recorded across the six candidates in the Democratic contest, ahead of Justin E. Dues (22,295), Marcus W. Williams (20,336), Daryl Farrow (9,727), Orrick Quick (7,275) and Robert Colon (6,777), according to the State Board of Elections' official precinct results. Michael Whatley led the Republican primary with 405,140 votes [2]. Whatley is Cooper's general-election opponent; WRAL reported that the Cook Political Report designates the race a toss-up and that Republicans have won 10 of the last 12 U.S. Senate elections in the state [4].\n\nFEC filings covering July 25, 2025 through June 30, 2026 report $34,975,789.18 in total receipts for his campaign committee, $14,258,221.92 in disbursements and $20,717,567.26 cash on hand, including $13.1 million in individual contributions and $19.8 million transferred from other authorized committees [1].\n\nHis campaign platform is organized, in its own words, around a \"Make Stuff Cost Less\" agenda covering groceries, health care, energy, child care and housing [6]. The campaign says he would \"Support Our Farmers and Stop Chaotic Tariffs,\" arguing that \"[t]ariffs drive up costs on farmers who have to pass the costs along to restaurants, groceries stores and hardworking North Carolinians,\" and would \"End the chaotic trade wars that have driven up the costs of construction materials like lumber, aluminum and steel\" [6]. Other planks listed include reinstating Affordable Care Act tax credits and reversing Medicaid cuts, banning \"algorithm-driven rent setting,\" and blocking \"anti-competitive mergers\" in grocery retail and food processing [6]. At a campaign stop covered by WRAL, Cooper said, \"I'm running for the hard-working parent who is tired of seeing higher costs at the grocery store,\" and \"If you want change in Washington, this campaign is for you. If you want to toss out the D.C. insiders, this campaign is for you\" [4].\n\n## Background and education\n\nCooper was born June 13, 1957 [7]. He is a Nash County native who practiced law in Rocky Mount and holds bachelor's and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [8]. His campaign biography states that he \"was born and raised in Nash County, North Carolina, where he attended public schools and worked summers on the farm,\" that his mother was a public-school teacher, and that \"[f]or years, he taught Sunday School and tutored students in local public schools\" [5].\n\n## Office history\n\nWRAL reports that Cooper was elected to the North Carolina House in 1986 and appointed to the state Senate four years later, becoming Senate majority leader in 1997 [8]; WRAL's 2026 account gives his service as 1987 to 1991 in the House and 1991 to 2001 in the Senate [4]. He was elected attorney general in 2000 and served four four-year terms as head of the Department of Justice, an office that \"oversees the State Crime Lab, represents consumers in complaints and is responsible for defending the state in court\" [8].\n\nCooper was sworn in as North Carolina's 75th governor on January 1, 2017 [8]. The National Governors Association records his two terms as January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020 and January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2025 [7]. In the 2016 general election he defeated incumbent Republican Pat McCrory by 2,309,157 votes to 2,298,880 \u2014 a margin of 10,277 \u2014 with Libertarian Lon Cecil receiving 102,977, per the State Board of Elections' official precinct results [9]. In 2020 he was re-elected over Republican Dan Forest, 2,834,790 to 2,586,604, with Libertarian Steven J. DiFiore at 60,449 and Constitution Party candidate Al Pisano at 20,934 [10]. WRAL reported in 2026 that Cooper \"has never lost an election in nearly 50 years as a candidate\" [4].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\n**Medicaid expansion.** Cooper signed House Bill 76 on March 27, 2023; it became Session Law 2023-7 [11], titled \"AN ACT to provide north carolina citizens with greater access to healthcare options\" [12]. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported that expansion launched December 1, 2023, that more than 600,000 people enrolled in the first year \u2014 reaching a two-year enrollment target in one year \u2014 that nearly 300,000 people already receiving Medicaid Family Planning benefits were enrolled immediately, and that more than 217,183 rural residents gained coverage [13]. Cooper said in that announcement: \"From day one, we set out to get people covered and get them care. Now, more than 600,000 people have the peace of mind that they can go to the doctor, get needed medications and manage their chronic health conditions \u2014 that's life-changing\" [13].\n\n**House Bill 2 repeal.** On March 30, 2017 Cooper signed House Bill 142, enacted as Session Law 2017-4 and titled \"aN act to reset s.l. 2016-3,\" which repealed S.L. 2016-3 and S.L. 2016-99 [14]. The same law preempted state agencies, the University of North Carolina, the community college system and local governments from \"regulation of access to multiple occupancy restrooms, showers, or changing facilities, except in accordance with an act of the General Assembly,\" and provided that \"[n]o local government in this State may enact or amend an ordinance regulating private employment practices or regulating public accommodations\" \u2014 a provision the act set to expire on December 1, 2020 [14].\n\n**Clemency.** On December 31, 2024 Cooper commuted the sentences of 15 death row inmates to life without possibility of parole, reducing pending death sentences in the state from 136 to 121. NC Newsline reported the action brought him to 34 pardons and 43 commutations in office, \"the most extensive use of clemency powers by any North Carolina governor in the 21st century\" [20]. Cooper said in a statement: \"These reviews are among the most difficult decisions a Governor can make and the death penalty is the most severe sentence that the state can impose. After thorough review, reflection, and prayer, I concluded that the death sentence imposed on these 15 people should be commuted, while ensuring they will spend the rest of their lives in prison\" [20].\n\n**Hurricane Helene.** On October 23, 2024 Cooper said Helene caused an estimated $53.6 billion in damage in North Carolina and asked the General Assembly for $3.9 billion in state aid, calling it a \"down payment on western North Carolina's future.\" He said, \"It is no exaggeration to describe Helene as the deadliest and most damaging storm to ever hit North Carolina\" [21].\n\nIn his December 18, 2024 farewell address, Cooper cited Medicaid expansion, clean energy investment, medical-debt relief and public education, saying, \"We have restored our reputation as a welcoming place, where people can thrive, innovate and grow\" [19]. His campaign biography credits his governorship with \"thousands of new jobs,\" \"hundreds of bipartisan bills,\" Medicaid coverage that \"in early 2025 has already brought health care to more than 650,000 North Carolinians,\" and a plan \"to relieve more than $4 billion of existing medical debt for 2 million eligible North Carolinians\" [5].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nNC Newsline reported at the close of his tenure that Cooper \"has used the veto pen more than any governor in North Carolina history \u2014 and many of those vetoes have been overridden in response\" [19].\n\n**Abortion law, 2023.** Cooper vetoed Senate Bill 20 on May 14, 2023; the General Assembly overrode the veto and the measure became Session Law 2023-14 on May 16, 2023 [15], titled \"AN ACT to make various changes to health care laws and to appropriate funds for health care programs\" [16]. NC Newsline reported that the bill \"bans most abortions after 12 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, 'life-limiting fetal anomalies,' and emergencies,\" that Cooper's veto \"was canceled in party-line votes in both the House and Senate,\" and that he had held events across the state trying to persuade a Republican to sustain it. After the override Cooper said in a written statement: \"Strong majorities of North Carolinians don't want right-wing politicians in the exam room with women and their doctors, which is even more understandable today after several Republican lawmakers broke their promises to protect women's reproductive freedom\" [17].\n\n**Power-shift legislation.** NC Newsline reported that before Cooper first took office in 2016, \"the GOP-led General Assembly convened to strip the governor's office of significant power,\" and that in December 2024 Republicans completed an override of his veto of Senate Bill 382, a bill that \"strips offices soon to be held by Democrats of appointment power, redirecting much of that authority to Republicans\" and that made \"a litany of changes to election administration.\" The override passed the House 72-46. Per NC Newsline, \"Republicans have touted the law as another measured step in Helene aid, while making needed fixes across state government,\" while \"Democrats and advocates, many of whom have protested at the Legislative Building in recent weeks, have decried it as a 'power grab' aimed at eroding democratic government.\" When Cooper vetoed it, \"calling it a 'sham,' he said it violated the state constitution\" [18].\n\n**COVID-19 closure orders.** WRAL reported that on June 5, 2020 Cooper vetoed House Bill 536, which would have permitted bars to operate in outdoor spaces while restricting the authority of the governor and municipalities to order future closures. Cooper said: \"State and local government leaders must be able to act quickly during the COVID-19 emergency to prevent a surge in cases that could overwhelm hospitals and harm the public. House Bill 536 would limit the ability of leaders to respond quickly to COVID-19 and hamper the health and safety of every North Carolinian.\" WRAL reported that House Speaker Tim Moore argued the proposal simply placed bars on equal footing with restaurants, that Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said other states had reopened bars without public health consequences, and that a bar-industry association filing lawsuits on behalf of 185 businesses expressed disappointment with the veto [22].\n\n**Opposition framing.** After his farewell address, North Carolina Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer criticized Cooper's \"failure in disaster recovery,\" as well as his stances on education and crime, and said: \"Roy Cooper's place in North Carolina history is secure: he is the most inconsequential governor\" [19].\n\n## Family\n\nCooper is married to Kristin Cooper [7], who served as First Lady of North Carolina during his governorship [19].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [COOPER, ROY - candidate overview (S6NC00407)](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S6NC00407/) - Federal Election Commission, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [Official precinct results, March 3, 2026 primary (results_pct_20260303)](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [Upcoming Election - North Carolina 2026 Elections](https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[4] [Cooper-Whatley U.S. Senate race 'a true test of where the state is'](https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/election-primary-north-carolina-us-senate-cooper-whately-march-2026/) - WRAL, accessed 2026-07-30\n[5] [Meet Roy](https://roycooper.com/about/) - Cooper for North Carolina (campaign site), accessed 2026-07-30\n[6] [Make Stuff Cost Less](https://roycooper.com/make-stuff-cost-less/) - Cooper for North Carolina (campaign site), accessed 2026-07-30\n[7] [Roy Cooper - governor biography](https://www.nga.org/governor/roy-cooper/) - National Governors Association, accessed 2026-07-30\n[8] [Gov. Roy Cooper - profile](https://www.wral.com/story/attorney-general-roy-cooper/11959769/) - WRAL, accessed 2026-07-30\n[9] [Official precinct results, November 8, 2016 general election (results_pct_20161108)](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2016_11_08/results_pct_20161108.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[10] [Official precinct results, November 3, 2020 general election (results_pct_20201103)](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2020_11_03/results_pct_20201103.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[11] [House Bill 76 / SL 2023-7 - bill history](https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/H76) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[12] [Session Law 2023-7 (House Bill 76)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/HTML/2023-2024/SL2023-7.html) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[13] [Over 600,000 North Carolinians Enrolled in Medicaid Expansion](https://www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/2024/12/16/over-600000-north-carolinians-enrolled-medicaid-expansion) - N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 2026-07-30\n[14] [Session Law 2017-4 (House Bill 142)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/HTML/2017-2018/SL2017-4.html) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[15] [Senate Bill 20 / SL 2023-14 - bill history](https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/S20) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[16] [Session Law 2023-14 (Senate Bill 20)](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/HTML/2023-2024/SL2023-14.html) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[17] [NC legislature overrides governor's veto of abortion ban to make new restrictions law](https://ncnewsline.com/2023/05/16/nc-senate-overrides-veto-of-abortion-ban-with-house-vote-to-follow/) - NC Newsline, accessed 2026-07-30\n[18] [NC Republicans pass law shifting government power, overriding Cooper's veto](https://ncnewsline.com/2024/12/11/nc-republicans-pass-law-shifting-government-power-overriding-coopers-veto/) - NC Newsline, accessed 2026-07-30\n[19] [Gov. Roy Cooper touts Medicaid, jobs and education as his legacy in farewell address](https://ncnewsline.com/2024/12/19/gov-roy-cooper-touts-medicaid-jobs-and-education-as-his-legacy-in-farewell-address/) - NC Newsline, accessed 2026-07-30\n[20] [Governor Cooper commutes 15 death sentences following years of advocacy](https://ncnewsline.com/2024/12/31/governor-cooper-commutes-15-death-sentences-following-years-of-advocacy/) - NC Newsline, accessed 2026-07-30\n[21] [Helene damages in North Carolina total $53 billion, Cooper says, as he requests new state relief](https://ncnewsline.com/2024/10/23/helene-damages-in-north-carolina-total-53-billion-cooper-says-as-he-requests-new-state-relief/) - NC Newsline, accessed 2026-07-30\n[22] [NC Gov. Cooper vetoes 'Bar Bill'](https://www.wral.com/nc-gov-cooper-vetoes-bar-bill/19131832/) - WRAL, accessed 2026-07-30","firstname":"Roy","lastname":"Cooper","middlename":"Asberry","suffix":"III","token":"6f70aa83374498cb"},"token":"IWRnWsXKNOg8QHFJ"},{"candidatename":"Michele Morrow","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMichele Morrow was a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from North Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. She lost the March 3, 2026 Republican primary to Michael Whatley, finishing fourth with 5.6% of the vote (35,065 votes) [1].\n\n## Background and education\nMorrow was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, and graduated from South Mecklenburg High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1993 [1].\n\n## Career\nPer her Ballotpedia biography, Morrow's career experience includes work as a nurse, a homeschool educator, and a high school teacher of biology, chemistry, civics, Spanish, and health; she has also served as head nurse of a wilderness camp. She and her husband were missionaries in Mexico for four years [1]. Morrow lists affiliations with Liberty First Grassroots, the Conservative Coalition of NC, FreedomWorks, Education First Alliance, Carolina Teachers Alliance, the Wake GOP, and several other conservative and homeschool-advocacy organizations [1].\n\n## Office history\nMorrow previously ran for a seat on the Wake County Public School System Board of Education in 2022, and for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2024 [1].\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Morrow is a registered Republican voter in Wake County, North Carolina, registered since 2015, and has voted in 15 elections since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary [2][3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Michele Morrow - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Michele_Morrow) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-21 (only substantive source reachable in this research session; WebSearch was out of budget and Google/Bing/DuckDuckGo fetches did not return usable results in this sandbox - a fuller independent-journalism pass is recommended)\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Michele","lastname":"Morrow","middlename":"Marie","suffix":null,"token":"fa9887b5a5cfcf75"},"token":"jMZaMjVVa5THOM2H"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"us_senator","o.office":"us_senate","office":"us_senate","officedescription":"A United States Senator represents the entire state in the upper chamber of Congress, serving a six-year term. Senators write and pass federal law, approve federal spending, confirm federal judges and executive appointments, and ratify treaties.","officequalities":"- Legislative craft at the federal level: drafting and amending federal statute, and understanding the body of law being changed.\n- Statewide constituency understanding: the economic and everyday concerns of the whole state, not a single district.\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- Advice and consent: senators confirm federal judges and executive appointments and ratify treaties.","officeterm":6,"officetitle":"U.S. Senator","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Us Senate"}