NC Senate candidate says she’s not stepping back after breast cancer diagnosis
A Cabarrus County Democrat running for state Senate says she won’t step away from the race after a recent breast cancer diagnosis.
April Cook, the Democratic candidate in North Carolina’s 34th Senate District in Cabarrus County, announced the diagnosis in a Facebook video last week, saying she paused her campaign briefly to process the news and reassess priorities. The race is one Democrats see as competitive in the fast-growing county, even as Republicans have long held the seat. Cook said she plans to continue campaigning while undergoing treatment, arguing her experience reinforces her focus on access to affordable care.
“A few weeks ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it has been a lot to process for me,” Cook said in the video. “Now was the time to analyze and prioritize everything on my plate – my family, my job and the Senate race – so that I could commit to the things that really matter.”
She told supporters the cancer was detected early and that her prognosis is “wonderful,” describing herself as fortunate to have insurance coverage that will allow her to pursue treatment.
This experience, she said, underscores a central message of her campaign: that too many North Carolinians lack access to affordable care. Cook, who has worked in health care for nearly three decades and helped start a free clinic, said she has seen patients face “financial ruin” after serious diagnoses.
“More than 700,000 North Carolinians are uninsured,” she said. “Our system is broken.”
Cook told supporters she plans to continue campaigning while undergoing treatment.
“We have a lot of work to do, because this district has been written off for far too long, and because we’ve never had a greater chance to win than we do right now,” Cook said.
The seat is currently held by Republican Sen. Chris Measmer, who was appointed in 2025 and lost his March primary to former Rep. Kevin Crutchfield. Crutchfield won that primary with about 53.7% of the vote to Measmer’s 46.3%. Cook advanced to the general election without a primary opponent. In 2024, Republican Paul Newton won the seat with about 52.9% of the vote.
Political experts told The Charlotte Observer in January that Cabarrus has been one of the biggest movers to the left of any county in North Carolina in recent years. Western Carolina University politics professor Chris Cooper said the once reliably red county is “pinkening,” making races more competitive than they have been in decades.
Cook’s campaign has emphasized expanding access to health care, supporting public education and addressing affordability issues. According to her campaign website, she credits her background in health care leadership and community service, including work with free clinics across the state, as shaping her policy priorities.
In her video, Cook acknowledged the months ahead will look different than she planned but urged supporters to stay engaged.
“In a time of unknowns, I know this for sure,” she said. “North Carolina can do better than we’ve been shown, and flipping this seat is the first step toward a better life for all of us.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
