The Ballot Brief
North Carolina
Candidate profile

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Melissa Zehner

Democratic · North Carolina · 2026

Running for North Carolina Senate District 1, North Carolina

Top priorities

From the campaign site

  • Increasing teacher pay and per pupil education spending
  • Opposes directing public education funds to private school vouchers
  • Addressing affordability of groceries, healthcare and childcare
Biography

Melissa Zehner is a Democrat running for North Carolina Senate District 1, covering ten counties in northeastern North Carolina. She grew up in rural Farmville, Virginia, the daughter of a public school teacher and small business owner, and is a mother of two children who attend public schools, per her campaign site. Zehner now lives on the Outer Banks and previously worked in Minor League Baseball management before becoming a stay at home parent, per her campaign site.

Campaign site (opens in a new tab)

On the ballot

North Carolina Senate District 1North Carolina · 2026Bertie County sample ballot

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Voting info and more

Voting info and more
How we source this

Profile facts follow official election office filings and the sources cited in each biography. Official sources are the final word on who appears on your ballot.

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