{"biography":"Mike Schietzelt is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 35, a seat he has held since assuming office on January\u202f1,\u202f2025 and will hold through January\u202f1,\u202f2027.  The North Carolina Constitution requires state representatives to be qualified voters, to have resided in the district for at least one year before the election, and to be at least 21 years old; they serve two\u2011year terms with no term limits and receive a salary of $13,951 per year plus a per\u2011diem allowance\u202f[2].  Schietzelt is running for re\u2011election in the 2026 general election on November\u202f3,\u202f2026, after winning the Republican primary with 91\u202f% of the vote\u202f[1].\n\nBorn Michael Gary Schietzelt\u202fJr. on October\u202f24,\u202f1986 in Escondido, California, he was raised in Burlington, North Carolina.  He graduated from Western\u202fAlamance High School in 2004, earned a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2008, and received his Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law in 2018\u202f[4].  Between college and law school he served in the United States Marine Corps (2011\u20112015), performing with the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and earning the rank of Sergeant\u202f[4].\n\nAfter law school, Schietzelt clerked for Chief Justice Mark D.\u202fMartin of the North Carolina Supreme Court, then worked as a Criminal Justice Fellow at the John\u202fLocke Foundation (2019\u20112020) researching criminal code reforms\u202f[4].  He later served as the founding Constitutional Law Fellow at Regent University\u2019s Robertson Center for Constitutional Law, representing faith\u2011based groups in appellate courts and teaching First Amendment courses\u202f[4].  In July\u202f2022 he joined the litigation practice of Michael\u202fBest\u202f&\u202fFriedrich, LLP\u202f[4].  He is a member of the Federalist Society and has been affiliated with various legal and policy organizations.\n\nIn the legislature, Schietzelt has focused on education, transportation, and public\u2011safety issues.  He sponsored a bill to raise the starting teacher salary to $50,000 with a 22\u202f% increase, a measure that was incorporated into the House budget proposal\u202f[12].  He also led an effort to block a toll on the U.S.\u202f1/Capital\u202fBoulevard corridor, arguing that tolls would impose an unfair cost on commuters and small\u2011business owners\u202f[12].  His committee work includes service on the House Oversight Committee, where he has questioned school\u2011district compliance with the Parents\u2019 Bill of Rights\u202f[12].  Schietzelt\u2019s 2024 election results show he won 50.3\u202f% of the vote, defeating Democrat Evonne\u202fS.\u202fHopkins and Libertarian Michael\u202fOakes\u202f[1].\n\nSchietzelt\u2019s personal life includes his wife Carmon and their four children.  He maintains a campaign website that outlines priorities such as lowering the cost of living, strengthening public safety, improving education, and investing in infrastructure\u202f[15].  He has received endorsements from groups like Americans for Prosperity\u2011North Carolina and local officials, including the mayor of Wake\u202fForest\u202f[6][19].  Financial disclosures show he raised $126,027 in the 2024\u201125 cycle, with top contributors including Christine\u202fL.\u202fWeason and Destin\u202fHall\u202f[13].\n\nOverall, Schietzelt combines military service, legal experience, and a focus on education and transportation policy in his role as a state legislator, seeking a second term in the 2026 election.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Mike Schietzelt - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mike_Schietzelt)\n- [2] [North Carolina House of Representatives District 35 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_35)\n- [3] [Representative Mike Schietzelt - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/840)\n- [4] [Mike Schietzelt - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Schietzelt)\n- [6] [Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina Announces First Wave of 2026 State Legislature Endorsements - Americans for Prosperity](https://americansforprosperity.org/press-release/americans-for-prosperity-north-carolina-announces-first-wave-of-2026-state-legislature-endorsements/)\n- [8] [Mike Schietzelt for N.C. House (@Mikefor35)](https://www.facebook.com/Mikefor35/)\n- [12] [In a Wake County NC House race, a GOP lawmaker faces an opponent who's new to the party | WUNC News](https://www.wunc.org/politics/2026-01-02/wake-county-nc-house-race-gop-lawmaker)\n- [13] [Mike Schietzelt - North Carolina Candidate - Transparency USA](https://www.transparencyusa.org/nc/candidate/mike-schietzelt)\n- [15] [Mike Schietzelt For NC House District 35 - Mike Schietzelt For NC House District 35](https://mikeschietzelt.com/)\n- [16] [Mike Schietzelt | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/mike-schietzelt)\n- [18] [Races to watch ahead of NC\u2019s March primaries | The North State Journal](https://nsjonline.com/article/2026/01/races-to-watch-ahead-of-ncs-march-primaries/)\n- [19] [Wake Forest mayor endorses NC House candidate](https://www.wakeweekly.com/news/wake-forest-mayor-endorses-nc-house-candidate-341355)\n- [20] [Field is set for NC 2026 elections as filing closes | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source](https://www.wfae.org/politics/2025-12-27/field-is-set-for-nc-2026-elections-as-filing-closes)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_035","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 035"},{"contest":"state_house_035","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 035"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Michael","fullname":"Michael Gary Schietzelt JR","lastname":"Schietzelt","middlename":"Gary","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_035","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 035","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"state_house_035","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 035","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_035","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 035","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"JR","summary":"Mike Schietzelt is the Republican incumbent representing North Carolina House District\u202f35 and is running for re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"d6580b0b53b30714"}