{"biography":"David Paul Bankert is the Republican candidate for the North Carolina State Senate, District 15, on the November 3, 2026 general\u2011election ballot. The Republican primary for the seat was cancelled, placing him directly on the November ballot opposite incumbent Democrat Jay Chaudhuri [1].\n\nBorn in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bankert earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1978 and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982 [1][15]. He resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, and lists a son among his family details [15].\n\nBankert\u2019s professional background spans engineering, manufacturing, construction, computer programming, and data work. He has described his career as involving \u201cjobs in the engineering, manufacturing, and construction industries\u201d [15][1]. No elected office has been held; his political experience consists of multiple runs for the state Senate. He was the Republican nominee for District\u202f13 in 2022, losing to Democrat Lisa\u202fGrafstein, and again ran for District\u202f15 in 2024, where he was defeated by incumbent Jay\u202fChaudhuri [1].\n\nIn his 2026 campaign, Bankert emphasizes reviving manufacturing in North Carolina and adopting \u201csensible crisis policies.\u201d He opposes legalizing sports betting, rejects state tax incentives aimed at attracting businesses, and stands against abortion access and state funding for abortion providers. His platform also supports mental\u2011health initiatives, \u201csolid, academic fundamentals\u201d in education, and policies that keep transgender women from competing on female sports teams. He advocates for election integrity, transparency, and protecting constitutional rights, and he opposes allowing schools to teach sexual orientation or gender identity to young children [15].\n\nBankert\u2019s campaign contact information includes a mailing address (PO Box\u202f58443, Raleigh, NC\u202f27658) and a phone number listed as 919\u2011215\u20115670 on VoteSmart\u2019s biography page [8]. A campaign website is provided at\u202fbank4ncsen.com [6].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [David Bankert - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/David_Bankert)\n- [5] [iVoterGuide - David Bankert iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/65217/race/17556/election/1206)\n- [6] [Vote-USA | David Bankert | Previous Candidate for State Senator District 15, North Carolina](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=NC&Id=NCBankertDavid)\n- [8] [David Bankert's Biography](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/207123/david-bankert)\n- [9] [David Bankert's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/political-courage-test/207123/david-bankert)\n- [13] [David Bankert For NC Senate](https://www.facebook.com/DavidBankertForNCSenate)\n- [14] [We are proud to endorse David Bankert for NC Senate!](https://www.facebook.com/WakeGOP/posts/we-are-proud-to-endorse-david-bankert-for-nc-senate/924367779724525/)\n- [15] [David Bankert platform & website | North Carolina State Senator, District 15](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-general-election-nc-state-state-senator-nc-state-senate-15/candidates/david-bankert)\n- [18] [David Bankert | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/david-bankert)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_015","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc State Senate District 15"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"David","fullname":"David Paul Bankert","lastname":"Bankert","middlename":"Paul","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_015","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 15","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_senate_015","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 15","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"David Paul Bankert is the Republican candidate for North Carolina State Senate District\u202f15 in the 2026 election.","terms":[],"token":"0ee9c14e03f3767f"}