{"biography":"Maad Abu\u2011Ghazalah is the Libertarian Party nominee for the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina\u2019s 7th Congressional District in the 2026 general election. The Libertarian primary for the race was cancelled, and he advanced to the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 ballot alongside Republican incumbent David\u202fRouzer, Democrat Kimberly\u202fHardy, and Independent Michael\u202fHenry [1].\n\nBorn in Nablus, Palestine, Abu\u2011Ghazalah grew up in the Middle East before moving to England for secondary school and later to the United States for higher education. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Notre\u202fDame in 1983, a Master of Science in computer science from the University of Virginia in 1985, and a Juris Doctor from Santa\u202fClara University in 1993 [12][14].\n\nAfter law school, Abu\u2011Ghazalah practiced law and later founded a Silicon Valley startup that created software for patent attorneys. The company was sold to Bloomberg Law in 2012, providing the capital that enabled him to pursue philanthropic work in his homeland. In 2014 he purchased an olive grove in the West Bank village of Asira and established Daily\u202fHugz, an animal sanctuary that rescues and cares for abandoned donkeys, dogs, and other animals while offering educational programs and a safe play space for local children [12][19][17].\n\nAbu\u2011Ghazalah\u2019s political experience dates back to the early 2000s. He ran as the Libertarian candidate for California\u2019s 12th Congressional District in the 2002 general election, receiving 11,006 votes, and later entered the Democratic primary for the same district in 2004, where he lost with 19.9\u202f% of the vote [7]. He has remained active in third\u2011party politics, most recently seeking the Libertarian nomination for North Carolina\u2019s 7th District. The Libertarian primary was cancelled, and he automatically advanced to the general election ballot [1][3].\n\nWhile he has not completed Ballotpedia\u2019s Candidate Connection survey, Abu\u2011Ghazalah\u2019s campaign emphasizes typical Libertarian principles such as limited government, individual liberty, and fiscal responsibility. His personal background as a Palestinian\u2011American entrepreneur, attorney, and animal\u2011rights advocate informs his public messaging, which highlights both his professional experience and his commitment to humanitarian and environmental causes. The campaign website listed on multiple sources is\u202fhttp://www.maad4congress.org, and a later interview directs voters to\u202fhttps://getmaad.org for additional information [13][14].\n\nIf elected, Abu\u2011Ghazalah would join the 120th\u202fCongress, where the House currently holds a narrow Republican majority. His candidacy adds a third\u2011party perspective to a district that has historically leaned Republican, offering voters an alternative to the two major parties.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Maad Abu-Ghazalah - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Maad_Abu-Ghazalah)\n- [2] [United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_North_Carolina,_2026)\n- [3] [North Carolina's 7th Congressional District election, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_7th_Congressional_District_election,_2026)\n- [4] [Maad Abu-Ghazalah # 224961 - Attorney Licensee Search](https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/224961)\n- [7] [JoinCalifornia - Maad Abu-Ghazalah](https://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/5030)\n- [9] [Maad Abu-Ghazalah](https://www.facebook.com/maad.abughazalah/)\n- [11] [Jamal interviews Maad Abu-Ghazalah, Founder ...](https://www.facebook.com/ArabTalkRadio/videos/daily-hugzdo-we-all-need-one/1586726481490084/)\n- [12] [CoastLine: Palestinian-American on his culture and why he started rescuing animals in the West Bank | WHQR](https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2023-12-19/coastline-palestinian-american-on-his-culture-and-why-he-started-rescuing-animals-in-the-west-bank)\n- [13] [Interview with the North Carolina Libertarian Party's 7th Congressional District Candidate Maad Abu-Ghazalah - Long Live Alternative Parties | Podcast on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6t7XS52hJWtFM0PVK0b3Lc)\n- [14] [Maad Abu-Ghazalah (Libertarian) | Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/story/maad-abu-ghazalah-libertarian)\n- [17] [History \u2014 Daily Hugz](http://www.dailyhugz.org/new-page)\n- [18] [Maad Abu-Ghazalah - Middle East Research and Information Project](https://www.merip.org/author/maad-abu-ghazalah/)\n- [19] [Abu-Ghazalah, Maad - Animal Law Conference](https://www.animallawconference.org/speaker/abu-ghazalah-maad/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_007","county":"bladen","county_count":13,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Us House Of Representatives District 07"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Maad","fullname":"Maad Hatiz Abu-Ghazalah","lastname":"Abu-Ghazalah","middlename":"Hatiz","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_007","contest_title":"Us House Of Representatives District 07","county":"bladen","county_count":13,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","party":"LIB","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"us_house_007","contest_title":"Us House Of Representatives District 07","county":"bladen","county_count":13,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","party":"LIB","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"LIB","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Libertarian candidate Maad Abu\u2011Ghazalah is running for U.S. House in North Carolina\u2019s 7th District in 2026, bringing a background in law, tech entrepreneurship, and animal\u2011rights activism.","terms":[],"token":"99e468f26acea1b1"}