{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Brittany Newton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Brittany Nicole Newton is the Democratic nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives District 46 in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election [1]. The North Carolina House is the lower chamber of the state legislature; each member represents a single district and serves a two-year term [1]. Newton advanced to the general election after the Democratic primary scheduled for March\u202f3,\u202f2026 was cancelled, leaving her unopposed in the primary [1].\n\nPer her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Newton was born and raised in Whiteville, North Carolina, where she is now raising her children, and served eight years in the U.S. Army [1]. She describes her campaign as focused on rural economic development, education, and health-care access for Columbus and Robeson counties, the two counties that make up District 46 [1]. On the economy, she says she wants to build a rural economy that supports small businesses, local agriculture, and workforce training [1]. On education, she pledges to recruit and retain teachers, strengthen career-and-technical programs, and ensure rural students have the same opportunities as students elsewhere in the state [1]. On health care, she says she would work to expand rural health-care access, strengthen local clinics, support telehealth, and recruit medical professionals to underserved areas, with particular attention to maternal, emergency, and mental-health services [1].\n\nNewton will face incumbent Republican Representative Brenden Jones, who also advanced without a primary contest, in the general election for District 46 [1]. The race will be decided alongside all 120 North Carolina House seats on the statewide 2026 ballot [2].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Brittany Newton (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Brittany_Newton_(North_Carolina))\n- [2] [North Carolina elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2026)","firstname":"Brittany","lastname":"Newton","middlename":"Nicole","suffix":null,"token":"0a406ca02992afa7"},"token":"mzm9sG_QzOv39gXI"},{"candidatename":"Brenden H. Jones","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Brenden Harding Jones is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 46 and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. Since January\u202f1,\u202f2017 he has represented the eastern\u2011North\u2011Carolina district, and in January\u202f2025 he assumed the role of House Majority Leader, a position he holds through the 2026\u20112027 term\u202f[1][6][3].\n\nBorn and raised in Columbus County, Jones graduated from Fayetteville Technical Community College with an associate degree in mortuary science in 1994\u202f[11]. He later attended the same college for additional coursework, though he did not complete a four\u2011year degree. His early career began in the family automobile business in the late 1990s; he took over the dealership, expanded it to become the oldest car dealership in Columbus County, and later added an auto\u2011body repair shop and a funeral home\u202f[8]. Jones continues to own Ready Paint & Body, LLC (since 2011) and serves as Vice President of Ready Motors, Inc. (since 1999)\u202f[11].\n\nJones entered politics after an unsuccessful 2014 bid for the same House seat, losing to Democrat Ken\u202fWaddell. He won the open seat in 2016 and has been re\u2011elected every two years, running unopposed in 2022 and 2024\u202f[6]. During his legislative tenure he has served on a wide range of committees, most recently chairing the Appropriations Committee and the House Transportation Committee, and serving as vice\u2011chair of the Appropriations on Transportation Committee, the Energy and Public Utilities Committee, and the Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee\u202f[1]. Earlier sessions saw him on the Agriculture, Alcoholic Beverage Control, Judiciary II, and Wildlife Resources committees, among others\u202f[1].\n\nAs Majority Leader, Jones helps set the House agenda and coordinates the Republican caucus. He has sponsored and co\u2011authored legislation on issues such as tax policy (e.g., HB\u202f11 eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, and bonuses), disaster recovery (HB\u202f47), and public safety (HB\u202f61 on assaults on first responders). Recent bills include HB\u202f171, which seeks to prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in state agencies, and HB\u202f220, directing funds to Tabor City projects\u202f[4].\n\nJones\u2019s public positions include opposition to COVID\u201119 vaccine mandates and support for limiting government spending, reflected in his 2017 bathroom\u2011bill proposal (HB\u202f562) and his consistent voting record against expanding tax burdens\u202f[6]. He is active in community organizations, serving on the board of the Cape Fear Council of the Boy Scouts, the North Carolina Rural Center Board, and the Southeast Community College Board of Trustees, and he is a deacon at Tabor City Baptist Church\u202f[11].\n\nJones resides in Tabor City with his wife, Angela, and their two daughters. His campaign emphasizes continued low taxes, rural transportation improvements, and strong conservative values\u202f[8].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Brenden Jones - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Brenden_Jones)\n- [3] [Representative Brenden H. Jones - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/723)\n- [4] [Representative Brenden H. Jones's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/723)\n- [6] [Brenden Jones - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenden_Jones)\n- [8] [About | Rep. Brenden H. Jones](https://repjonesfornc.com/about)\n- [9] [Brenden Jones](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/150367/brenden-jones)\n- [11] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/150367/brenden-jones)\n- [19] [State Representative Brenden Jones | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/22230)\n- [20] [North Carolina State Rep. Brenden Jones - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/263157/Brenden_H_Jones.html)","firstname":"Brenden","lastname":"Jones","middlename":"Harding","suffix":null,"token":"2ea157b3c2e3ffd1"},"token":"TWvP-Ew48XsIe8En"}],"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 046"}