{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Cyril Jefferson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Cyril Anthony Jefferson is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina\u2019s 6th Congressional District in the 2026 election, appearing on the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general\u2011election ballot after winning the March\u202f3 Democratic primary with 39.2% of the vote\u30101\u2020L31-L38\u3011.  The U.S. House requires members to be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for seven years, and reside in the state they represent; Jefferson meets these constitutional criteria and is a resident of Guilford County, part of the 6th District\u30101\u2020L1-L4\u3011.\n\nBorn in Utica, New\u202fYork, Jefferson pursued higher education in North Carolina, attending North Carolina A&T State University and High Point University for his undergraduate studies\u30101\u2020L13-L15\u3011.  He began his professional life as a public\u2011 and private\u2011school teacher, later expanding into youth development consulting, motivational speaking, and business ownership through his Change Often Social Innovation Firm\u301015\u2020L9-L13\u3011.\n\nJefferson entered local politics as a member of the High Point City Council, serving four years before running for mayor.  In the 2023 municipal election he won the mayoral race with 56.55% of the vote, becoming the city\u2019s first Black male mayor and the second person of color ever elected to that office\u301020\u2020L1-L7\u3011\u301019\u2020L1-L3\u3011.  As mayor, he has emphasized public\u2011private partnerships that delivered a 67% reduction in violent crime, secured $10\u202fmillion for workforce\u2011development programs, and helped attract the professional soccer team Carolina\u202fCore\u202fFC to the region\u30107\u2020L1-L4\u3011\u30108\u2020L1-L4\u3011.  He also joined the national \u201cTake\u202fBAC\u202fCongress\u201d reform initiative, advocating for congressional term limits, overturning Citizens United, and banning stock trading by members of Congress while in office\u301010\u2020L1-L8\u3011.\n\nIn August\u202f2025 Jefferson announced his candidacy for Congress, filing with the Federal Election Commission and stating he would not use personal funds above federal thresholds\u301018\u2020L1-L5\u3011.  The campaign is organized under the website CyrilForCongress.com, which outlines priorities such as affordability, healthcare, education, public safety, economic development, and national\u2011security reforms\u30107\u2020L5-L12\u3011.  His congressional platform builds on his mayoral record, promising to bring the same results\u2011first approach to Washington.\n\nJefferson\u2019s electoral r\u00e9sum\u00e9 includes a 2019 victory for High Point City Council Ward\u202f1, where he defeated incumbent Willie Davis with 55% of the vote\u30101\u2020L24-L27\u3011, and a 2023 mayoral win that made history for the city\u301020\u2020L1-L5\u3011.  In the 2026 Democratic primary he prevailed over three opponents, securing 15,237 votes\u30101\u2020L33-L38\u3011, and now faces incumbent Republican Rep. Addison\u202fMcDowell and Independent Joshua\u202fHager in the November general election\u30101\u2020L19-L22\u3011.  Throughout his career he has been affiliated with organizations such as the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce, the NAACP, and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative\u30101\u2020L16-L18\u3011.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Cyril Jefferson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Cyril_Jefferson)\n- [3] [Staff Directory \u2022 Cyril Jefferson](https://www.highpointnc.gov/directory.aspx?EID=599)\n- [7] [Cyril Jefferson for Congress | Leadership for North Carolina\u2019s 6th District](https://www.cyrilforcongress.com/)\n- [8] [Elect Cyril Jefferson - Home](https://www.electcyriljefferson.com/)\n- [9] [About \u2014 Cyril Jefferson for Congress](https://www.cyrilforcongress.com/about)\n- [10] [Mayor Cyril Jefferson Joins \u201cTake BAC Congress\u201d to Advance Government Accountability Reforms](https://www.cyrilforcongress.com/news/mayor-cyril-jefferson-joins-take-bac-congress-to-advance-government-accountability-reforms)\n- [15] [Commitment 2023: Meet the two candidates for High Point mayor](https://www.wxii12.com/article/commitment-2023-meet-the-two-candidates-for-high-point-mayor/45514818)\n- [16] [High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson announces bid for Congress](https://www.bpr.org/2025-08-06/high-point-mayor-cyril-jefferson-announces-bid-for-congress)\n- [18] [High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson to challenge Rep. McDowell in 2026](https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/politics/high-point-mayor-to-run-for-6th-nc-congressional-district/83-c5588ebe-7b6e-4d8c-b7dc-703366f9388c)\n- [19] [Cyril Jefferson High Point mayor first Black man](https://greensboro.com/news/local/government-politics/high-point-2023-elections/article_bc425976-7deb-11ee-8e0a-3fd01475637b.html)\n- [20] [Cyril Jefferson announced as projected winner for High Point mayoral race](https://www.wxii12.com/article/cyril-jefferson-announced-as-projected-winner-for-high-point-mayoral-race/45778322)","firstname":"Cyril","lastname":"Jefferson","middlename":"Anthony","suffix":null,"token":"c0eb04eb3c2fb84d"},"token":"iAG6U38twc"},{"candidatename":"Addison McDowell","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nAddison Parker McDowell (R) is the U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 6th Congressional District. Clerk of the House records show he was elected November 5, 2024 and sworn in January 3, 2025, with no prior congressional service [1]. He filed for re-election as a Republican on December 9, 2025 and is on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot against Democrat Cyril Jefferson [3]. No Republican primary was held for the seat in 2026; Jefferson won a four-way Democratic primary on March 3, 2026 with 15,274 votes, about 39.2 percent of the votes recorded in that primary, ahead of Alysa Kassay (13,316), Keith Davenport (6,569) and Beau Blair (3,848) [3][4].\n\nUnder the lines used for the 2026 election, NC-06 covers Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford and Rowan counties [3].\n\nHis principal campaign committee (FEC candidate ID H4NC06177) reported $1,226,407.96 in receipts, $852,002.85 in disbursements and $381,728 cash on hand for the 2026 cycle through June 30, 2026 [5]. His campaign site states that he \"is running for re-election in North Carolina's 6th Congressional District and is endorsed by President Donald J. Trump\" [6].\n\nMcDowell is registered as a Republican voter in Davie County (Bermuda Run), with a registration date of August 26, 2024; the state voter file lists his birth year as 1994 [7].\n\n## Background and education\n\nMcDowell's official House biography describes him as \"a native of Lexington, North Carolina\" and states that he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte [2]. His campaign biography states that he was raised in Davidson County in \"a Christian family where church was always a priority\" and that he attended UNC Charlotte \"thanks in part to a Baptist scholarship\" [6].\n\n## Career\n\nBefore his election, McDowell served on the congressional staffs of Rep. (now Sen.) Ted Budd and Rep. Richard Hudson, \"where he spent each day helping constituents in need,\" according to his official House biography [2]. In December 2023, NC Newsline described him as \"a registered lobbyist for Blue Cross Blue Shield\" [8].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nPer Clerk of the House member data published July 6, 2026, McDowell serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Subcommittees on Aviation; Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; and Highways and Transit), the Committee on Natural Resources (Subcommittees on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries; and Indian and Insular Affairs), and the Committee on the Budget [1]. His official House biography lists the same three full committees [2].\n\nThat biography states that his \"top priority in Congress is to tackle the drug crisis and strengthen border security to protect families and communities from the dangers posed by illegal immigration,\" and attributes this to \"the tragic loss of his younger brother, Luke, to a fentanyl overdose\" [2].\n\nMeasures his office announced introducing in the 119th Congress include: the Clarity for Opioid-Use Reduction and Expenditures (CURE) Act on oversight of federal opioid grant spending (July 10, 2025); the Ban on Inkless Directives and Executive Notarizations (BIDEN) Act, to bar autopen signatures on bills, executive orders, pardons and commutations (July 15, 2025); the Accelerated Logistics and Coordination for Arresting, Transporting, and Removing Aliens Zones (ALCATRAZ) Act, described by his office as \"legislation to support state-run detention facilities for illegal aliens by redirecting wasteful Biden-era spending\" (August 22, 2025); the bipartisan Kidd's Stuttering Act with Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL) (December 2, 2025); the Protecting Children from Foreign Mutilation Act, described by his office as \"designed to close a dangerous loophole that allows foreign doctors and clinics to perform irreversible gender transition procedures on American children overseas and then freely enter the United States without repercussions\" (December 18, 2025); the Preventing Rogue Equipment for Synthetic Substances (PRESS) Act, H.R. 7184, on imported pill-press machines (January 21, 2026); the MTS CYBER Act on Coast Guard cybersecurity (February 20, 2026); the Pregnancy Loss Mental Health Research Act with Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) (May 29, 2026); and the Broadband Infrastructure Extension Act (June 29, 2026) [9].\n\nHis office also reports that an amendment he offered to the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act passed the House by voice vote on September 9, 2025, that he attended the July 2025 White House signing of the HALT Fentanyl Act, and that as of February 2026 he had secured $12,937,032 in community project funding for the 6th District [9].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nMcDowell's entry into the 2024 NC-06 race drew attention because Donald Trump endorsed him, a first-time candidate, over better-known Republicans already in the field. Under the subhead \"Addison who?\", NC Newsline reported on December 14, 2023 that \"McDowell, a registered lobbyist for Blue Cross Blue Shield, has no bio or policy platform on his website as of this writing, simply a banner declaring that he is 'the Trump Endorsed candidate.'\" The same report noted that the endorsement came days after Trump had publicly praised another candidate in the race, Bo Hines, at a New York Young Republican Club event [8].\n\nIn the March 5, 2024 Republican primary, McDowell finished first with 21,285 votes out of 81,492 cast, or 26.1 percent, ahead of former Rep. Mark Walker with 19,633, or 24.1 percent [10]. Because no candidate reached North Carolina's 30 percent threshold, Walker was entitled to request a runoff and initially said he intended to. On March 13, 2024, Walker instead took a position with Trump's presidential campaign; NC Newsline reported that \"Walker's exit hands the district to Trump-endorsed, first-time candidate Addison McDowell\" [11]. McDowell won the November 5, 2024 general election with 233,303 votes to Constitution Party candidate Kevin E. Hayes's 104,017, or 69.2 percent to 30.8 percent of the two-candidate vote [12].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Member Data, 119th Congress (published July 6, 2026)](https://clerk.house.gov/xml/lists/MemberData.xml) - Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [About - Congressman Addison McDowell](https://mcdowell.house.gov/about) - Office of Rep. Addison McDowell, U.S. House of Representatives, accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [2026 Candidate Listing (Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)](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[4] [Precinct-level results, March 3, 2026 primary (results_pct_20260303.zip)](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[5] [Candidate summary file, 2026 cycle (weball26.zip)](https://www.fec.gov/files/bulk-downloads/2026/weball26.zip) - Federal Election Commission, accessed 2026-07-30\n[6] [Addison McDowell for Congress (NC-06) - campaign site](https://www.mcdowellfornc.com/) - McDowell for Congress, accessed 2026-07-30\n[7] [Statewide voter registration file, Davie County (ncvoter30.zip)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/data/ncvoter30.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[8] [Ballot bites: A lost endorsement and a new Trump favorite in NC's 6th congressional district](https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/ballot-bites-a-lost-endorsement-and-a-new-trump-favorite-in-ncs-6th-congressional-district/) - NC Newsline, December 14, 2023, accessed 2026-07-30\n[9] [Press Releases - Congressman Addison McDowell](https://mcdowell.house.gov/media/press-releases) - Office of Rep. Addison McDowell, U.S. House of Representatives, accessed 2026-07-30\n[10] [Precinct-level results, March 5, 2024 primary (results_pct_20240305.zip)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2024_03_05/results_pct_20240305.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[11] [Walker abandons 6th Congressional District runoff, joins Trump campaign](https://ncnewsline.com/2024/03/13/walker-abandons-6th-congressional-district-runoff-joins-trump-campaign/) - NC Newsline, March 13, 2024, accessed 2026-07-30\n[12] [Precinct-level results, November 5, 2024 general election (results_pct_20241105.zip)](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","firstname":"Addison","lastname":"Mcdowell","middlename":"Parker","suffix":null,"token":"59ba00f5939b29e1"},"token":"Fh2maho5tO"}],"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 06"}