{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nKeith D. Kidwell was a four-term Republican incumbent representing NC House District 79, which covers Beaufort, Hyde, Pamlico, and part of Dare County. He was defeated in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary by challenger Darren Armstrong, who received more than 53 percent of the vote.\n\nKidwell was a leading figure in the NC House Freedom Caucus and consistently advocated for fiscally conservative and socially conservative positions throughout his tenure.\n\n## Background and education\nKidwell was born June 21, 1961. He attended Passaic High School in New Jersey, studied Business Management and Computer Programming at William Paterson College in Paterson, NJ, and later completed coursework in Accounting and Business at Beaufort County Community College.\n\n## Career\nKidwell spent nine years in retail warehousing and international distribution with several Fortune 100 companies, and two years in food service sales management. For approximately 40 years he operated H&R Block offices in Washington, NC and New Jersey as a manager and franchise owner. He is an Enrolled Agent licensed by the US Department of Treasury to represent taxpayers before the IRS in all 50 states. He teaches at Beaufort County Community College and serves on its Business and Accounting Advisory Board. He was first elected to the NC House in 2019 and has been rated the most conservative member of the General Assembly each year he served.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Representative Keith Kidwell \u2013 Biography, NC General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/749)\n- [2] [Beaufort County GOP incumbent defeated in House primary \u2013 WITN](https://www.witn.com/2026/03/05/beaufort-county-gop-incumbent-defeated-house-primary/)\n- [3] [NC House Freedom Caucus leader faces primary challenge \u2013 WUNC](https://www.wunc.org/politics/2025-12-29/nc-house-freedom-caucus-keith-kidwell-primary-republican-darren-armstrong)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_079","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 079"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Keith","fullname":"Keith D Kidwell","lastname":"Kidwell","middlename":"D","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_079","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 079","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_079","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 079","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":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"e8ed195d784208d2"}