North Carolina general election: November 3, 2026
Who is running for NC Senate, District 42 in 2026?
Here are the candidates for NC Senate, District 42 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in North Carolina Senate District 42.
Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.
Side by side
Each candidate's position on the issues this office handles, from their own record. Details and sources are in each profile below.
| Issue | Stacie McGinnRepublican | Mrs. Woodson BradleyDemocrat |
|---|---|---|
| Safety net programs | No public position | Keep them, but add work requirements for able-bodied adultsVoted · medium |
| Minimum wage | Get rid of it; let employers and workers agree on payQuestionnaire answer · medium | Raise it to around $15Said · medium |
| Business regulation | Cut red tape, but keep core safety and environmental rulesSaid · medium | No public position |
| Healthcare | Private insurance with more competition and price transparency, keeping protections for pre-existing conditionsQuestionnaire answer · low | No public position |
| Abortion | Legal in early pregnancy, restricted after thatSaid · medium | Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)Said · low |
| Guns | Add universal background checks and red-flag lawsQuestionnaire answer · medium | Add universal background checks and red-flag lawsSaid · medium |
| Immigration | Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadySaid · medium | No single answer fits; see evidence |
| Energy and climate | All of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets pickQuestionnaire answer · low | No single answer fits; see evidence |
| School choice | Yes, universal school choice for every familySaid · medium | No public position |
| Curriculum and books | Parents, including the right to remove material they object toSaid · low | No public position |
| Policing and crime | Tougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailSaid · medium | No public position |
| Election rules | Strict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotsQuestionnaire answer · low | No public position |
| Gender care for minors | No, ban these treatments for minorsQuestionnaire answer · low | No public position |
| Redistricting | No public position | Independent commissions draw maps, with a national ban on partisan gerrymanderingOfficial action · medium |
| Qualified immunity | Yes, keep it as courts apply it nowSaid · medium | No public position |
| Mandatory minimums | Add or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl traffickingSaid · low | No public position |
| Paid leave | No public position | Create a national paid family and medical leave program plus paid sick daysOfficial action · high |
| Transgender athletes | No, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsQuestionnaire answer · medium | No public position |
Stacie McGinn
RepublicanPrivate citizen
Stacie McGinn is a lawyer and business executive with a business degree from Baylor University and a law degree from Georgetown University; she has served as general counsel of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party and on the Charlotte Symphony board13. She lost the 2024 race for Senate District 42 to Woodson Bradley by about 200 votes and is running again as the Republican nominee27.
Where they stand 15 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
AbortionLegal in early pregnancy, restricted after thatmedium
Said · medium confidence- Said she supports North Carolina's current law, with its 12-week limit and exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormalities and the life of the mother, and would not seek to change it. (2024-10-14) source
- Called herself pro-life and said the state's 12-week law, with its exceptions, sets reasonable limits and should be a model for the nation. (2024) source
Policing and crimeTougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailmedium
Said · medium confidence- Said the state must get tough on crime, supported stiffer penalties for drug dealers and a review of sentencing and bail policies so dangerous criminals are kept off the streets, and pledged to fully fund law enforcement. (2024-10-14) source
- Her campaign platform opposes cutting police budgets and supports hiring more officers and deploying them in high crime areas. (2026) source
- Strongly disagreed with redirecting police funds to community programs, saying police should be fully funded. (2024) source
Qualified immunityYes, keep it as courts apply it nowmedium
Said · medium confidence- Her campaign platform says reviews of police conduct should stay within the department and should apply qualified immunity. (2026) source
ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadymedium
Said · medium confidence- Her campaign platform says local and state police should increase cooperation with federal agencies including ICE, and that all available resources should be used to identify and deport or prosecute people who came across the border illegally to commit crime. (2026) source
School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium
Said · medium confidence- Her campaign platform praises the state's School Choice legislation, now law, for letting parents make informed decisions about their child's education. (2026) source
- Strongly agreed that education dollars should follow the child to public, private or home schools, and said she fully supports the law expanding the Opportunity Scholarship program. (2024) source
Business regulationCut red tape, but keep core safety and environmental rulesmedium
GunsAdd universal background checks and red-flag lawsmedium
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence- Said current background check requirements should apply to all gun sales and be enforced, and that more should be done to keep guns from children and mentally ill people. (2024) source
Minimum wageGet rid of it; let employers and workers agree on paymedium
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence- Said raising the minimum wage raises costs and discourages business investment, and that families deserve a livable wage set by the free market, not government. (2024) source
Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium
Questionnaire answer · medium confidence- Strongly agreed that biological males should not be allowed to compete in women's sports or use women's spaces. (2024) source
Mandatory minimumsAdd or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl traffickinglow
Said · low confidence- Said she supports recent steps to stiffen penalties for drug dealers responsible for rising overdose deaths. (2024-10-14) source
Curriculum and booksParents, including the right to remove material they object tolow
Said · low confidence- Her campaign platform says parents must come first in education, praises the Parents' Bill of Rights, and says teachers should not be beholden to far-left curriculum and should post lesson plan outlines publicly. (2026) source
- Her campaign says she will continue to support parental rights in their children's education. (2026) source
Gender care for minorsNo, ban these treatments for minorslow
Questionnaire answer · low confidence- Strongly agreed that children must be protected from what the questionnaire called gender ideology and bodily mutilation, and strongly disagreed with using taxpayer funds for gender transition services. (2024) source
Election rulesStrict photo ID, paper ballots, cleaner voter rolls and fewer mail ballotslow
Questionnaire answer · low confidence- Strongly agreed that mail ballots should be limited to voters who are 65 or older, sick or disabled, about to give birth, or away from their county, calling absentee ballots the area with the greatest risk of fraud. (2024) source
HealthcarePrivate insurance with more competition and price transparency, keeping protections for pre-existing conditionslow
Questionnaire answer · low confidence- Said she leans toward keeping Medicaid and Medicare with no other taxpayer-funded programs, that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay, and that leaders must address rising healthcare costs. (2024) source
Energy and climateAll of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets picklow
Questionnaire answer · low confidence- Chose the view that stricter environmental laws undermine energy independence and deter reliable electricity sources, and said energy should be left to the private sector rather than government. (2024) source
No public position found on: Safety net programs, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.
Mrs. Woodson Bradley
Democrat · IncumbentNorth Carolina State Senator, District 42
Woodson Bradley has represented District 42 in Mecklenburg County in the North Carolina Senate since 2025, after defeating Republican Stacie McGinn in 2024 by about 200 votes13. She is a Charlotte real estate agent and small business owner with an economics and business degree from Hollins University, and an advocate for domestic violence survivors4. She is the Democratic nominee for re-election and is listed on the ballot as Mrs. Woodson Bradley6.
Where they stand 9 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
Paid leaveCreate a national paid family and medical leave program plus paid sick dayshigh
Official action · high confidence- Proposed providing paid family and medical leave to help families with the cost of living. (2024-10-14) source
- Her campaign lists expanding paid family and medical leave among her priorities. (2026) source
- Was a primary sponsor of Senate Bill 622, which would require employers to provide earned paid sick days, and cosponsored Senate Bill 480, the NC Paid Family Leave Insurance Act. (2025) source
GunsAdd universal background checks and red-flag lawsmedium
Said · medium confidence- Called for passing universal background checks and red flag laws and restoring the pistol purchase permit requirement. (2024-10-14) source
- Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 50, which allows adults to carry a concealed handgun without a permit (passed 30 to 19). (2025-07-29) source
- Was a primary sponsor of Senate Bill 161, which would require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms, and of Senate Bill 875, which would bar firearm possession after a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction. (2025) source
Minimum wageRaise it to around $15medium
Said · medium confidence- Proposed increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. (2024-10-14) source
RedistrictingIndependent commissions draw maps, with a national ban on partisan gerrymanderingmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Was a primary sponsor of Senate Bill 638 and Senate Bill 804, the Fair Maps Act, a proposed constitutional amendment creating an independent citizens redistricting commission. (2025-03-26) source
- On third reading, voted against Senate Bill 249, which redrew the state's congressional districts in the middle of the decade (passed 26 to 20). (2025-10-21) source
Safety net programsKeep them, but add work requirements for able-bodied adultsmedium
Voted · medium confidence- On second reading, voted for Senate Bill 403, which directed the state to put work requirements on Medicaid coverage as soon as federal regulators allow them (passed 34 to 12). (2025-04-30) source
AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low
Said · low confidence- Said she strongly opposes the state's current abortion ban and will work to restore reproductive freedom by getting back to the Roe v. Wade standard, with decisions left to a woman and her doctor. (2024-10-14) source
ImmigrationNo single answer fitslow
Voted · low confidence- Voted against overriding the governor's veto of House Bill 318, the Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act, which expanded requirements for jails to cooperate with federal immigration detainers (passed 30 to 19). (2025-07-29) source
- Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 153, the North Carolina Border Protection Act, which expanded state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement (passed 30 to 19). (2025-07-29) source
DEI programsNo single answer fitslow
Voted · low confidence- Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 227, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in public K-12 schools (passed 30 to 19). (2025-07-29) source
- Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 558, which bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in public colleges and universities (passed 30 to 19). (2025-07-29) source
Energy and climateNo single answer fitslow
Voted · low confidence- Voted against overriding the governor's veto of Senate Bill 266, which removed the state's 2030 interim goal for cutting carbon emissions from power plants (passed 30 to 18). (2025-07-29) source
No public position found on: Business regulation, Healthcare, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, Religion in schools, China policy.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.