North Carolina — 13th District

North Carolina will hold primary elections on March 3, and early voting begins on Thursday, running through February 28. Democrats and Republicans in Lee County both have multiple races on the primary ballot in 2026. We asked the candidates a series of questions about their platforms, and their answers are printed here as submitted and without edits. (Editor’s note: Some candidates didn’t send responses in time for our print deadline, but were allowed to submit prior to publication of the February edition of The Rant Monthly. Those candidates’ answers are included here)

Incumbent Republican Brad Knott of Raleigh faces primary challenger Sid Sharma (Morrisville) in his first re-election bid in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District. There’s a primary on the Democratic side, too, with Sanford native Paul Barringer facing off against Alexander Nicholi and Frank Pierce, both of Raleigh. The 13th Congressional District is rated R+9 or “solid Republican” and includes all of Lee, Harnet…