{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Tom McInnis","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Tom McInnis is the incumbent Republican State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 21st Senate District and is on the ballot for re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  He first won a Senate seat in 2014, began serving on January\u202f1,\u202f2015, and after the 2022 redistricting now represents District\u202f21, which includes Moore and parts of Cumberland County.  He will complete a sixth two\u2011year term if re\u2011elected, having served six terms in the chamber overall\u202f[7][1][17].\n\nThe North Carolina State Senate is the upper chamber of the General Assembly.  Senators represent roughly 200,000 residents, serve two\u2011year terms, introduce and vote on legislation, and sit on standing committees that shape policy and the state budget.  As a member, McInnis is required to attend regular sessions, meet with constituents, and oversee the implementation of state laws\u202f[1].\n\nBorn on April\u202f16,\u202f1954 in Richmond County, North Carolina, McInnis grew up on a family farm as the son of a farmer and a public\u2011school teacher.  He attended the Certified Auctioneers Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington and also completed coursework at the Reisch College of Auctioneering\u202f[7][8][9].\n\nBefore entering politics, McInnis built a career in the auction and real\u2011estate industries.  In 1983 he co\u2011founded Iron Horse Auction Company, where he has served as chief operating officer and principal broker for more than four decades\u202f[7][9][8].  He also spent eight years on the Richmond County Board of Education and held leadership roles on the Richmond County Economic Development Board, Planning and Zoning Board, and Board of Elections\u202f[7][9].\n\nIn the Senate, McInnis has held a series of senior committee assignments.  For the 2025\u20112026 session he chairs the Senate Finance Committee, chairs the Regulatory Reform Committee, and co\u2011chairs the Revenue Laws Study Committee, while also serving on the Agriculture, Energy & Environment, Commerce & Insurance, Education/Higher Education, and Transportation committees\u202f[1][3][9][8].  Earlier sessions saw him chair the Appropriations on Department of Transportation Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee\u202f[1].\n\nMcInnis has sponsored a wide range of legislation.  Notable bills include SB\u202f50 (permit\u2011less concealed\u2011carry), SB\u202f24 (government mandates and healthcare costs), SB\u202f153 (North Carolina Border Protection Act), and SB\u202f92 (Voter ID constitutional amendment).  He has also advanced bills on disaster recovery, zero\u2011based budgeting, and vocational\u2011education expansion, many of which advanced to floor votes in 2025\u20112026\u202f[6][14].\n\nHis work has earned multiple recognitions.  He was named Richmond Community College Foundation Citizen of the Year (2020), received the Henry\u202fW.\u202fLittle\u202fIII Community Leadership Award, Delta\u202fWaterfowl Legislator of the Year (2017), NC\u202fForestry Association Legislator of the Year (2016), and was inducted into the North Carolina Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame (1994).  He holds an A+ rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund and a 100\u202f% rating from the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce\u202f[7][9].\n\nBeyond the Capitol, McInnis is active in community service.  He volunteers with the Boy Scouts, participates in benefit auctions that have raised millions for charities such as Habitat for Humanity, hospice care, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation, and serves on the boards of several local nonprofit organizations\u202f[9].\n\nHis campaign platform emphasizes reducing regulatory burdens on small businesses, expanding vocational and technical education, increasing teacher pay and school\u2011choice options, combating the opioid epidemic, protecting Second\u2011Amendment rights, and supporting voter\u2011ID legislation.  He argues that rural North Carolina has been \u201cshort\u2011changed\u201d by state and federal policymakers and seeks to use his business experience to promote economic growth and government efficiency\u202f[9][17][1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Tom McInnis - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tom_McInnis)\n- [2] [North Carolina elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2026)\n- [3] [Senator Tom McInnis - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/389)\n- [5] [Candidate Lists | NCSBE](https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists)\n- [6] [Senator Tom McInnis's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/S/389)\n- [7] [Tom McInnis (North Carolina politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McInnis_(North_Carolina_politician))\n- [8] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/149828/tom-mcinnis)\n- [9] [About \u2014 Tom McInnis](https://www.mcinnisfornc.com/about)\n- [10] [Tom McInnis](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/149828/tom-mcinnis)\n- [11] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [14] [Thomas McInnis - North Carolina Legislative Scorecard](https://thefreedomindex.org/nc/legislator/17437/)\n- [15] [Election legislation roundup: North Carolina State Senate | North Carolina | thecentersquare.com](https://www.thecentersquare.com/north_carolina/article_ac841211-bc50-5320-855b-5c8545f2f55d.html)\n- [17] [Thomas \"Tom\" McInnis | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/tom-mcinnis)\n- [18] [Tom McInnis - North Carolina Candidate - Transparency USA](https://www.transparencyusa.org/nc/candidate/tom-mcinnis)\n- [20] [North Carolina State Sen. Tom McInnis - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/241002/Thomas_Moses_McInnis.html)","firstname":"Thomas","lastname":"Mcinnis","middlename":"Moses","suffix":null,"token":"a956d235592775e4"},"token":"t0n7Ki2gqW"},{"candidatename":"Paul Taylor","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Paul Taylor is the Democratic candidate for the North Carolina State Senate in District\u202f21 in the 2026 general election. The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature; senators serve two\u2011year terms and must be at least 25 years old, a resident of the district they represent, and a qualified voter in the state\u202f[2]. Taylor will face incumbent Republican Senator Tom\u202fMcInnis on November\u202f3,\u202f2026.\n\nTaylor is a veteran of the United States military and has worked as a community organizer focused on housing stability and economic opportunity for working families in Cumberland County. After his service, he returned to his community and began assisting families facing eviction, supporting neighbors experiencing homelessness, and helping delay evictions during the pandemic moratorium\u202f[19].\n\nBefore seeking the state Senate, Taylor ran for an at\u2011large seat on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners in 2022, appearing on the Democratic primary ballot on May\u202f17,\u202f2022\u202f[3]. Although he did not win that race, the campaign gave him experience in local politics and deepened his ties to the district.\n\nTaylor\u2019s campaign platform emphasizes expanding affordable housing, supporting economic opportunity for working families, and ensuring that government listens to everyday people. He describes himself as a \u201cpeople\u2011powered\u201d candidate who relies on grassroots support rather than special\u2011interest money, and he encourages donations from constituents to fund door\u2011to\u2011door outreach and community events\u202f[19][20].\n\nTaylor\u2019s contact information includes a campaign email address (paulforncsenate21@gmail.com) provided by Ballotpedia\u202f[2]. His official campaign website, paulforncsenate21.com, offers further details on his background, policy priorities, and ways to get involved\u202f[19].\n\n## Sources\n- [2] [Paul Taylor (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Paul_Taylor_(North_Carolina))\n- [3] [Paul Taylor (Cumberland County Board of Commissioners At-Large, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Paul_Taylor_(Cumberland_County_Board_of_Commissioners_At-Large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n- [19] [Meet Paul Taylor](https://paulforncsenate21.com/)\n- [20] [Support Paul Taylor for NC Senate](https://paulforncsenate21.com/donation)","firstname":"Paul","lastname":"Taylor","middlename":"Lawrence","suffix":"SR","token":"912bfd77e41f1a69"},"token":"isGIRvYVwi"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_senator","o.office":"state_senate","office":"state_senate","officedescription":"The Tennessee Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature, with 33 members elected from single-member districts to four-year terms. Senators pass state laws, approve the state budget, confirm certain gubernatorial appointments, and \u2014 with the House \u2014 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 Senator","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc State Senate District 21"}