Maria Louisa Saulog Cervania

Maria Louisa Saulog Cervania is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 41 and is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election ¹⁹. The North Carolina House is the lower chamber of the state legislature; members draft, debate, and vote on state laws, approve the state budget, and serve on committees that oversee specific policy areas, representing the interests of their constituents while adhering to the state constitution and legislative rules ².

Cervania was born in Oakland, California, and grew up in Sunnyvale, California, after her family moved there during her father’s military service ¹⁷. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Biology and Physical Education from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago ¹⁷⁹. Her professional background is rooted in public health and data analysis; she has worked as a biostatistician, epidemiologist, and consultant for agencies such as the Maternal & Child Health Bureau, Adult and Child Protective Services, and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health ¹⁴.

Before entering state politics, Cervania served on the Wake County Board of Commissioners from December 2020 to December 2022, becoming the first Asian American/Pacific Islander elected to that board ⁹¹⁷. In 2022 she won election to the North Carolina House, defeating Republican Bruce K. Forster with 63.9% of the vote ⁹¹. During the 2023‑2024 legislative session she was appointed to the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations – Health and Human Services Committee, the Energy and Public Utilities Committee, the Health Committee, and the Oversight and Reform Committee ¹⁹.

In the House, Cervania has focused on legislation that expands access to affordable health care, strengthens public education, and protects the environment—issues highlighted on her campaign website ¹⁰¹³. She has sponsored bills related to health‑care delivery, early‑intervention services, and data‑driven policy reforms, reflecting her expertise as an epidemiologist and biostatistician ¹¹⁸. Her committee work on Appropriations and Health positions her to influence budgetary decisions affecting health‑service funding and public‑utility regulation.

Cervania’s 2026 campaign is unopposed in the Democratic primary, which was canceled, and she will face Republican challenger Bruce Forster again in the general election ¹. Her stated priorities for the upcoming term include expanding behavioral‑health and substance‑use treatment, fully funding public schools, advancing clean‑water and clean‑air initiatives, and promoting balanced growth and affordable housing for North Carolinians ¹⁰¹³.

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