This Charlotte-area Democrat will try running as Republican to beat Tim Moore
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kate Barr switches party on paper to enter 2026 Republican primary vs Tim Moore
- Barr frames switch as protest against “partisan gerrymandering” in North Carolina
- Moore is a first-term congressman but longtime powerful Republican leader
A former Charlotte-area state Senate candidate is switching parties — on paper — to challenge a North Carolina congressman.
Kate Barr announced Friday she plans to run against U.S. Rep. Tim Moore in the 2026 Republican primary for North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District. Barr ran as a Democrat in 2024 against longtime GOP state Sen. Vickie Sawyer with the campaign slogan “Clear eyes, full heart, can’t win.”
Barr’s unconventional campaign, meant to make an argument against gerrymandering producing deeply partisan districts, made national headlines. She raised tens of thousands of dollars but lost 64.7% to 35.3%. After the defeat, Barr co-founded the nonprofit Can’t Win Victory Fund to support other long-shot candidates and advocate against gerrymandering.
Candidate filing for 2026 races officially opens in December. The 2026 primary is scheduled for March 3.
Barr says she’s running for the U.S. House as a Republican because it’s “the only way that makes sense within the jacked up system that power-hungry politicians have built.”
“This is about holding corrupt leaders accountable, no matter what letter they have next to their name.” Barr said in a statement. “I’m not pretending that I suddenly woke up a Republican. I’m the same person I’ve always been. My values haven’t changed. My message hasn’t changed. Voters deserve to have their voices heard. Full stop.”
She pointed to North Carolina’s newly passed Congressional map as an example of “partisan gerrymandering.”
The state’s Republican-dominated General Assembly passed a new map in October that’s expected to pick up another seat for the GOP in Congress. It’s part of a national trend following a call from President Donald Trump for more favorable maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Advocacy groups including Common Cause and the NAACP are suing to block the new North Carolina map alleging it discriminates against Black voters and illegally retaliates against the affected district.
“Instead of further silencing voters’ voices to win elections — like we’re seeing with these extreme rigged maps in North Carolina right now — my campaign actually gives previously silenced voters their voice back,” Barr said.
If elected, Barr said she would advocate for a federal ban on “partisan gerrymandering” as well as a federal minimum wage increase, the elimination of the income tax on the first $100,000 citizens earn each year, lower health care premiums, closing tax “loopholes” and a ban on stock trading by elected officials.
The incumbent in the 14th District, Moore, is in his first term in Washington, D.C. But he’s a longtime state legislator who rose to the speakership of the North Carolina House. He defeated Democrat Pam Genant by a margin of 58.1% to 41.9% in 2024.
The Charlotte Observer has contacted Moore for a response to Barr’s comments.
This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 12:59 PM.
