{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nJames Cecil Adams Jr. (also known as Jay Adams) is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 96, a seat he has held since January 1, 2015. He is on the ballot for re-election in the November 3, 2026 general election for the same district [9][4].\n\n## Background and education\n\nBorn in 1949, Adams earned a Bachelor of Science in education from The Citadel [9]. He later pursued studies in mechanical drawing, computer science and real estate at Catawba Valley Community College and obtained his real-estate license in 1983. He has lived in Hickory, North Carolina, since 1975 [9].\n\n## Career\n\nAdams has worked as a real-estate broker, a Technical Communications Specialist for Siecor, and for Deville Furniture. He also served on the City of Hickory's Brownfield Advisory Group and on regional chambers of commerce and planning boards [4].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nDuring the 2023-2024 session Adams was Vice Chair of the House Transportation Committee and Chair of the Wildlife Resources Committee, while also sitting on Appropriations, Commerce, Education-Community Colleges and Local Government committees [4]. He voted for the 2025 permitless firearm carry bill (S50) and the 2025 North Carolina Border Protection Act (S153) [14]. The North Carolina Choice Tracker identifies him as anti-choice, citing his support for a 12-week abortion ban and a constitutional amendment defining abortion as first-degree murder [16]. He also backed the 2024 Voter-ID constitutional amendment (S921) and a measure restricting gender-transition procedures for minors (H606) [14].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [James Adams (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/James_Adams_(North_Carolina)) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[2] [Jay Adams - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jay_Adams) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[3] [North Carolina elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2026)\n[4] [Representative Jay Adams - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/697) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[5] [2026 North Carolina House of Representatives election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_election)\n[6] [2026 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_North_Carolina)\n[9] [Jay Adams (politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Adams_(politician)) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[14] [James Adams House of Representatives District HD-096 Republican - Freedom Index](https://thefreedomindex.org/nc/legislator/17678/votes/report-nc-scorecard-2021-2022/pdf/scb/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[16] [James Adams is Anti-Choice - North Carolina Choice Tracker](https://choicetracker.org/nc/people/james-adams/205389824) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_096","county":"alexander","county_count":4,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 096"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"James","fullname":"James Cecil Adams JR","lastname":"Adams","middlename":"Cecil","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_096","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 096","county":"alexander","county_count":4,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_096","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 096","county":"alexander","county_count":4,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","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":[]}],"suffix":"JR","summary":"James Cecil Adams Jr. is a Republican NC House member for District\u202f96 seeking re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"adb8ea38c7d10126"}