NC Primary 2026 Voting Guide: cleveland County NC

ByHeather Tullos

This resource is your Kudzu Coalition comprehensive guide to voting in the 2026 Primary Election.

Early In-Person Voting began February 12, 2026 and runs through 3 PM, Saturday, February 28, 2026. The Primary is March 3, 2026. Here you’ll find sample ballots, extensive candidate research, and resources so that you can make the best choices on your primary ballot.

THERE ARE TWO LOCATIONS FOR EARLY VOTING In Cleveland County

Cleveland County early voting hours and locations can also be found in a printable format on the CC Board of Elections website.
For the remaining early voting dates, early voting hours are as follows:
February 23-27, 2026 8am – 7:30pm
February 28, 2026 8am – 3pm

CLEVELAND COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS
827 W. MARION ST. 
SHELBY, NC 28150

*This is a new location located near the library

H. LAWRENCE PATRICK SENIOR CENTER
909 E. KING ST.
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC 28086

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

It can be a good idea to put eyes on your ballot before heading out to vote.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY BALLOT HERE
REPUBLICAN PARTY BALLOT HERE

UNAFFILIATED VOTERS CAN VOTE IN THE PRIMARY

If you are registered as Unaffiliated (the equivalent of Independent in the state of NC, you CAN vote in the primary. When you go out to vote you will request either a Democratic or a Republican ballot. You can only choose one.
*If you are a registered Democrat you’ll be given a Democratic primary ballot.
*If you are registered as a Republican you’ll be given a Republican primary ballot.

Candidate Details

Depending on the party-affiliated ballot you select, your choices will vary. For example, the Republican ballot has 9 candidates for School Board, (you can vote for 4), while the Democratic ballot has none (since we have partisan school board elections in Cleveland County 🙄).
There will be Democrats on the ballot in November!
There were just not enough Dem candidates to need to face off in a primary.

REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATES

You can choose ONE.

Margot Dupre is on the ballot but has been disqualified.

She ran for Idaho’s 1st congressional district seat in 2024 as an independent write-in candidate. She received 7 votes (LOL).

Margot runs a commercial real estate business in Florida and only just registered to vote in NC in Sept 2025. Her candidacy was challenged because she’s still registered to vote in FL. 

Website – “Courage over Socialism”  (WUT)
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Richard is kind of libertarian? In theory, his outlined principles might seem attractive and even smart. But he steers clear of stated positions on most issues and his fiscal policies are not working-class friendly. 

Richard champions a broad-based flat tax, but a flat tax system unevenly penalizes the working class. Taxing everyone at the same rate shifts the burden downwards. Flat taxes are regressive in effect. (Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Romania have all tried the flat tax system and ended up having to add deductions back in, which would put us right back where we started). 

He also proposes “… a performance-based compensation system where 1% of verified reductions in federal spending is set aside (pooled) and distributed evenly among all members of Congress.”

👉 So basically, he’d like to cut services and reward himself for it

Proposes the creation of a National Physician Registry with “verified physician identity”, “DEA-linked verification” (for controlled substances), “Cross-border access”, and “Patient Clarity”; also calls for Medical Claims reform

Richard claims these measures lower costs and make care faster by reducing the number of unnecessary tests, lowering premiums, increasing competition, allowing interstate access, and hastening the resolution of Medical legal claims


Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Just NO. This joker wants to codify DOGE. Please read the in-depth reporting about this embarrassment of an agency and how much they definitely did not save taxpayers. Also, please remember that DOGE stole all our data and we still have no idea what happened to it or who has access. Tax policy proposals are NOT working-class friendly, and shift the burden to lower and middle income families.

Don Brown’s endorsements include:

  • General Flynn (lied to Vice President Pence, then pled guilty for lying to the FBI re: trading secrets with Russia; also took money from foreign governments)

Proposes a “fair tax” system which would eliminate all federal income, payroll, capital gains, estate, and gift taxes, replacing them with a single, national retail sales tax on new goods and services. This plan abolishes the IRS, and I know that sounds great in theory, but this tax system is another one that puts the large part of the burden on lower and middle income families. 

Website (ew)
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: If you are looking for a senator that doesn’t have any of his own opinions and will just do whatever the president says, effectively rendering Congress impotent, I guess this is your guy. He’s also the right choice if you are the kind of soulless person that loves CBP, ICE, and concentration camps on US soil (and abroad!).

Michael is:

  • Endorsed by Trump
  • Aligns with Trump’s “strong border” approach
  • Describes himself as a “Strong, fearless conservative”, whatever that means.
  • Aims to “make our streets safe again” and “bring jobs home”
  • Regarding Helene and climate change he said (in this article) “We need a mix of energy sources — carbon, nuclear, renewables, all of the above.”

The sentiment of WNC natives, however, is that Whatley has been largely invisible and ineffective in recovery efforts, and was then plucked from political obscurity and held up as a success, because he’s a yes-man.
His campaign website also lacks policies or any kind of navigation which is just lazy.

Doesn’t have a campaign website.
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: We can’t really take Elizabeth super seriously. Not only is she blatantly racist, but she cites robotic soldiers as one of the top two issues facing her community. 😂

Most of our research was sourced from an ABC News 12 interview with Elizabeth.

She seems to recognize the reality of wealth inequality, but explicitly wants to address the issue through “continued Capitalism, not Socialism or Communism, and address homelessness”.
Unregulated capitalism is how we got here, ma’am.

Temple wants to, “focus on legislation to address risks posed by Al (Artificial Intelligence) in the areas of robotic soldiers in warfare, massive job dislocation, and unprecedented wealth and income concentration for the few that will decrease the standard of living for average Americans. 🤖

We don’t think Temple has a solid grasp of what the actual risks of AI are, but points for recognizing that there ARE RISKS.

I am just going to summarize the next article detailing her platform with a screenshot. If y’all ever thought you weren’t qualified to run for public office, please channel the confidence of Elizabeth and know that YOU CAN DO IT.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Michele seems to REALLY love carrying water for the patriarchy. Her vision for our country is basically a Christian-Nationalist police state. She also seems really mad.

Michele unironically calls herself a “conservative warrior”, so do with that what you will

“I am running for the U.S. Senate to fight the radical liberal agenda that’s destroying our state and nation…”

Her economic policy hinges on cutting regulations and taxes (so more corporate welfare and zero accountability), perpetuating this tariff nonsense which makes everything more expensive (US consumers have taken on 86-94% of the burden), and “protecting our state’s natural resources from extreme green agendas that kill jobs”.

NOTE: Protecting our natural resources REQUIRES a green agenda, Michele.

One thing we CAN agree on: Morrow wants to, “Reclaim every acre of land from ownership by adversarial foreign states like China. North Carolina farmland belongs to North Carolina farmers…”

If you are new to this particular issue, China owns nearly 384,000 acres of farmland in the US. 13% of that (nearly 50,000 acres) is spread across 28 counties in North Carolina. Smithfield Foods is a major culprit here (they are Chinese-owned), as well as another Chinese billionaire. Learn more here.

Michele is, in summary:

  • Anti-LGBTQIA+
  • Wants to put armed officers in schools
  • Anti-Women’s Healthcare and overall seems to be very anti-woman
  • Wants to restrict our voting rights
  • Is Pro-ICE and concentration camp
  • Wants to invest in infrastructure to prepare for natural disasters, but with all her tax cutting, idk where that money is going to come from.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: If you take the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause out of it (😬), Thomas Johnson definitely has a more people-focused agenda than the other Republican Senate candidates on the primary ballot.

He wants to:

  • Expand the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to “protect our faith from the government prohibitions or encroachment we experienced during COVID.” 
  • Co-sponsor the “… [restoration of the] VA Accountability Act of 2025 S.124 which enables expedited removal of Veterans Administration employees who contribute to substandard care for our Veteran heroes”
  • Co-sponsor / Amend the “… FRIDGE Act of 2025 S.1119 to incentivize domestic cold-chain storage and freight of America’s produce to reduce cost, complexity, freight bottlenecks and delivery inefficiency to reduce America’s food costs by 15% or more”
  • “Secure borders, enforced laws, merit-based legal immigration.”
  • Hold the government accountable with “blockchain-based budget transparency and criminal penalties for fraud, waste, and abuse.”

That last point sounds like shifting away from the US Dollar and shifting towards cryptocurrency, but maybe that’s not the right read on it?

You can learn more about Johnson in this interview.

Republican Candidates for US House District 14

You can choose ONE.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: If you are voting in the Republican primary, Kate Barr is a no-brainer. She’s smart, progressive, and has policy ideas that make sense for Cleveland County (and North Carolina). If you are sick of the status-quo, gerrymandering, and corporate interests having a larger say than working people (seriously we are so over this), Kate is a great choice.

Kate Barr made a trip to Cleveland County on Friday, February 13, 2026, and spent the evening answering questions and talking with constituents about the issues that matter to us. She allowed us to rapid-fire questions for more than two hours.

Her platform includes:

  • No income taxes on the first $100,000 you earn
  • A livable minimum wage
  • Quality public schools
  • Lower health insurance premiums
  • Affordable childcare
  • Job training
  • Loans and assistance for small businesses

Kate recently did an interview with Heather Cox Richardson that you can watch or listen to here.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Since Tim Moore never has the courage to talk to his actual voters, and has spent his time in Washington enriching himself while nearly 17% of Cleveland County residents fall below the poverty line (a higher percentage than the state and the nation), we think its safe to say that Tim Moore doesn’t care about you and doesn’t deserve your vote. He also calls women “females” which is just gross.

His website also lacks any details about his positions on issues, but his voting record is public.

NC COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE SEAT 1

You can choose ONE.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Without having the time or opportunity to dig deep into his written opinions on subjects that matter to us, we can say that Michael C. Byrne does seem very experienced and focused on being impartial. The pro-police stance gives pause.

Michael emphasizes the fact that he has previous Court of Appeals experience. A combined 30 years of trial, appellate, and judicial experience. He also says that he has never been reversed by the Court of Appeals.

He’s very pro-law enforcement (as if we need more of that).
“I am the only primary endorsed Court of Appeals candidate by the National Association of Police Organizations…the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police…and the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association…”

He does state that, “… due process and fair hearings are essential,” and while that is SUPPOSED to be a constitutional right, that position does not seem to be one that all conservative judges hold themselves to. So points for Michael here.

Byrne’s statements all emphasize the value of impartial judging, and judges keeping their partisan statements and beliefs both private and removed from their judicial decision making.
“If someone wants to comment regularly on partisan politics, they should run for the General Assembly. I don’t want anyone to feel that my views raise an issue of bias or lack of impartiality.”

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Some of his positions and framing seem like “if Amy Coney Barrett was a man“. Meh.

The only promotional media on Matt’s website is an un-cited interview (no information provided about the context, interviewer, source, etc). The first thing the video points out is that Byrne made donations to Roy Cooper and Dan Forrest. Evidently Byrne only donated three times to two conservative judges, but made 21 contributions to liberal judges over roughly 8 years (the girls are fighting, y’all). The interviewer and Matt affirm that Byrne is a “lifelong Republican”.

Smith states his judicial philosophy as “Conservatism/textualism. Follow the law as it is written, follow established precedent and show judicial restraint.” He also calls himself “…a Constitutional Conservative who believes only the law dictates the outcome of any case and not the personal opinion or desire of the jurist.”

His hot take is that the judicial branch has NOT become too politicized. 😅

Interviews can be found here and here.

Cleveland County Board of Commissioners

You can choose TWO.

Local candidates can be tricky to summarize. We highly recommend watching the candidate forum so that it is easier to form your own opinions. Below we have listed the options on the ballot and have summarized contributions from Kudzu Coalition members that regularly attend Commissioner meetings, attended the candidate forum, or that have had personal experiences with the candidates.

YOUR CHOICES ON THE BALLOT

  • Doug Bridges
  • Josh Biddix
  • Denise Martin Wright
  • Laura Boggs Tharrington
  • Billy Scruggs
  • Wayne King
  • Deb Hardin

Doug Bridges

KUDZU COALITION HARD PASS

Doug Bridges has spoken out against the Rail Trail and has also caused issues for our public library in the past. Doug also has the cute habit of calling some Democratic Women “baby killers” at the polls.

Josh Biddix

KUDZU COALITION HARD PASS

Josh Biddix has recently focused on the “library losing the county money every year”. It is concerning that he doesn’t seem to understand that the value of public goods and spaces is THE GOOD OF THE PUBLIC. 👋 Hi, Josh. The Public here. Libraries matter.

Josh thinks that police should be paid more than doctors (WHAT?!), and his wife founded the local chapter of Moms for Liberty. The Moms for Liberty graphics were a grammatical disaster, so between Josh and his wife, they seem very invested in liberating people from basic education. Josh invoked DOGE multiple times in the candidate forum.

Please read the in-depth reporting about this embarrassment of an agency and how much they definitely did not save taxpayers. Also, please remember that DOGE stole all our data and we still have no idea what happened to it or who has access.

Denise Martin Wright

KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Has good potential.

Denise Wright was on the governing board for the Department of Social Services for a couple of years. Members report that Denise was diligent about attending regular meetings and participating. She has career experience that we think may lend itself to solid decision reasoning.

Laura Boggs Tharrington

KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: A mixed bag of meh.

Laura Boggs Tharrington was the subject of quite a bit of dialogue. The general consensus was that she’s very nice, but has the potential to be a bit of a pushover with “pick-me” energy. She looks very excited to be photographed with Tim Moore at a recent event (😒) and during the candidate forum name-dropped Alan Norman multiple times.

Since our police department is pretty well-funded, we were curious about Laura’s priorities. Did she also go to DSS, the library, waste management, the Department of Health, to inquire about community needs? Or is she just riding on pro-police sentiment for the election?

Another member pointed out that Laura is a school employee. The concern here is that she will have to recuse herself from budget votes regarding schools. This may impact the teacher supplements that are desperately needed. If she can’t vote on the budget, why is she running?

We also had a member reach out to inquire about Laura speaking with the Kudzu Coalition and she indicated that she was too busy. How very Tim Moore of her.

Billy Scruggs

KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: ????

Billy Scruggs really struggled to understand the questions during the candidate forum, and used most of his time to complain that he didn’t know he could have written notes.

Wayne King

KUDZU COALITION HARD PASS

Wayne King is using the president in all of his marketing. The policies of the current administration are NOT good for working people, and to extend those to Cleveland County at the local level would likely not bode well for the working class.

He seems to be very at-odds with some of the current commissioners which could result in the same kinds of in-fighting and conflict we have seen with the local school board.

He’s very focused on cutting taxes which seems like a great line until you remember that cutting taxes is a trade-off for all of our necessary county services. The current commissioners split the difference by lowering the tax rate a little, while maintaining a balanced budget.

If the county is lacking funds, we need to remember that the state hasn’t passed a budget since July and the federal government has also cut us off from tax dollars we have already paid. Both of these factors put a greater hardship on our county government to offset things with higher tax rates.

Deb Hardin

KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Measured, experienced, and accountable to voters, and cares about both funding schools and a balanced budget.

Deb is measured, thoughtful, and level. She has shown her capacity for making hard decisions and understands compromise. In the past, she was the Commissioner representative for the Advisory Board to Management at DSS and members have had good interactions with her in that capacity. Deb was diligent about attending required meetings and participating.

She showed up well in the candidate forum and we think Deb is likely the best option for maintaining school funding.

Also during the forum, we noticed that Deb was not a one-note candidate. She did mentioned policing, but focused more on EMS and other public safety initiatives. Her views on economic growth seem measured, and she is responsive. She’s one of just a few elected officials that actively participates in some form of community.

It’s also worth noting that her rescue work and positive changes to our local animal shelter have made a huge difference.

Cleveland County Board of Education

You can choose FOUR.

YOUR CHOICES ON THE BALLOT

  • Rodney Fitch 
  • Jay Carpenter 
  • Shelia Canipe 
  • Brandon Mills Bridges 
  • Aaron Bridges 
  • Danny Lee Blanton 
  • Stephen C. Self 
  • Robert Queen 
  • Ronnie Grigg

The general consensus here is that the current school board is a mess, and that the moderator of the candidate forum did not seem to understand the assignment. Questions did not allow for candidates to distinguish their policies or points of view, and also did not address current issues. Here’s what we have:

Rodney Fitch

KUDZU COALITION: It’s ironic that a candidate for school board failed to do his homework.

At the candidate forum Fitch shared that his strength is that he’s previously served on the school board. He was unable to outline his three priorities for the school system. Fitch did mention being a police officer a few times, which is hardly a qualification here.

Jay Carpenter

KUDZU COALITION: If this is his platform, he’s an easy yes.

Carpenter did not attend the candidate forum citing a scheduling conflict, but he did post an update on his Facebook page. Jay says he wants to refurbish and reopen Graham and Marion schools and is concerned about the development in the county causing overcrowding that no one has planned for. He has served on the county planning board for 5 years.

Sheila Canipe

KUDZU COALITION: Survey says yes.

Shelia Canipe spoke of her extensive experience as an educator and administrator. She mentioned multiple times that she wants to enhance the communication and transparency between the system and parents. She was favored by parents that attended the forum.

Brandon Mills Bridges

KUDZU COALITION: A solid maybe.

As a candidate, Brandon believes that the fact he is neither a parent nor has he ever served the school system in an official capacity is his impartial asset. He does seem to understand that decisions have to be made together, and that includes other board members as well as the public. He didn’t offer any policy initiatives, but he was invested in improving school lunches as far back as 2022 and genuinely seems like he has the potential to be a blank slate.

Aaron Bridges

KUDZU COALITION HARD PASS

Aaron Bridges is the only candidate with children currently in the school system. He talked during the forum about voting his conscience, which seems sincere, until you realize that his conscience has him attending Moms for Liberty meetings.

Actively supporting an organization that bans books, takes support away from students who need it most, spreads hate and propaganda against the LGBTQIA+ community, and is firmly anti-public school is not the behavior of a person we need making decisions about our public school system and the children in it.

Danny Lee Blanton

KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: OK FINE, Danny. You got us.

Danny is … Danny. If you’ve ever attended a school board meeting or greeted people at the polls with Danny nearby, you know that what you see is what you get (which we kind of appreciate). Danny is opinionated and does have some good ideas. He is very available and communicative, and understands that his job is to represent the voters. Danny has battled for better transparency, and calls out other board members for fiscal irresponsibility.

Stephen C. Self

KUDZU COALITION: Maybe?

At the candidate forum, Stephen mentioned that he has learned a lot while campaigning. In a Facebook update he shared that he will aim to support all students and not just a selected group, will give parents a voice and be a point of contact, will help teachers navigate ways to voice their concerns. We struggled to find any additional information.

Robert Queen

KUDZU COALITION: We’d rather not.

Forum attendees thought that Robert came across as knowledgeable, but very much like a politician. He was very fond of his gavel during his last term as Chairman of the Board. In this interview with the Shelby Shopper & Info, Robert talks a lot about transparency, but we distinctly remember how often the board defaulted to closed session meetings the last time he was in charge.

OH! And he allows Moms for Liberty to meet at the Shanghai Fire Department. Our tax dollars at work. 🙄

Ronnie Grigg

KUDZU COALITION: PASS.

Once upon awhile ago, we (okay it was me) published Ronnie’s statements after his previous election in full. During the recent candidate forum, Ronnie made some allusions to the issues he has seen over the last 4 years within the board, but he didn’t offer any proposed solutions for fixing things. Ronnie tends to vote with Danny which can be helpful, but he is also in the Moms for Liberty club which puts him firmly at odds with serving the public school system. 

If you've made it this far, CONGRATULATIONS! 🎉 This is a LOT of information. 
Continue reading for details about the candidates on the Democratic ballot.

Democratic Senate Candidates

You can choose ONE.

There is no public website for Farrow’s campaign that we could find.
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: 🤷🏽‍♀️ We hope Mr. Farrow is healthy and happy somewhere.

The Henderson county Democratic Party pulled together candidate details here, and that is where we learned that Darryl is a US Navy Veteran from Trenton, NC. He is a businessman, husband, and father. 

That’s it. That’s all we know.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: An incredibly progressive platform that is working-class focused.

Justin calls himself an anti-establishment working class candidate. He has an ambitious platform and has taken the time to outline how he believes he can make all of his proposed policies a reality, which we appreciate. Justin is aiming for:

  • A $30 minimum wage by 2030 (there are graphs!)
  • Universal Healthcare
  • A tax system that would alleviate the wealth gap and hold billionaires accountable for their fair share
  • Common sense AI regulation (no robotic soldiers in this platform, y’all. Sorry 🤖)
  • Legislation that would limit private equity and corporations buying up all the houses
  • Progressive taxation on corporate monopolies and stringent campaign finance laws, as well as bans on congressional stock trading and requirements for donor transparency
  • Measures to regulate and prevent partisan gerrymandering
  • Policies that would require the Pentagon and DOD to actually pass an audit (they haven’t passed an audit in all the time they’ve been legally required to submit, dating back to 2018, in case y’all wondered where all our money is going)
  • Veteran support
  • Overturning Citizens United and amending the Constitution to
    limit limit money in politics.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: We are all familiar with Roy as a representative and leader, and his record has been historically pretty progressive, even when he was hindered by our state Congress on all sides.

Roy Cooper probably has the most name recognition of any candidate we have outlined so far. He was Governor of NC for two terms and advocated for public safety in a big way during his last term. He vetoed HB808 and HB574, two anti-trans bills, and also vetoed SB20, a proposed abortion ban in 2023. His current stance is to “… keep
politicians out of the exam room so these decisions can be made between a woman and her doctor.“

On crime, Cooper’s stance is measured. He says that, “…society must deal with criminals properly. What works best in large cities may not work as well in small towns. Constitutional principles must
always guide us.” We appreciate that nuance.

Roy has been vocal about the harm the current tariff policies have done to farmers as well as small businesses and working families.

Cooper’s climate policy advocates for a transition to clean energy, and recognizes climate change as an existential threat.

He established a Governor’s Working Group to focus on veteran’s affairs in the past and aims to return healthcare to some semblance of affordability for North Carolinians.

On immigration, Roy shared that, “... the federal government
should deport violent criminals, but instead they have killed
American citizens…any additional funding for these ICE operations must come with immediate reforms that stop this chaos and keep people safe.” (It’s notable that he shared this sentiment on January 22, 2026, two days prior to Alex Pretti’s public execution.)

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Uhmmmmmmm.

Exploring the issues on Robert’s website was interesting. On peace, he says that, “America has nothing to gain from another war. We should be at peace with the world. Our President is to be applauded for his leadership in this area.“

We are wondering if maybe he has another president that we don’t know about?

Additional policy positions are sparse and are not well-outlined.

Website (👉 it’s got broken CSS and seems outdated at the time of this recap)
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Collating current information was challenging. Williams describes himself as a moderate so we are taking his word for it.

Marcus describes himself as “a moderate, skillful, renaissance
statesman.”

He has experience in economic development initiatives and believes he can apply this experience to the current housing crisis. His economic plans include educational and vocational enablement so that people are able to successfully work in the jobs created in our growing state.

He believes that equitable and affordable access to education is important and “… must be enhanced through increased funding of
constituent public institutions, targeted grants, and other
economic resources.“

Williams touched on access to affordable healthcare but without specifics. Some of our research here was a bit dated because he has run for several other offices in the past. His take on healthcare, for example, was prior to HR 1 going into effect.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: A working-class friendly platform, and the only one that includes proposed reparations for the African American community to gain upward mobility.

Orrick says that he believes in limited government, separation of powers, and constitutional restraint. He believes that everyone deserves a fair trial, and states that the actions of ICE and CBP, as well as their lack of accountability are a constitutional crisis (we agree).

Quick asserts that all who pay taxes are entitled to “… protection, infrastructure, education, healthcare access, economic mobility, and transparency.”
“You cannot tax people into poverty and call it patriotism.”

He wants to make teacher salaries a minimum ofd $65,000 per year.

Quick aims for guaranteed business funding up to $250,000 for the African American community to allow Black entrepreneurs and families to rebuild generational wealth through ownership, not dependency.

He has plans for an economic reset bill that would restore credit scores for Americans to a baseline score of 750. His outline aims to restore fair access to housing, job eligibility, transportation access, and entrepreneurship. He’d also like to limit property taxes for retired Americans.
“No more fake freedom.”

Democratic Candidates for US House District 14

You can choose ONE.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Progressive on some issues, moderate on others. He was well-liked in candidate forums, but maybe not the candidate that stood out the most based on coalition-member feedback.

Caldwell wants to expand and build upon the ACA and wants to guarantee preventative care to all Americans. He calls out supporting small businesses specifically but doesn’t expand on how.

On immigration policy, Brent is a self-proclaimed moderate. He proposes limited asylum as well as a path to citizenship for people with temporary protected status, DACA recipients, and non-violent
residents who have been here for decades.

Caldwell would like to expand access to capital for updating older properties, supports community affordable housing initiatives, and aims to increase federal funding for housing assistance in order to help address the housing crisis.

Brent has stated that the US should cease funding to Israel to compel Israel to recognize a “stable” state of Palestine while
dissolving Hamas.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Thoughtful, steady, and incredibly well-versed in policy as well as rural communities. LaKesha is progressive, smart, and has plans that we think are actually possible that would also really benefit the working class and Cleveland County as a whole. She’s a great option and we’d be lucky to have her as a leader.

We had the opportunity to connect with LaKesha in person on multiple occasions this primary season, and she has spent A LOT of time in Cleveland County making herself available which is so appreciated. Her approach to leadership is all about listening, and a core tenant of her platform is to remain available to her constituents. She answered questions for more than two hours on her February 20, 2026 visit, and we were able to understand her background, motivations, and plans for the future.

LaKesha’s healthcare plans include ACA expansion, prescription drug caps, and a promise to, “…fight for full funding of rural hospitals and community health centers.” She opposes policies that shift health care costs onto working families.

Womack was incredibly well-versed in policy that will help small businesses AND in policies that hold banking institutions accountable in their communities. These plans extended into protections for first time home buyers with the housing crisis in mind.

Tax and economic plans are solid and include raising the federal minimum wage.

We asked LaKesha directly about her support for women’s healthcare as well as her support for the LGBTQIA+ community and she was firm on not only supporting but protecting both.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: An incredibly progressive and ambitious platform, but perhaps at times is a little more focused on the less rural parts of the district. He is a solid candidate with a platform that aligns with the working class.

One thing that stood out about Ahmid’s platform to us specifically was his call to fund public media (👏). Public media is so important for rural communities to have access to information.

Ahmid has a Medicare for All (Universal Healthcare) goal. He also argues for free education, calling out our extensive defense spending and the fact that the money DOES exist.

He would like to expand high speed rail systems to connect our NC communities, argues for a repeal of the Faircloth Amendment to address housing affordability, and has a lot of knowledge about zoning laws that need amending to solve the housing shortages we are experiencing.

Kargbo is energetic and ambitious, and has also taken the time to reach out to the Kudzu Coalition to talk with us about his plans for District 14.

NC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 3

You can choose ONE.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: NC native (currently an attorney) that helped defend Justice Allison Riggs’ victory that is very well versed in protecting voters and our rights. Community-focused.

Who knew that learning about judicial candidates could be so interesting? James talks a lot about the impacts of gerrymandering and the current HUGE transfer of wealth out of our public schools.

As an appeals court judge, he understands that his role would be to weigh the evidence in cases brought against the unfair laws put forth by our current mess of a legislature.

We encourage you to read through his interview on Election Hub.

Website
KUDZU COALITION SUMMARY: Experienced, tapped in to the current climate (and the fact that judges are currently holding the line in so many ways), and is focused on transparency.

Christine is the most experienced District Court judge in Wake County and says, “As a District Court Judge, I work hard to provide litigants fair and reasoned decisions in a timely manner. I endeavor to apply the law equally, without favoritism or bias. Your race, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status should not affect the outcome of your case…“

She says that, “…judges should publish written and signed opinions explaining their reasoning. This transparency helps the public
understand how and why decisions are made.” We agree that more transparency is needed in SO MANY parts of our system.

2 Comments

    1. Thank you, Laura! Please feel free to share with anyone that still has to get out and vote this week. We will be expanding on candidate details post-primary so that we can all head into November armed with good information about our choices.

      Reply

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