{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nWesley E. Hendrix is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives District 86 (Burke County) in the 2026 general election on November 3, 2026, according to the NC State Board of Elections candidate filing [1]. He faces Republican incumbent Hugh Blackwell [1].\n\n## Background and education\nPer his campaign's Facebook account, Hendrix was born and raised in Morganton, North Carolina, attended Freedom High School, and earned an associate degree from Davidson/Davie Community College [2].\n\n## Career\nPer his campaign's account, Hendrix served for fifteen years as Assistant Pastor and Minister of Music at Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, leading worship services, coordinating musical programs, and providing pastoral support to congregants [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Listing (NC House District 086, Burke County) \u2014 https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv, accessed 2026-07-20\n[2] [Wesley Hendrix campaign Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/BurkeDemocrats/posts/wesley-hendrix-democrat-candidate-for-burke-county-commissioner-wesley-hendrix-w/817160180588944/) (Facebook post; requires login to view full content. Page title references a Burke County Commissioner candidacy; his 2026 NCSBE filing is for NC House District 86 \u2014 noting the discrepancy rather than picking one silently.)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_086","county":"burke","county_count":2,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 086"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Wesley","fullname":"Wesley Ervin Hendrix","lastname":"Hendrix","middlename":"Ervin","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_086","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 086","county":"burke","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_086","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 086","county":"burke","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":"Wesley Ervin Hendrix is the Democratic candidate for Burke County Commissioner in North Carolina, with a background as an assistant pastor and community college graduate.","terms":[],"token":"239d5bf29eb162ce"}