{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Colby Watson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Colby Watson is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina\u2019s 8th Congressional District in the 2026 election. He advanced from a contested Democratic primary on March\u202f3,\u202f2026, defeating Kevin Clark (37.1%) and Jesse Oppenheim (14.9%) with 47.9% of the vote (18,205 votes) and will face incumbent Republican Mark Harris in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election [1].\n\nBorn in Indian Trail and raised in Union County, North Carolina, Watson was homeschooled and earned a high\u2011school diploma without attending college. He later took courses at Central Piedmont Community College and has described himself as a lifelong learner despite not holding a formal degree [8][10].\n\nWatson\u2019s professional background is rooted in small\u2011business ownership. At age 25 he and his brother launched a construction and federal\u2011contracting firm that grew to employ more than 50 workers, handling projects for federal, state, and local infrastructure. He describes himself as a \u201csmall business owner (federal contractor)\u201d and has spent the past decade running that enterprise, giving him firsthand experience with job creation, supply\u2011chain challenges, and the impact of government procurement on local economies [10][16].\n\nHis campaign platform focuses on five broad areas. In housing, he pledges to curb institutional investors\u2019 dominance of the market to preserve homeownership for families [1][9]. On labor and farming, he emphasizes antitrust enforcement against monopolies that squeeze farmers and small businesses, drawing on his own experience as a business owner [1][9]. Healthcare policy centers on eliminating medical\u2011debt burdens and moving toward a system that prioritizes patients over profit, including support for the Medical Debt Relief Act [1][9]. Education priorities include protecting parents\u2019 rights to homeschool, increasing teacher pay, and expanding funding for special\u2011education and Title\u202fI schools [1][9]. Infrastructure investment is framed as a job\u2011creating, climate\u2011smart priority, while anti\u2011corruption measures include refusing lobbyist money, banning stock trades while in office, and rejecting special\u2011interest contributions [1][9][16].\n\nWatson\u2019s campaign has already generated modest fundraising, reporting $29,101.80 in total receipts and $27,271.31 in expenditures to date, according to Federal Election Commission filings for his principal campaign committee, \u201cCOLBY WATSON FOR CONGRESS\u201d [2][3]. He has also undertaken a high\u2011visibility \u201cwalk across the district\u201d campaign, planning to trek roughly 25 miles per day for a week\u2011long journey from Lumberton to the Charlotte suburbs, a stunt he says is meant to demonstrate commitment and connect directly with voters [16].\n\nWhile he has no prior elected office, Watson\u2019s background as a Union County native, husband, father of two, and longtime small\u2011business operator positions him as a candidate who argues he understands the everyday challenges of constituents in the district. His campaign website outlines a pledge to refuse lobbyist money, avoid stock trading while in office, and place loyalty to the American people above personal gain [7][15].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Colby Watson - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Colby_Watson)\n- [2] [WATSON, COLBY - Candidate overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6NC08202/)\n- [3] [COLBY WATSON FOR CONGRESS - committee overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00920652/)\n- [7] [Colby Watson For Congress | Democrat for NC's 8th District](https://www.colbyforcongress.com)\n- [8] [About | Colby Watson For Congress](https://www.colbyforcongress.com/about)\n- [9] [Issues | Colby Watson For Congress](https://www.colbyforcongress.com/issues)\n- [10] [Colby Watson | The Election Hub](https://www.theelectionhub.org/mecklenburg-county/colby-watson/2026-primary/north-carolina)\n- [15] [Colby Watson | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/colby-watson)\n- [16] [Watson to walk across 8th district in U.S. House campaign \u2013 Robesonian](https://www.robesonian.com/news/334482/watson-to-walk-across-8th-district-in-u-s-house-campaign)\n- [17] [Colby Watson \u2014 Donate via ActBlue](https://secure.actblue.com/donate/colbyforcongress)\n- [20] [North Carolina House District 8 Primary Election Live Results 2026 - NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-elections/north-carolina-us-house-district-8-results)","firstname":"Colby","lastname":"Watson","middlename":"Lawrence","suffix":null,"token":"20c0caf2966be14e"},"token":"X3iIwNcPZQ"},{"candidatename":"Mark Harris","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Mark Everette Harris is the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative for North Carolina\u2019s 8th Congressional District, seeking a second term in the 2026 general election on November 3, 2026.  Members of the U.S. House must be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for seven years, and reside in the state they represent, duties Harris fulfills as a resident of Monroe, NC, and a longtime North Carolina citizen [1][12].\n\nBorn on April 24, 1966, in Winston\u2011Salem, North Carolina, Harris graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School before earning a B.A. in political science from Appalachian State University in 1987.  He later received a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Leadership from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary [12][14].\n\nHarris\u2019s professional life has been rooted in ministry.  He served as senior pastor of Curtis Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia (2000-2005), then led First Baptist Church in Charlotte, before becoming lead pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville, North Carolina, a position he has held since February 2020 [12].  He also served as president of the North Carolina Baptist Convention (2011\u20112013) and sat on the board of the Biblical Recorder and as a trustee of his seminary alma mater [12][14].\n\nHis political career began with a 2014 run for the U.S. Senate, where he placed third in the Republican primary.  He pursued a seat in the U.S. House from the 9th District in 2016 and 2018, winning the 2018 Republican primary and initially appearing to win the general election before the race was invalidated due to ballot\u2011fraud allegations involving a campaign operative; Harris himself was never charged [12][19].  After the 9th\u2011District seat was reassigned, Harris announced a bid for the newly drawn 8th District in 2024, won a crowded Republican primary, and defeated Democrat Justin Dues in the November 2024 general election, becoming the district\u2019s representative on January 3, 2025 [1][12][19][20].\n\nIn Congress, Harris serves on the Agriculture Committee (including subcommittees on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Risk Management) and the Judiciary Committee (Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, Antitrust; Constitution and Limited Government) as well as the Education and Workforce Committee.  He has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and the House Freedom Caucus, and he emphasizes pro\u2011family values, strong national defense, border security, and local control of education [1][19].\n\nHarris\u2019s 2026 campaign is being run through the \u201cMark Harris for Congress\u201d committee, which reported $749,385 in receipts and $457,380 in expenditures for the 2024\u201125 cycle, reflecting a well\u2011funded operation for a district that leans heavily Republican [11].  He continues to promote constituent services through his Washington and Monroe offices, offering assistance with federal agencies and community outreach [18].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Mark Harris (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Harris_(North_Carolina))\n- [7] [North Carolina's 8th Congressional District - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_8th_Congressional_District)\n- [8] [Congressman Mark Harris | Representing North Carolina's 8th District](https://markharris.house.gov/)\n- [11] [HARRIS, MARK E - Candidate overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H4NC08066/)\n- [12] [Mark Harris (North Carolina politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Harris_(North_Carolina_politician))\n- [14] [About](https://markharrisforcongress.org/about1)\n- [16] [Mark Harris | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/mark-harris-198a4720-b9db-4d49-a482-4886b408b522)\n- [17] [Rep. Mark Harris - R North Carolina, 8th, In Office - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/307624/Mark_Everette_Harris.html)\n- [18] [US Representative Mark Harris | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/29637)\n- [19] [Mark Harris, once accused of election fraud, wins North Carolina House primary - POLITICO](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/06/north-carolina-mark-harris-dan-bishop-election-fraud-00145421)\n- [20] [AP Race Call: Republican Mark Harris wins election to U.S. House in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District | AP News](https://apnews.com/article/race-call-harris-wins-north-carolina-u-s-house-district-98fc5f6424f445bbad758dccc48abdb1)","firstname":"Mark","lastname":"Harris","middlename":"Everette","suffix":null,"token":"92759f5b89da69b0"},"token":"1qs8B8Sjzi"}],"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 08"}