{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nCharles \"CJ\" Domingo is the Republican candidate for the North Carolina State Senate, District 49 (Buncombe County), in the November 3, 2026 general election, running against Democratic incumbent Julie Mayfield; the March 3, 2026 Republican primary was canceled [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\n\nDomingo was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. His father, Gilbert Domingo, worked for four decades in the City of Asheville's Information Technology Services, exposing CJ to municipal operations from an early age. Domingo attended the Francine Delany New School, where he developed a lasting appreciation for the arts, and later worked for the city's Transportation Department from 2022 to 2023 [3]. After leaving municipal employment, he took a position as an operations supervisor with Securitas Loomis, a private security firm [3].\n\n## Career\n\nDomingo has been active in the local arts community, describing music as a \"language\" that expresses hidden parts of people; he cites Jim Croce as a personal influence, tied to his father's own musical aspirations [3]. He supports community-based arts programs such as pottery and metal-working workshops but opposes direct government payroll for artists, arguing that public funding can alter artistic integrity [3].\n\n## Office history\n\nDomingo's first campaign for elected office was a 2024 run for an at-large seat on the Asheville City Council. He appeared on the November 5, 2024 general-election ballot as a nonpartisan candidate, having also run in the March 5, 2024 primary; although the council race is officially nonpartisan, Domingo identified himself as the lone registered Republican among the six council candidates [1][3]. During that campaign he highlighted housing affordability and criticized what he called a \"pink palace\" culture at Asheville City Hall, where ideas from frontline employees go unheard \u2014 a view shaped by his own experience as a city employee [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Charles Domingo (Asheville City Council, North Carolina, candidate 2024) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Charles_Domingo_(Asheville_City_Council,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2024)), accessed 2026-07-20\n[2] [North Carolina State Senate District 49 \u2014 Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_State_Senate_District_49), accessed 2026-07-20\n[3] [On the Record: Music, mountains and thoughts on self-determination with Asheville City Council candidate Charles 'CJ' Domingo \u2013 Mountain Xpress](https://mountainx.com/arts/on-the-record-music-mountains-and-thoughts-on-self-determination-with-asheville-city-council-candidate-charles-cj-domingo/), accessed 2026-07-20","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_049","county":"buncombe","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc State Senate District 49"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Charles","fullname":"Charles Joseph Pangle Domingo","lastname":"Domingo","middlename":"Joseph Pangle","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_049","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 49","county":"buncombe","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_049","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 49","county":"buncombe","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":"Charles \"CJ\" Domingo is a Republican running for North Carolina House District 114 in 2026, with a background in city transportation, security operations, and local arts advocacy.","terms":[],"token":"84f9f3c9aec7dbf3"}