Rodney Steven Sadler JR

Rodney Sadler is the Democratic nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives, District 106, in the November 3, 2026 general election. The North Carolina House is the lower chamber of the state legislature; members are elected to two‑year terms and must meet the constitutional qualifications for state legislators, including age and residency requirements ¹.

Sadler earned a B.S. in Psychology/Philosophy from Howard University in 1989, a Master of Divinity from Howard University School of Divinity in 1992, and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Biblical Archaeology from Duke University in 2001 ¹². He has spent more than two decades in ministry and academia, serving as a Baptist pastor and, most recently, as an associate professor of Bible and director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte ²⁷¹⁵.

His public‑policy activism began with a 2013 civil‑disobedient protest inside the North Carolina General Assembly, where he was arrested while praying with other faith leaders against Republican‑led legislation on education, health care and voting rights ¹⁷¹³. He has continued that work through community organizing, including the Poor People’s Campaign, the Faith in Housing Initiative, and the Reimagining America Project ¹⁵.

In the 2026 Democratic primary held on March 3, Sadler defeated seven‑term incumbent Rep. Carla Cunningham, winning roughly 70 % of the vote (7,716 votes) to Cunningham’s 21.8 % (2,401 votes) and Vermanno Bowman’s 8.3 % (912 votes) ^16812141719. No Republican filed for the seat, so the primary victory effectively secured the District 106 seat for the general election. He received endorsements from Governor Josh Stein, State Rep. Julia Greenfield, the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte‑Mecklenburg, the North Carolina Association of Educators, the Sierra Club, the Sunrise Movement, and numerous labor and progressive groups ^12311121416.

Sadler’s campaign platform emphasizes fully funded public schools, affordable housing, a living‑wage standard, universal health care, voter‑rights protection, and climate‑justice policies ²¹⁰¹⁴. He frames his candidacy as a “moral revival,” arguing that government should serve working families rather than corporate interests ¹⁰¹³.

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