{"biography":"Phil Rubin is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f40, covering parts of Wake County. He is on the ballot for re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election, having advanced unopposed after the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Democratic primary was cancelled\u202f[1].\n\nBorn Phillip\u202fAnthony\u202fRubin on August\u202f17,\u202f1983, he earned a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor summa cum laude (along with an MA) from Duke University School of Law, where he served as editor\u2011in\u2011chief of the Duke Law Journal\u202f[7][14]. After law school he clerked for Chief Judge David Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit\u202f[7][11]. He then practiced at the Washington, D.C., firm Covington &\u202fBurling before joining the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of North Carolina, handling constitutional appeals and prosecuting gun\u2011violence, environmental, and child\u2011abuse cases\u202f[7][11][16]. Later he served as a Special Deputy Attorney General at the North Carolina Department of Justice, focusing on constitutional litigation and child\u2011safety matters\u202f[7][14][18].\n\nRubin\u2019s legal career also included a stint at Meta, where he worked on online\u2011safety initiatives\u202f[16]. In January\u202f2025 Governor Josh\u202fStein appointed him to fill the vacancy created by the death of Rep.\u202fJoe\u202fJohn; the Wake County Democratic Executive Committee had recommended Rubin for the seat, and he was sworn in on January\u202f29,\u202f2025\u202f[3][16][20].\n\nDuring the 2025\u20112026 legislative session Rubin has sponsored a range of bills, including HR\u202f18 honoring the late Rep.\u202fJoe\u202fJohn, HB\u202f20 supporting the Fair Maps Act, HB\u202f31 proposing a state holiday for Election Day, and HB\u202f174/175 advancing marriage\u2011equality legislation\u202f[5]. He has also introduced measures on veterans\u2019 cemeteries, Medicaid dental rates, military\u2011education promises, vehicle\u2011telematics restrictions, COLA for retirees, prostate\u2011cancer programs, and reforms to election law and gun safety\u202f[5].\n\nRubin\u2019s stated priorities on his campaign website emphasize fully funding public schools and raising teacher pay, commonsense gun\u2011safety laws, economic policies that promote fair wages and affordable housing, and ending partisan gerrymandering to restore voter accountability\u202f[14]. He describes himself as a former federal prosecutor and online\u2011safety expert who \u201cfights for people who can\u2019t afford to lose\u201d\u202f[14].\n\nRubin resides in Raleigh with his wife, Katelyn Love, a former chief counsel to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, and their daughter\u202f[7]. He is the brother of Jeopardy!\u202fMasters champion Victoria\u202fGroce\u202f[7].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Phil Rubin - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Phil_Rubin)\n- [2] [North Carolina elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2026)\n- [3] [Representative Phil Rubin - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/844)\n- [4] [District 40 Representation - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/DistrictRepresentation/H/40)\n- [5] [Representative Phil Rubin's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/844)\n- [7] [Phil Rubin - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Rubin)\n- [8] [North Carolina's 40th House district - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina's_40th_House_district)\n- [10] [I am proud to appoint Phil Rubin, a former prosecutor and ...](https://www.facebook.com/NCgovernor/posts/i-am-proud-to-appoint-phil-rubin-a-former-prosecutor-and-colleague-at-ncdoj-to-f/1147707386724789/)\n- [11] [Phil Rubin](https://grokipedia.com/page/phil_rubin)\n- [14] [Home | Phil Rubin | NC House District 40](https://www.philrubin.com/)\n- [15] [Rep. Phil Rubin | North Carolina 2025-2026 | TrackBill](https://trackbill.com/legislator/north-carolina-representative-phil-rubin/1063-28908/)\n- [16] [Wake Dems select Rubin to succeed John in NC House | | dailyadvance.com](https://www.dailyadvance.com/wake-dems-select-rubin-to-succeed-john-in-nc-house/article_74194b66-de4b-11ef-8674-77971da83e72.html)\n- [17] [North Carolina State Rep. Phil Rubin - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/533814/Phillip_Anthony_Rubin.html)\n- [18] [Phil Rubin- House District 40](https://nchousedems.com/our-members/phil-rubin-house-district-40/)\n- [20] [Democrats tap ex-prosecutor Phil Rubin to fill seat of late Rep. Joe John](https://andersonalerts.substack.com/p/phil-rubin-to-join-legislature)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_040","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 040"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Phillip","fullname":"Phillip Anthony Rubin","lastname":"Rubin","middlename":"Anthony","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_040","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 040","county":"wake","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_040","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 040","county":"wake","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":"Phil Rubin is the Democratic NC House member for District\u202f40, appointed in 2025 and seeking re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"b4ae03596ee2d157"}