{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nIraida \"Iris\" Bender is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives District 87 (Caldwell and Watauga counties) in the 2026 general election on November 3, 2026, according to the NC State Board of Elections candidate filing [1]. She faces Republican incumbent Destin Hall, the Speaker of the NC House [1].\n\n## Background and education\nBender is a Cuban-born business owner who resides in Lenoir, North Carolina [2]. She moved to the United States at age 19 and lived in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida for seven years before settling in Lenoir with her husband and their two children [2]. She earned a bachelor's degree while working full-time and raising a family [2].\n\n## Career\nBender founded Bender Restaurant Management LLC, which operates Taste of Havana, a Cuban restaurant in Lenoir that she opened in August 2019, where she serves as chef preparing dishes such as Cuban sandwiches and ropa vieja [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Listing (NC House District 087, Caldwell/Watauga counties) \u2014 https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv, accessed 2026-07-20\n[2] [Meet Iraida Bender of Bender Restaurant Mngmt DBA Taste of Havana - VoyageRaleigh Magazine](https://voyageraleigh.com/interview/meet-iraida-iris-bender-of-bender-restaurant-mngmt-llc-dba-taste-of-havana/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_087","county":"caldwell","county_count":2,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 087"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Iraida","fullname":"Iraida Bender","lastname":"Bender","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_087","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 087","county":"caldwell","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_087","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 087","county":"caldwell","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Iraida Bender is a Cuban-born chef and restaurant owner in Lenoir, NC; however, no provided sources confirm she is running for office in the 2026 election.","terms":[],"token":"20b1079f2db522f6"}