{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nChristopher Lamar \"Chris\" Wilson (Republican) ran in the 2026 Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 117, challenging incumbent Jennifer Balkcom. He lost the March 3, 2026 primary; only Balkcom and Democrat Lynne Russo advanced to the November general election [1][3].\n\nWilson's campaign focused on teacher compensation, rebuilding the educator pipeline, fulfilling the Leandro court mandates, and ensuring every child in western North Carolina has access to a well-funded, well-staffed public school [1].\n\n## Background and education\nWilson lives in Hendersonville, NC, and switched his voter registration from unaffiliated to Republican before filing for the District 117 seat [1]. By his own account, he has spent \"more than a decade\" advocating for educators across North Carolina [1].\n\n## Career\nWilson is the director of bands at Polk County Middle School [1][2]. He is also the volunteer director of the Bounty of Bethlehem, a nonprofit that organizes the community's free Christmas dinner each year [1][2].\n\n## Family\nWilson is a 45-year-old single father of two [1].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [VOTER GUIDE: House District 117 \u2013 Hendersonville Lightning](https://www.hendersonvillelightning.com/four-seasons-politics/15844-voter-guide-house-district-117.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n- [2] [Christopher Wilson Named Volunteer Director of Bounty of Bethlehem \u2013 Polk County Schools](https://polkschools.org/polk-county-schools-christopher-wilson-named-volunteer-director-of-bounty-of-bethlehem/)\n- [3] [North Carolina State Board of Elections 2026 Candidate Filing List (CSV)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20 (confirms only Balkcom and Lynne Russo filed for the Nov. 3 general in District 117)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_117","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 117"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Christopher","fullname":"Christopher Lamar Wilson","lastname":"Wilson","middlename":"Lamar","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_117","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 117","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_117","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 117","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"812d8f71fceb3199"}