{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Michael Lee","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Michael Vincent Lee is the incumbent Republican State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 7th Senate District and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  He has served as Senate Majority Leader since April\u202f2025 and currently chairs the Education/Higher Education Committee while holding seats on several key committees, including Commerce and Insurance, Health Care, Judiciary, and Rules and Operations of the Senate [2][13][17].\n\nBorn on November\u202f29,\u202f1968 in Kingston, New\u202fYork, Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor from Wake\u202fForest University School of Law, also attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington during his undergraduate years [13][17].  He is a commercial real\u2011estate and land\u2011use attorney who founded Lee\u202f|\u202fKaess, PLLC (formerly Lee Law Firm) in 2012 after a decade at a large southeastern firm, and the practice now operates offices in Wilmington, Raleigh and Dallas, Texas [16][17].\n\nLee first entered the North Carolina Senate in August\u202f2014, appointed to fill a vacancy in District\u202f9, and won election to that seat in 2016.  After a defeat in 2018, he reclaimed a Senate seat in 2020 and was redistricted to District\u202f7 in 2023, where he was re\u2011elected in 2022 with 50.97% of the vote [13][2].  He has been re\u2011elected in 2024 and is on the ballot again for 2026.\n\nDuring his tenure, Lee has focused on education policy, serving as chair of the Appropriations on Education/Higher Education Committee and the Education/Higher Education Committee across multiple sessions.  He helped pass the Water Safety Acts (2018,\u202f2021,\u202f2023) and co\u2011sponsored the Hurricane Florence Act, securing over $100\u202fmillion in relief for Hurricane Matthew\u2011affected communities.  He also championed tax\u2011relief measures that would reduce or eliminate personal state income tax for the majority of taxpayers, and expanded film\u2011industry incentives, tripling the state\u2019s film tax credit to boost Wilmington\u2019s economy.  As Majority Leader, he guides the Senate\u2019s legislative agenda and works on balanced state budgets that fund core services while maintaining fiscal responsibility [16][14][17].\n\nLee\u2019s public service extends beyond the legislature.  He has chaired the North Carolina Port Authority Board, served on the North Carolina Department of Transportation Board, and sits on the University of North Carolina Wilmington Board of Trustees.  He is a former adjunct professor at UNC\u2011Wilmington and has been active in numerous nonprofit boards, including the Hunt Institute and the Carousel Center for Abused Children.  His professional recognitions include being named a 2020 Best Lawyers \u201cLawyer of the Year\u201d for commercial real\u2011estate and inclusion in Business North Carolina\u2019s \u201cLegal Elite\u201d list.\n\nLee lives in Wilmington with his wife, Heidi Wooten Lee, and their four children.  He is an Episcopalian and a member of several bar associations and civic organizations.  His campaign website, Lee for NC, outlines his platform of supporting quality education, clean water, economic growth, and responsible governance [14].\n\n## Sources\n- [2] [Michael V. Lee (North Carolina State Senate) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Michael_V._Lee_(North_Carolina_State_Senate))\n- [11] [Sen. Michael Lee](https://www.b3council.nc.gov/bio/Michael-Lee.aspx)\n- [12] [Senator Michael V. Lee - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/387)\n- [13] [Michael V. Lee - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_V._Lee)\n- [14] [Michael Lee NC Senate Wilmington | Lee for NC | United States](https://www.leefornc.com/)\n- [16] [MEET MICHAEL | Lee for NC](https://www.leefornc.com/meet-michael)\n- [17] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/102957/michael-lee)","firstname":"Michael","lastname":"Lee","middlename":"Vincent","suffix":null,"token":"b7c795ba591d1c10"},"token":"sVfi8qKehK"},{"candidatename":"Jessica Bichler","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Jessica Bichler is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina State Senate District\u202f7 in the 2026 general election, scheduled for November\u202f3,\u202f2026. The State Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly; senators serve two\u2011year terms and represent geographically defined districts such as District\u202f7, which covers most of New\u202fHanover County\u30101\u3011. Bichler advanced to the general election after the Democratic primary was cancelled, placing her opposite incumbent Republican Michael Lee\u30101\u3011.\n\nBichler is a Wilmington\u2011area resident who has lived in the community for nearly 15\u202fyears. She describes herself as a working mother and a small\u2011business owner. For more than a decade she has owned and operated Wilmington Yoga, teaching yoga and running a studio that serves families across New\u202fHanover County\u301014\u3011\u301015\u3011. Her campaign website emphasizes her commitment to a community where \u201ceveryone can afford to live, work, and thrive,\u201d reflecting her focus on affordable housing, public safety, and environmental stewardship\u301014\u3011.\n\nBefore entering politics, Bichler built her career around health and wellness. As a yoga teacher and studio proprietor, she has spent over ten years supporting the physical and mental well\u2011being of local families. She also highlights her experience as a mother, noting that she is not a career politician but a community member motivated to address real\u2011world problems\u301015\u3011. In public statements she cites her grandmother\u2019s experience in Nazi\u2011controlled Austria and her own observations of environmental challenges as personal motivations for seeking office\u301015\u3011.\n\nBichler\u2019s 2026 campaign has attracted endorsements from prominent state Democrats, including Senate Democratic Leader Sydney\u202fBatch, who praised her \u201cenergy, integrity, and fresh ideas\u201d and framed her candidacy as a chance to flip a Republican\u2011held seat in a district viewed as a key target for Democrats\u301015\u3011. While detailed policy proposals are not enumerated in the available sources, her public messaging centers on making New\u202fHanover County more affordable, safe, and healthy for all residents.\n\nThe race is part of a broader effort by North Carolina Democrats to break the Republican supermajority in the state Senate. Bichler\u2019s candidacy reflects a trend of community\u2011based professionals entering state politics to offer alternatives to long\u2011standing incumbents\u30101\u3011. Should she win, she would join the 50\u2011member Senate, participating in legislation that affects education, health care, infrastructure, and the state budget.\n\nBichler\u2019s campaign materials, including her official website and a Facebook post by the New\u202fHanover County Board of Elections, provide her name, office sought, and a portrait image, but do not list a campaign email address or phone number in the publicly available documents examined.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Jessica Bichler - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jessica_Bichler)\n- [4] [Democratic Party primaries in North Carolina, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Democratic_Party_primaries_in_North_Carolina,_2026)\n- [6] [Candidate Lists | NCSBE](https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists)\n- [8] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [10] [Jessica Bichler (D) Candidate for NC Senate District 7](https://www.facebook.com/nhcvote/posts/jessica-bichler-dcandidate-for-nc-senate-district-7/1222307073414867/)\n- [14] [Jessica Bichler for NC Senate 7](https://www.jessicabichler.com/)\n- [15] [Wilmington small business owner announces NC Senate District 7 candidacy](https://www.wect.com/2025/12/13/wilmington-small-business-owner-files-seat-nc-democrats-hope-flip-2026/)\n- [20] [State and Local Candidates - EMILYs List](https://emilyslist.org/state-and-local-candidates/)","firstname":"Jessica","lastname":"Bichler","middlename":"Hewitt","suffix":null,"token":"9156f545050ad4f1"},"token":"VMcZh7BaaL"}],"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 07"}