{"biography":"Rodney Sadler is the Democratic nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives, District 106, in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. The North Carolina House is the lower chamber of the state legislature; members are elected to two\u2011year terms and must meet the constitutional qualifications for state legislators, including age and residency requirements [1].\n\nSadler 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\u202f[1][2]. 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\u202f[2][7][15].\n\nHis public\u2011policy activism began with a 2013 civil\u2011disobedient protest inside the North Carolina General Assembly, where he was arrested while praying with other faith leaders against Republican\u2011led legislation on education, health care and voting rights\u202f[1][7][13]. He has continued that work through community organizing, including the Poor People\u2019s Campaign, the Faith in Housing Initiative, and the Reimagining America Project\u202f[15].\n\nIn the 2026 Democratic primary held on March\u202f3, Sadler defeated seven\u2011term incumbent Rep.\u202fCarla\u202fCunningham, winning roughly 70\u202f% of the vote (7,716 votes) to Cunningham\u2019s 21.8\u202f% (2,401 votes) and Vermanno\u202fBowman\u2019s 8.3\u202f% (912 votes)\u202f[1][6][8][12][14][17][19]. No Republican filed for the seat, so the primary victory effectively secured the District\u202f106 seat for the general election. He received endorsements from Governor\u202fJosh\u202fStein, State Rep.\u202fJulia\u202fGreenfield, the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte\u2011Mecklenburg, the North Carolina Association of Educators, the Sierra Club, the Sunrise\u202fMovement, and numerous labor and progressive groups\u202f[1][2][3][11][12][14][16].\n\nSadler\u2019s campaign platform emphasizes fully funded public schools, affordable housing, a living\u2011wage standard, universal health care, voter\u2011rights protection, and climate\u2011justice policies\u202f[2][10][14]. He frames his candidacy as a \u201cmoral revival,\u201d arguing that government should serve working families rather than corporate interests\u202f[10][13].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Rodney Sadler - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Rodney_Sadler)\n- [2] [Rodney Sadler | The Election Hub](https://www.theelectionhub.org/mecklenburg-county/rodney-sadler/2026-primary/mecklenburg)\n- [3] [Endorsements for Rodney Sadler - North Carolina Democratic Party Candidate](https://bluevoterguide.org/NC/candidate_Rodney_Sadler/697896)\n- [4] [Reverend Rodney Sadler was the projected winner ...](https://www.facebook.com/WBTVNews3/posts/reverend-rodney-sadler-was-the-projected-winner-of-the-democratic-primary-for-no/1379658540857311/)\n- [6] [Sadler unseats Cunningham in HD-106 Democratic primary](https://www.carolinajournal.com/sadler-unseats-cunningham-in-hd-106-democratic-primary/)\n- [7] [Meet Rodney | Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler for NC House District 106](https://rodneysadler.com/about)\n- [8] [Rodney Sadler wins 2026 Democratic primary for North Carolina House District 106, ousting Carla Cunningham](https://www.wbtv.com/2026/03/04/rodney-sadler-wins-2026-democratic-primary-north-carolina-house-district-106-ousting-carla-cunningham/)\n- [10] [Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler for NC House District 106](https://rodneysadler.com/)\n- [11] [North Carolina governor backs challenger of sitting Democrat in Charlotte-area primary :: WRAL.com](https://www.wral.com/news/nccapitol/north-carolina-governor-endorses-rodney-sadler-charlotte-primary-2026/)\n- [12] [Democratic Reps. Cunningham, Majeed lose to challengers in Mecklenburg | WUNC News](https://www.wunc.org/2026-03-03/democratic-reps-cunningham-majeed-trail-challengers-in-mecklenburg)\n- [13] [Community advocate Rodney Sadler ready to challenge North Carolina Rep. Carla Cunningham in 2026](https://www.wbtv.com/2025/09/25/community-advocate-rodney-sadler-ready-challenge-north-carolina-rep-carla-cunningham-2026/)\n- [14] [Democrat who joined Republicans to override Gov. Stein's ICE veto loses primary in landslide defeat | 13newsnow.com](https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/politics/elections/three-democrats-vie-for-nc-house-district-106-in-mecklenburg-county/275-df6cb85e-693e-4738-9977-6c77e74b1893)\n- [15] [Rev. Rodney Sadler in Charlotte, NC \u2013 We are ALL IN, and we are making calls! \u2013 Arlington Democrats](https://arlingtondems.org/event/rev-rodney-sadler-in-charlotte-nc-we-are-all-in-and-we-are-making-calls-2/)\n- [16] [Gov. Josh Stein endorses Rodney Sadler over Carla Cunningham for state House seat | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source](https://www.wfae.org/2026-01-05/gov-josh-stein-endorses-rodney-sadler-over-carla-cunningham-for-state-house-seat)\n- [17] [Veteran Democrat Carla Cunningham suffers huge loss in Charlotte primary](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/veteran-democrat-carla-cunningham-suffers-050514784.html)\n- [19] [Cunningham Loses Immigration-Focused State House Primary](https://www.theassemblync.com/news/politics/elections/cunningham-sadler-charlotte-district-106/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_106","county":"cabarrus","county_count":2,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 106"},{"contest":"state_house_106","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 106"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Rodney","fullname":"Rodney Steven Sadler JR","lastname":"Sadler","middlename":"Steven","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_106","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 106","county":"cabarrus","county_count":2,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"state_house_106","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 106","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_106","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 106","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":[]}],"suffix":"JR","summary":"Rodney Sadler, a pastor and professor, won the 2026 Democratic primary for North Carolina House District\u202f106 and is the party\u2019s nominee for the November general election.","terms":[],"token":"bf6ca22195843249"}