{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Ya Liu","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Ya Liu is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f21, covering parts of western Wake County. She is on the ballot for re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election, having advanced automatically after the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Democratic primary was cancelled [1].\n\nBorn Guangya Liu in Henan, China, in 1980 or 1981, Liu immigrated to the United States in 2003. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology from Nankai University, a Ph.D. in sociology from North Carolina State University, and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University [6]. Liu is an attorney and small\u2011business owner, and she has taught at Duke Law School as a faculty member before entering elected office [1][19].\n\nLiu\u2019s first elected position was on the Cary Town Council, representing District\u202fD from December\u202f2019 until she took office in the state legislature on January\u202f1,\u202f2023. She was the first Asian\u2011American elected to the Cary council and the first Chinese\u2011American woman to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly [1][6][19]. While on the council she advocated for business development, infrastructure growth, public transit, senior services, and environmentally friendly policies [8][15].\n\nIn the 2022 election Liu won the newly created District\u202f21 seat with 67.7\u202f% of the vote, defeating Republican Gerard\u202fFalzon and Libertarian Joshua\u202fMorris [6]. She was re\u2011elected in 2024, capturing 62.8\u202f% of the vote against Republican Bryson\u202fJohnson [1]. During the 2023\u20112024 legislative session she served on the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations \u2013 Health and Human Services Committee, the Banking Committee, the Families, Children, and Aging Policy Committee, and the Health Committee [1][6]. In the 2025\u20112026 session she was appointed House Democratic Whip (Minority Whip) [3][6].\n\nLiu has introduced a range of bills, including the \u201cFair Maps Act\u201d (HB\u202f20), the \u201cGun Violence Prevention Act\u201d (HB\u202f28), and legislation to make Election Day a state holiday (HB\u202f31) among others focused on veterans, consumer protection, and Medicaid dental rates [4]. She has also sponsored resolutions honoring public servants and supporting disaster recovery efforts [1].\n\nHer campaign messaging emphasizes breaking the Republican super\u2011majority in the General Assembly, expanding access to affordable health care, fully funding public schools, raising teacher salaries, and supporting working families and small businesses. Liu highlights her personal immigrant story, her two doctoral degrees, and her experience as a small\u2011business owner and attorney as qualifications for representing her constituents [15][16].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Ya Liu - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Ya_Liu)\n- [2] [North Carolina House of Representatives District 21 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_21)\n- [3] [Representative Ya Liu - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/806)\n- [4] [Representative Ya Liu's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/806)\n- [6] [Ya Liu - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ya_Liu)\n- [8] [Dr. Ya Liu \u2014 Voice for Refuge](https://voiceforrefuge.org/endorsements/dr-ya-liu/)\n- [11] [North Carolina State Rep. Ya Liu - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/442604/Ya_Liu.html)\n- [12] [State Representative Ya Liu | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/28112)\n- [15] [Candidate Info - Ya Liu - Wake County Democratic Party](https://www.wakedems.org/election-central-2024/candidate-info-ya-liu/)\n- [16] [Ya Liu- House District 21](https://nchousedems.com/our-members/ya-liu-house-district-21/)\n- [19] [Ya Liu - North Carolina Leadership Forum](https://sites.duke.edu/nclf/ya-liu/)\n- [20] [North Carolina Representative Ya Liu - FastDemocracy](https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/nc/legislators/NCL000382/)","firstname":"Ya","lastname":"Liu","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"760332bc88f154e3"},"token":"oWm7wHXJkobPbHDq"},{"candidatename":"Bryson Johnson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nBryson Dale Johnson is the Republican nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives District 21, representing part of Wake County (Cary area). The Republican primary was canceled because he had no opponent [1]. He faces incumbent Democrat Ya Liu in the November 3, 2026 general election [1].\n\n## Background and education\n\nPer his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Johnson earned a high school diploma from Augusta Christian Schools, a bachelor's degree from Campbell University, and a graduate credential from the EC-Council in 2026 [1].\n\n## Career\n\nJohnson's campaign profile lists his career experience as working as an engineer [1].\n\n## Sources\n\n- [1] [Bryson Johnson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bryson_Johnson)\n- [2] NC State Board of Elections 2026 Candidate Filing list, [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)","firstname":"Bryson","lastname":"Johnson","middlename":"Dale","suffix":null,"token":"c767fd94c8c5d468"},"token":"K6-ifkD9Z0nwi5_b"}],"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 021"}