{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Robert van Brederode","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Robert Frederik Van Brederode is a Republican candidate seeking election to the North Carolina State Senate representing District\u202f13 in the 2026 cycle [1]. The seat is currently held by Democrat Lisa Grafstein, who is also listed as the Democratic candidate for the same district [1]. The Republican primary that was scheduled for March\u202f3,\u202f2026, was canceled, and Van Brederode automatically advanced to the general election ballot as the Republican nominee [1]. Likewise, the Democratic primary was canceled, leaving incumbent Grafstein as the unopposed Democratic nominee [1]. The general election for State Senate District\u202f13 is set for November\u202f3,\u202f2026, where Van Brederode will contest the seat against Grafstein [1]. Van Brederode has not yet completed Ballotpedia\u2019s 2026 Candidate Connection survey, which is used to collect candidate statements and background information [1]. No campaign\u2011finance data are currently available for Van Brederode on OpenSecrets or within the Ballotpedia entry, indicating that financial disclosures have not been filed or posted yet [1]. Endorsements for Van Brederode have not been reported in the Ballotpedia profile, suggesting that no endorsements have been publicly recorded at this time [1]. The Ballotpedia page does not provide a campaign website, email address, or telephone number for Van Brederode, and no contact information is listed in the candidate\u2019s profile [1]. The page includes only generic placeholder images and a photograph of his opponent, Lisa Grafstein, but no portrait of Van Brederode himself [1]. The filing deadline for all 2026 North Carolina state legislative candidates, including those for the State Senate, was December\u202f19,\u202f2025, as noted in the broader election overview for the 2026 cycle [6].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Robert van Brederode](https://ballotpedia.org/Robert_van_Brederode)\n- [6] [North Carolina State Senate elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_elections,_2026)\n- [15] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [16] [Results from 2026 Candidate Filing - Carolina Forward](https://carolinaforward.org/blog/results-from-2026-candidate-filing/)","firstname":"Robert","lastname":"Van Brederode","middlename":"Frederik","suffix":null,"token":"a903cb2d1cb9060f"},"token":"iwpnHhH9xR"},{"candidatename":"Lisa Grafstein","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Lisa Grafstein is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate for District\u202f13 and is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election [1][8].  North Carolina senators serve two\u2011year terms, must be at least 25 years old, a qualified voter, and have resided in the state for two years and in the district for one year before election; they earn a $13,951 annual salary plus a $104 per\u2011diem [2].\n\nGrafstein was born in Amityville, New\u202fYork, on September\u202f7,\u202f1966.  She earned a B.A. in English from Northwestern University in 1988 and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1995 [1][8].  After law school she became a civil\u2011rights attorney specializing in employment law, serving as litigation counsel for Disability Rights North Carolina and later operating her own firm, the Law Office of Lisa\u202fGrafstein, PLLC.  She also worked for the North Carolina State Personnel Commission [1].\n\nHer political career began with a successful 2022 campaign for the newly created Senate District\u202f13, where she defeated Republican David\u202fBankert and Libertarian Michael\u202fMunger, winning 62\u202f% of the vote [8].  She was re\u2011elected in 2024, beating Republican Scott\u202fLassiter with 50.2\u202f% of the vote [1][8].  In the Senate she has served on the Agriculture, Energy, and Environment Committee; Senate Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety; Senate Judiciary; Senate State and Local Government; and the Appropriations/Base Budget Committee during the 2025\u20112026 session, and held similar assignments in 2023\u20112024 [1].\n\nGrafstein\u2019s legislative work includes introducing Bill\u202f225 to allow municipalities to enact rent\u2011control measures (2023) [8], voicing skepticism about a statewide voter\u2011photo\u2011ID proposal (2023) [8], and publicly opposing the Republican\u2011led ban on gender\u2011affirming care for minors (2023) [8].  She has been endorsed by the Sierra Club of North Carolina, States\u202fWin, and Bull City\u202fAnna, among others [1].\n\nFollowing the 2023 redistricting that placed two Democratic incumbents in the same district, Grafstein announced she would run in a neighboring, more competitive district in southern Wake County for the 2024 cycle, but she remains listed as the District\u202f13 candidate for 2026 on Ballotpedia and the North Carolina Board of Elections [14][1].  Her campaign emphasizes expanding healthcare and public\u2011education funding, protecting civil\u2011rights for people with disabilities and LGBTQ\u202f+ residents, and addressing the state\u2019s fiscal challenges [13].\n\nGrafstein resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, and continues to practice law while serving in the Senate.  She can be reached via her official Senate email and phone, and her campaign maintains a website with policy statements and contact information.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Lisa Grafstein - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Lisa_Grafstein)\n- [2] [North Carolina State Senate District 13 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_District_13)\n- [7] [Senator Lisa Grafstein - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/439)\n- [8] [Lisa Grafstein - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Grafstein)\n- [10] [iVoterGuide - Lisa Grafstein iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/71325/race/8466/election/1206)\n- [12] [State Senator Lisa Grafstein | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/28099)\n- [13] [HOME | Lisa Grafstein For N](https://www.lisagrafstein.com/)\n- [14] [N.C. state senator shifts to competitive district in 2024](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2023/10/28/after-redistricting--n-c--state-senator-shifts-to-run-in-competitive-district-in-2024)\n- [17] [Lisa Grafstein - Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee](https://www.dlcc.org/candidates/lisa-grafstein/)\n- [18] [Lisa Grafstein \u2014 LPAC](https://www.teamlpac.com/our-candidates/lisa-grafstein)","firstname":"Lisa","lastname":"Grafstein","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"6ce87417cd6ee2b2"},"token":"dcbBolKtcE"}],"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 13"}