{"biography":"Claire Renee Kempner is the Democratic nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives District\u202f9 in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. She advanced from a decisive primary victory, earning 67.2% of the vote (4,781 votes) against Lenton\u202fBrown in the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Democratic primary and will face incumbent Republican Timothy\u202fReeder on the ballot [1].\n\nKempner, 46, lives at 1575 Black\u202fJack\u2011Simpson Road in Pitt County with her husband Greg and their three children. A stay\u2011at\u2011home mother, she describes herself as a community advocate and organizer, having served as the secretary of the Pitt County Democratic Party and volunteered on numerous local campaigns and causes, including Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, the Humane Society, United Way, and a maternity home for unhoused women and children [15][18].\n\nBefore entering electoral politics, Kempner\u2019s professional background centered on raising her family, gardening, and supporting her children\u2019s activities. Her public\u2011service experience is rooted in grassroots organizing: she has acted as a data chair for state and regional gun\u2011safety initiatives and has been active in Democratic Party operations at the county level [15][18].\n\nKempner first ran for the same House seat in 2024, winning the Democratic primary with 70.9% of the vote but losing the general election to Reeder, who captured 55.9% of the vote (26,888 votes) to her 44.1% (21,173 votes) [1]. Undeterred, she returned to the race in 2026, securing the party\u2019s nomination again and adding endorsements from organizations such as Gun Sense Voter, Lillian\u2019s List of North Carolina, Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic, and Red Wine and Blue [5].\n\nHer campaign platform emphasizes a \u201cpeople\u2011first\u201d agenda. Kempner advocates for fair redistricting through an independent bipartisan commission, fully funding public schools and raising teacher salaries to the national average, and protecting reproductive freedom. She calls for policies that lower the cost of living\u2014addressing housing, childcare, and inflation\u2014while supporting workforce training, a higher minimum wage, and paid family leave. Public safety proposals include common\u2011sense gun safety laws paired with expanded mental\u2011health and addiction services. Kempner also pledges to safeguard voting rights, maintain transparent elections, and increase legislative pay to broaden representation [15][17][18].\n\nKempner\u2019s community\u2011focused experience and repeated primary successes position her as a challenger seeking to shift District\u202f9 toward Democratic representation in the 2026 cycle.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Claire Kempner - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Claire_Kempner)\n- [5] [Endorsements for Claire Kempner - North Carolina Democratic Party Candidate](https://bluevoterguide.org/NC/candidate_Claire_Kempner/526365)\n- [10] [Claire Kempner (@ClaireforNC) / X](https://x.com/clairefornc?lang=en)\n- [15] [Claire Kempner: State House 9 Democratic primary Q&A | Local News | reflector.com](https://www.reflector.com/news/local/claire-kempner-state-house-9-democratic-primary-q-a/article_8f42f0ee-c9f8-11ee-983b-8f60cb09048d.html)\n- [17] [Claire Kempner for NC House](https://www.clairekempnernc.com/)\n- [18] [Claire Kempner platform & website | North Carolina State Representative, District 9, Democratic Primary](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-primary-election-nc-state-state-representative-nc-state-house-9-d/candidates/claire-kempner)\n- [19] [Claire Kempner - HD9 \u2014 C2C+NoC](https://c2cnoc.org/2024-candidates/kempner)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_009","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 009"},{"contest":"state_house_009","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 009"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Claire","fullname":"Claire Renee Kempner","lastname":"Kempner","middlename":"Renee","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_009","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 009","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"state_house_009","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 009","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_009","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 009","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","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":"Claire Kempner is the Democratic nominee for NC House District\u202f9 in 2026, a stay\u2011at\u2011home mom and community organizer with prior campaign experience and a platform focused on education, health care, and voting rights.","terms":[],"token":"b5ec37055413930f"}