{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Buck Newton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nEldon Sharpe \"Buck\" Newton III is the Republican member of the North Carolina Senate for District 4, which covers Greene, Wayne and Wilson counties [2]. He filed for re-election on December 1, 2025 and appears on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot; the contest drew no primary, and his general-election opponent is Democrat Jessica (Jess) Rivera of Wilson [1]. The General Assembly records him as serving his fifth term in the Senate, with no service in the House [2]. In the 2024 general election he was re-elected with 55,389 votes to Democrat Raymond Smith, Jr.'s 45,096 [7].\n\n## Background and education\n\nNewton is a native of Wilson and graduated from Hunt High School before attending Appalachian State University, where he received a bachelor's degree in political science [5][6]. He earned his law degree at Campbell University School of Law [5][6].\n\n## Career\n\nNewton has practiced law at his firm, Newton and Lee, for more than 20 years [5][6]. His campaign biography describes him as \"a country lawyer and a strong conservative leader currently serving in the North Carolina Senate\" [6].\n\n## Office history\n\nNewton was first elected to the state Senate in 2010; the North Carolina Republican Senate Caucus states that he \"served in the State Senate from 2011 to 2016\" and that in 2010 he \"was in a group of conservative Republicans who flipped the NC Senate red for the first time in 140 years\" [5]. In 2016 he was the Republican nominee for North Carolina Attorney General, losing to Democrat Josh Stein 2,303,619 votes to 2,279,006 [5][9]. He returned to the Senate by winning District 4 in the 2022 general election, defeating Democrat Milton F. (Toby) Fitch 38,638 to 28,543 [8].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nIn the 2025-2026 session Newton chairs the Senate committees on Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety, Finance, and Judiciary, and sits as a member of the committees on Agriculture, Energy, and Environment; Education/Higher Education; and Transportation [3]. Among non-standing committees he is Vice Chair of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety and of the Joint Legislative Commission on Energy Policy, Co-Chair of the Governmental Operations Subcommittee on Prisons, and a member of the Legislative Ethics Committee, the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee and the Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee [3].\n\nThe General Assembly's record of his introduced bills for the session lists him as a primary sponsor of measures that were enacted into session law, including SB 153, the North Carolina Border Protection Act (S.L. 2026-19); SB 429, the 2025 Public Safety Act (S.L. 2025-70); SB 245, Expand Remote Drivers License Services (S.L. 2025-91); SB 254, Charter School Changes (S.L. 2025-80); SB 710, DPS Agency Changes (S.L. 2025-51); SB 355, Support the Dept. of Adult Correction (S.L. 2026-44); SB 664, JMAC/ABC/Other Revisions (S.L. 2025-65); and SB 648, Winter Sports Safety and Accidents (S.L. 2026-49) [4]. He is also recorded as the first primary sponsor of SB 61, I-95 Toll Prohibition, and SB 3, a local act for the 4th Senatorial District [4].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nAt a rally at the North Carolina legislature on Monday, April 25, 2016 in support of House Bill 2, Newton -- then the Republican nominee for attorney general -- closed his remarks by telling the audience: \"Tell your friends and family who had to work today what this is all about and how hard we must fight to keep our state straight\" [10][12].\n\nCBS News and the Associated Press reported that the North Carolina Democratic Party \"issued a statement Tuesday calling the comments hateful and discriminatory toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,\" and that the party called for Newton, \"who shepherded the legislation through his chamber,\" to apologize and for Republican Governor Pat McCrory to denounce the remarks [12]. A Fayetteville Observer editorial published the following morning said Newton \"let the bigot out of the bag\" as he wrapped up his speech, writing: \"We doubt that Newton is that naive....Newton was indulging in the same successful pandering that House and Senate leaders used to justify House Bill 2\" [11]. Chris Brook, legal director for the ACLU of North Carolina, said that based on those remarks it was clear HB2 was an attempt to marginalize the entire LGBT community in North Carolina [10].\n\nNewton attempted to clarify his remarks the next day, saying he simply meant that men should not be allowed to enter a ladies' bathroom, and told the Raleigh News & Observer: \"I don't know how they made that connection. I never mentioned anything about homosexuality\" [10]. Josh Stein, his opponent in the attorney general's race, said via Facebook that Newton's comments had no place in North Carolina [10].\n\nNewton lost that November's attorney general election to Stein by 24,613 votes out of more than 4.5 million cast [9], and returned to the state Senate after winning District 4 in 2022 [8].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [2026 Candidate Listing (Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [Senator Buck Newton - Biography](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/443) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [Senator Buck Newton - Committees](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Committees/S/443) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[4] [Senator Buck Newton - Introduced Bills](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/S/443) - North Carolina General Assembly, accessed 2026-07-30\n[5] [Senator Buck Newton](https://ncstatesenate.com/members/buck-newton/) - North Carolina Republican Senate Caucus, accessed 2026-07-30\n[6] [About - Buck Newton](https://www.ibackbuck.com/about) - Citizens for Buck Newton campaign site, accessed 2026-07-30\n[7] [2024 General Election precinct results (results_pct_20241105)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2024_11_05/results_pct_20241105.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[8] [2022 General Election precinct results (results_pct_20221108)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2022_11_08/results_pct_20221108.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[9] [2016 General Election precinct results (results_pct_20161108)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2016_11_08/results_pct_20161108.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[10] [Was the intent of HB2 to 'keep our state straight'? (video)](https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/was-the-intent-of-hb2-to-keep-our-state-straight-video/) - NC Newsline (formerly NC Policy Watch), accessed 2026-07-30\n[11] [Editorial blasts state senator over \"keep our state straight\" remark](https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/editorial-blasts-state-senator-over-keep-our-state-straight-remark/) - NC Newsline (formerly NC Policy Watch), accessed 2026-07-30\n[12] [N.C. senator's \"keep our state straight\" remark draws harsh criticism](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-carolina-senator-buck-newton-keep-our-state-straight-remark-draws-harsh-criticisim/) - CBS News / Associated Press, accessed 2026-07-30","firstname":"Eldon","lastname":"Newton","middlename":"Sharpe","suffix":"III","token":"bd850f4fefba9182"},"token":"uK1z9dlee0"},{"candidatename":"Jessica (Jess) Rivera","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Jessica Lynne \"Jess\" Rivera is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina State Senate District\u202f4 in the 2026 general election. The district covers Greene, Wayne and Wilson counties, and Rivera will face incumbent Republican Eldon Sharpe Newton\u202fIII on November\u202f3,\u202f2026 [1].\n\nRivera grew up in California, earning a high\u2011school diploma from Murrieta Valley High School before attending Old Dominion University in Virginia. She enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2004, serving until 2012 and completing two combat deployments to Iraq in 2005 and 2007, where she described her mission as protecting civilians from the chaos of war [1]. After leaving the service she returned to civilian life as a barber, eventually opening The Garrison Barber & Parlor in downtown Wilson and working as a barber in Raleigh, describing herself as a small\u2011business owner who \u201cknows what it means to stretch a dollar, run a payroll, and serve the public\u201d [9][10].\n\nIn addition to her work in the barbershop, Rivera has been active in community service, volunteering with local food banks and advocating for veterans and working families. Her campaign narrative emphasizes that her military and entrepreneurial experience give her a practical perspective on the challenges facing rural North Carolinians.\n\nRivera\u2019s platform focuses on five core areas. She calls for well\u2011funded rural schools, higher teacher pay, and stronger community\u2011college pathways to create local job opportunities. She advocates for preserving and expanding rural health\u2011care facilities, including hospitals, mental\u2011health and substance\u2011use services, to keep care close to home. Economic policy centers on supporting small businesses, fair wages, and infrastructure upgrades such as broadband, road repairs and reliable utilities. She also proposes robust support for veterans, including transition services and housing stability. Finally, Rivera pledges transparent, accountable government that listens to constituents and measures success by tangible improvements in daily life [12][9][10].\n\nRivera\u2019s campaign materials stress that the race is \u201cabout home\u201d rather than partisan politics, and she invites volunteers and donors to join a grassroots effort to \u201crebuild eastern North Carolina.\u201d The campaign website provides event listings, a ledger of district visits, and opportunities for supporters to get involved [9][11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Jess Rivera - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jess_Rivera)\n- [9] [Jess Rivera for NC State Senate | Get Involved Today](https://www.jessfornc.com/)\n- [10] [Jess Rivera - Run For Something](https://directory.runforsomething.net/candidate/c93ed22f54003f059b3638be100274f3/rivera-jess/)\n- [11] [Ledger | Get Involved Now \u2014 Jess Rivera for NC State Senate](https://www.jessfornc.com/ledger)\n- [12] [Platform | Join the Movement \u2013 Get Involved Today \u2014 Jess Rivera for NC State Senate](https://www.jessfornc.com/platform)","firstname":"Jessica","lastname":"Rivera","middlename":"Lynne","suffix":null,"token":"d1f1da477d004556"},"token":"9wnPteubC9"}],"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 04"}