←All People
Kathryn Leigh Compton Barr
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Kathryn "Kate" Compton Barr ran as a Republican in the 2026 primary for North Carolina's 14th Congressional District, challenging incumbent Timothy K. Moore 12. She openly identifies as a lifelong Democrat and entered the Republican primary specifically to draw attention to gerrymandering 12. She lost to Moore in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary 3; NC State Board of Elections candidate filing records show Barr filed only for the primary while Moore filed for both the primary and the November 3, 2026 general election, where he faces Democrat Lakesha Womack 34.
Barr's central campaign issue was gerrymandering and redistricting reform. On economic policy, she supported making the first $100,000 of income tax-free, raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour, and progressive taxation on high earners 1.
Background and education
Barr was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She graduated from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in 2000, earned a bachelor's degree in biology and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004, and a master's degree in health behavior from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2008 3.
Career
Barr worked as a behavioral scientist at the University of Michigan before returning to North Carolina 13. She later served as CEO of Pip and Grow, a North Carolina company that manufactures eco-conscious cardboard baby bassinets marketed as the "Smitten" baby box, before stepping back from that role in 2021 to focus on her career in behavioral science 1. She is also a part-owner of a small business 3.
Family
Barr has been married to her husband for 20 years and is the mother of two children 1.
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
North Carolina — campaign finance
- State, county, and municipal candidates — all in one system — NC State Board of Elections — Committee Search. Search by last name “Barr”.
North Carolina — statement of economic interest
- Required for state-elected and many local officials — NC State Ethics Commission — Statement of Economic Interest Search. Search by last name “Barr”.
Federal offices — campaign finance
- US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), not with state systems — FEC candidate search. Filter by office, state, and cycle to narrow the results. Financial disclosures (personal assets and income) for members of Congress and congressional candidates are filed with the US House Clerk or US Senate Office of Public Records, depending on the office.