{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Donnie Loftis","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Donnie Loftis is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f109 and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  He was appointed to the seat on October\u202f20,\u202f2021 by the Gaston County Republican Party after the death of Rep.\u202fDana\u202fBumgardner and was sworn in on November\u202f1,\u202f2021; his current term runs until January\u202f1,\u202f2027\u30101\u2020L1-L4\u3011\u30101\u2020L9-L11\u3011.  The North Carolina House consists of 120 members who serve two\u2011year terms, must be at least 21 years old, and must reside in the district they represent\u30101\u2020L1-L4\u3011.\n\nBorn September\u202f7,\u202f1956, Loftis is a native of Gaston County, North Carolina.  He is married to Deena and they have one daughter, Kamryn\u30108\u2020L9-L13\u3011.  A lifelong conservative, he is a born\u2011again Christian and serves as an elder and chair of the Life4Kidz Childcare Center Board in Cramerton\u301010\u2020L5-L9\u3011.\n\nLoftis\u2019 career began with a 30\u2011year military service.  He served in the United States Army and the North Carolina Army National Guard, retiring as an E\u20118 (Master Sergeant).  He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, survived an IED attack in 2006, and earned the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge and more than 25 other awards\u301010\u2020L13-L20\u3011.  After his military service he entered local politics, being elected Gaston County commissioner in 2000 and again in 2008, and was named North Carolina\u2019s \u201cOutstanding Commissioner of the Year\u201d in 2011\u301016\u2020L1-L4\u3011.  He also chaired the Gaston County Board of Commissioners and later the board of directors of CaroMont Health, resigning the latter position in May\u202f2020\u30101\u2020L13-L15\u3011\u30108\u2020L13-L14\u3011.\n\nIn the state legislature, Loftis has held several key committee assignments.  For the 2023\u20112024 session he served on the Appropriations Committee, Appropriations\u2011Transportation Committee, Health Committee, Local Government Committee, House Transportation Committee, and he chaired the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee\u30101\u2020L17-L22\u3011.  The North Carolina House Republican Caucus lists him as chair of the Military & Veterans Affairs Committee and a member of Appropriations, Health, Transportation, Local Government and other committees\u30105\u2020L1-L9\u3011.\n\nLegislatively, Loftis has introduced a range of bills covering veterans\u2019 issues, tax policy, election reforms, and public safety.  Recent proposals include a study of state travel\u2011allowance reimbursements (HB\u202f10), a \u201cNo Tax on Tips, Overtime, Bonus Pay\u201d bill (HB\u202f11), a \u201cBack the Blue Pay Act\u201d (HB\u202f42), and a \u201cDisabled Veteran Motor Vehicle Tax Exclusion\u201d (HB\u202f39) among many others\u30106\u2020L1-L30\u3011.  He has also sponsored resolutions honoring veterans and public servants.\n\nOn policy positions, Loftis describes himself as pro\u2011life, a defender of the Second Amendment, a supporter of free\u2011market economics, school\u2011choice advocate, and a pro\u2011law\u2011enforcement voice.  He emphasizes veteran affairs, election integrity, and medical freedom on his campaign site and BallotReady profile\u301011\u2020L1-L12\u3011\u301017\u2020L1-L9\u3011.  He was re\u2011elected in 2022 and again in 2024, defeating Democratic challenger Pam\u202fMorgenstern with 58\u202f% of the vote\u30101\u2020L31-L34\u3011.\n\nLoftis\u2019 public service record combines military leadership, local government experience, health\u2011care governance, and state legislative work, positioning him as a seasoned representative for Gaston County\u2019s interests in Raleigh.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Donnie Loftis - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Donnie_Loftis)\n- [4] [Representative Donnie Loftis - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/788)\n- [5] [Representative Donnie Loftis (Rep)](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Committees/H/788)\n- [6] [Representative Donnie Loftis's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/788)\n- [8] [Donnie Loftis - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Loftis)\n- [9] [Home - Donnie Loftis for NC House](https://donniefornc.com/)\n- [10] [Meet Donnie - Donnie Loftis for NC House](https://donniefornc.com/?page_id=5)\n- [11] [Donnie on the Issues - Donnie Loftis for NC House](https://donniefornc.com/?page_id=6)\n- [13] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/41028/donnie-loftis)\n- [14] [State Representative Donnie Loftis | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/26104)\n- [16] [Donnie Loftis Selected to Fill 109th District Vacancy - Gaston County Republican Party](https://gaston.nc.gop/donnie_loftis_selected_to_fill_109th_district_vacancy)\n- [17] [Donnie Loftis | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/donnie-loftis-47745fa2-55d4-4ad0-aca4-9d65e890c6c9)\n- [18] [Donnie Loftis - North Carolina House Republican Caucus](https://www.nchouserepublicans.com/members/donnie-loftis)\n- [19] [North Carolina State Rep. Donnie Loftis - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/413453/Donnie_Loftis.html)","firstname":"Donnie","lastname":"Loftis","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"71a4a2fc9a6f88db"},"token":"pfmyC4ZBtT"},{"candidatename":"Mark D. Carver","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\n> **Editorial note \u2014 same-name confusion.** Web searches for \"Mark Carver\" in North Carolina will surface a different, imprisoned man of the same name who has been the subject of a long-running murder-case appeal. That person is not the candidate profiled here. Mark Dean Carver is a 68-year-old retired Goodyear labor-union leader and Gaston College history professor from Cramerton, NC [2][3].\n\nMark Dean Carver is the Democratic nominee for North Carolina House District 109 in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing incumbent Republican Donnie Loftis [1]. He advanced to the ballot uncontested after the Democratic primary was canceled [1]. He is 68 and lives in Cramerton, where he is registered as a Democrat [3].\n\n## Background and education\n\nCarver holds a BS in history from Methodist College and a graduate degree in American labor history from NC State University [2].\n\n## Career\n\nCarver was born and raised in Fayetteville, the fourth of five children of a building contractor and a waitress [2]. His mother died when he was 15; he lived independently and worked at a car wash to support himself through high school [2]. He worked 25 years at the Kelly-Springfield Tire plant, a Goodyear subsidiary, rising to vacation-replacement supervisor and serving as shop steward and elected Division Chairman for the United Rubber Workers / United Steelworkers, in which capacity he called the plant's first strike in 1996 [2]. He retired from Goodyear in 2001 [2]. He has taught at Gaston College for 20 years [2].\n\n## Family\n\nCarver married Lori in 1981; they have a daughter, Lindsay (born 1986), and a granddaughter, Hazel (born July 2022) [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Mark Carver \u2014 Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Carver)\n[2] [Meet Mark \u2014 Mark Carver for NC House District 109](https://www.markdcarverfornchouse109.com/meet_mark)\n[3] NC State Board of Elections voter registration file, accessed 2026-07-01\n","firstname":"Mark","lastname":"Carver","middlename":"Dean","suffix":null,"token":"92dbc73828fb01fa"},"token":"762Nb84gHE"}],"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 109"}