{"biography":"Laura Pichardo is the Republican nominee for North Carolina State Senate District\u202f23 in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. The district covers Caswell, Person and Orange counties. She also appeared on the ballot for the same seat in 2024, losing to Democrat Graig\u202fR.\u202fMeyer, and previously sought the U.S. House in North Carolina\u2019s 6th Congressional District in 2020.\n\nBorn in Greensboro, North Carolina, Pichardo earned a B.S. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2014 and an MBA from Winston\u2011Salem State University in 2018\u202f[1][10]. She worked as a global transaction services accounts\u2011payable analyst for a large corporation and later held a position at the Hanes Brandon plant in Winston\u2011Salem\u202f[1][20]. She has also served as Treasurer of the Caswell County Republican Party (2022\u20112023) and is active in her local Catholic community as a teacher at Holy Infant Catholic Church\u202f[17][10].\n\nPichardo\u2019s campaign emphasizes economic development, balanced budgets, and educational support. She advocates for policies that attract new industries, provide grant programs for small businesses, and keep taxes low\u202f[17][18]. Her platform calls for expanding high\u2011speed internet in rural areas, investing in infrastructure such as roads and public transportation, and securing funding for public schools and vocational\u2011technical programs\u202f[17][18]. On fiscal issues, she supports a balanced state budget and prudent spending of taxpayer dollars\u202f[18].\n\nOn social issues, Pichardo identifies as a moderate Republican. She supports allowing abortions up to nine weeks, opposes taxpayer funding for abortion providers, and disagrees with assisted\u2011suicide legislation\u202f[10]. She favors background checks for gun purchases and believes law\u2011enforcement agencies should be adequately resourced while opposing broad redirection of police funds to community programs\u202f[10].\n\nPichardo\u2019s prior congressional run highlighted concerns about the national debt, proposing solar panels on federal buildings and an immigration fee to help reduce fiscal pressure\u202f[20]. She continues to promote policies aimed at job growth, community prosperity, and preserving individual liberties for her district.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Laura Pichardo - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Laura_Pichardo)\n- [10] [iVoterGuide - Laura Pichardo iVoterGuide Profile](https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/52271/race/17544/election/1206)\n- [11] [Vote-USA | Laura Pichardo | Previous Candidate for US Congress District 6, North Carolina](https://vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?State=NC&Id=NCPichardoLaura)\n- [17] [Laura Pichardo for NC State Senate District 23](https://pichardonc.com/)\n- [18] [Laura Pichardo | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/laura-pichardo)\n- [20] [Get to know Republican candidate Laura Pichardo who is running for U.S. 6th District](https://www.wxii12.com/article/republican-newcomer-says-father-was-a-big-reagan-fan/30994881)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_023","county":"caswell","county_count":3,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc State Senate District 23"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Laura","fullname":"Laura Natividad Pichardo","lastname":"Pichardo","middlename":"Natividad","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_023","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 23","county":"caswell","county_count":3,"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_023","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 23","county":"caswell","county_count":3,"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":"Laura Pichardo is the Republican candidate for North Carolina State Senate District\u202f23 in 2026, emphasizing economic development, balanced budgets, and education.","terms":[],"token":"b5039c133b36e344"}