{"biography":"Gloristine Brown is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f8 and the House Democratic Whip for the 2025\u20112026 biennium. She is seeking re\u2011election to the same seat in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.[1][4]\n\nBorn and raised in Eastern North Carolina, Brown grew up working tobacco fields before training as a nurse at Pitt Memorial Hospital. She earned a B.S. in computer information systems and a Master of Public Administration from Strayer University in 2013.[1][7] Her professional background includes nursing and positions in the insurance industry, giving her experience in both health care delivery and business operations.[1]\n\nBrown entered public service on the Bethel Town Board in 1999 and was elected mayor of Bethel in 2014, becoming the town\u2019s first Black mayor. As mayor she led community\u2011wide revitalization projects, opened a state\u2011of\u2011the\u2011art youth center, renovated the senior center, and reduced water and sewer rates by 23% for residents.[16][20] She also serves as vice\u2011chairwoman of the Pitt Community College Board of Trustees and sits on the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees executive board.[1]\n\nIn 2022 Brown won her first term in the North Carolina House, defeating Republican Charles \"Drock\" Vincent with 13,116 votes (53.6%). She was re\u2011elected in 2024, beating Republican Angelene Mitchell with 22,722 votes (64.0%).[7][1] During her first two legislative sessions she served on the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations \u2013 Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources Committee, the Education \u2013 Community Colleges Committee, the Education \u2013 Universities Committee, and the Local Government \u2013 Land Use, Planning and Development Committee.[1]\n\nHer legislative priorities reflect her professional and local\u2011government experience. Brown has sponsored bills aimed at fully funding public schools, expanding affordable health\u2011care\u2014including Medicaid expansion for the state\u2019s uninsured\u2014, and creating good\u2011paying jobs in Eastern North Carolina. She emphasizes mental\u2011health and substance\u2011abuse services, environmental protection, and bipartisan cooperation on infrastructure and education funding.[20][18]\n\nIn February\u202f2025 her colleagues elected her House Democratic Whip, a leadership role that positions her to shape the Democratic caucus\u2019s agenda and coordinate floor strategy.[18] The whip appointment coincided with additional committee assignments on Appropriations, Education K\u201112, Higher Education, and Housing and Development, expanding her influence over budgetary and policy decisions.[18]\n\nBrown resides in Bethel, North Carolina, and maintains a campaign website at https://www.gloristinebrown.com/. She continues to engage constituents through town\u2011hall meetings, local board service, and outreach on issues ranging from Medicaid expansion to climate\u2011change mitigation.[10][20]\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Gloristine Brown - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Gloristine_Brown)\n- [4] [Representative Gloristine Brown - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/794)\n- [7] [Gloristine Brown - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloristine_Brown)\n- [10] [Vote-USA | Gloristine Brown | Currently Elected State Representative District 8, North Carolina](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=NC&Id=NCBrownGloristine)\n- [13] [State Representative Gloristine Brown | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/28123)\n- [14] [Gloristine Brown | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/gloristine-brown-cd9da517-d3bd-4bfa-a342-8bab1de642df)\n- [16] [Gloristine Brown for NC House](https://www.gloristinebrown.com/)\n- [17] [North Carolina State Rep. Gloristine Brown - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/442602/Gloristine_Williams_Brown.html)\n- [18] [Rep. Gloristine Brown elected Democratic whip](https://www.witn.com/2025/02/04/rep-gloristine-brown-elected-democratic-whip/)\n- [19] [North Carolina Representative Gloristine Brown - FastDemocracy](https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/nc/legislators/NCL000371/)\n- [20] [Election Q&A: N.C. House 8 | Local News | reflector.com](https://www.reflector.com/news/local/election-q-a-n-c-house-8/article_a16367c2-acc8-571f-a973-9fd72b77e2ed.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_008","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 008"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Gloristine","fullname":"Gloristine Williams Brown","lastname":"Brown","middlename":"Williams","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_008","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 008","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"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_008","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 008","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"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":"Gloristine Brown, Democratic House Whip and District\u202f8 representative, is running for re\u2011election to the North Carolina House in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"7b0be3978c4027e2"}