NC House District 27 is a rural district bordering Virginia that includes Warren, Halifax, and Northampton counties. It is an important seat in the 2026 election that could determine the fate of Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes in the next legislative session.
Former state Rep. Michael Wray, who was defeated by educator Rodney Pierce in a close primary contest in 2024, announced he will seek to win back the seat in NC House District 27.
During his time as a state representative, Wray was one of a few House Democrats who drew criticism from Democrats and advocates for voting most often with state Republicans—nearly 85% of the time. According to NC Newsline, Wray voted with state Republicans to override 14 of former Gov. Roy Cooper’s 25 vetoes in the 2023-24 session.
Wray’s veto override votes included:
- Increasing in-state ICE cooperation and funding private school vouchers: Wray voted in favor of overriding the Governor’s veto of House Bill 10, a law that forces all sheriff departments to cooperate with ICE and takes money from local public schools and gives it to wealthy private schools.
- Letting corporate polluters off the hook: Wray voted in favor of overriding the Governor’s veto of House Bill 600 – a bill that features special favors to big polluters who control corporate hog and poultry farming, build fracked gas pipelines, or discharge dangerous and long-lasting pollutants from chemical wastes.
During the 2023-2024 session, WRAL reported that Wray sided with Republicans on several additional actions, including undoing wetlands protections, co-sponsoring a law banning North Carolinians from suing farms over issues such as excessive odor, noise, and pollution, and voting for new laws limiting transgender rights.
Wray also failed to be present and vote against a dangerous GOP-backed bill that would make buying handguns easier, regardless of an individual’s history of domestic violence or serious mental health problems.
Prominent North Carolina groups like NCLCV condemned Wray’s voting record and marked his past re-election loss to Pierce as a sign that “North Carolinians rejected him”.
“Wray has voted with anti-environmental leadership 85% of the time, including to cut public education funding while spending millions for a Civil War Museum and going along with GOP efforts to refuse critical health care access that residents of this district need. That’s unacceptable,” stated Dan Crawford, Director of Governmental Relations for the NC League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV), following Wray’s loss to Pierce.
Wray, who has come under fire for using $28,000 in campaign funds, along with $17,700 for fancy meals and other personal spending, is seeking a rematch and is hoping this run will lead him back to Raleigh.
According to the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald, Wray is touting that he was effective in bringing state funds for projects and programs to the district, saying, “I am not going to apologize for working in the back rooms of the State Legislature to make sure that our region gets money from the state budget”.
Once again, Wray is running against incumbent Representative Rodney Pierce, who currently represents House District 27. As a member of the NC House, Pierce is fighting to fully fund our public schools, protect the right to vote, and advocate for accessible healthcare, affordable housing, and equitable economic development.
The 2026 primary elections are just a few weeks away for many counties across our state, giving millions of eligible North Carolina voters the chance to determine who will face off in November’s general election.
As the primary elections come closer, here are some important dates to keep in mind:
- Voter registration deadline is Feb. 6th
- In-person early voting starts Feb. 12th and ends on Feb. 28th.
- The primary election day is March 3rd.
For more information about this year’s primary elections, go to NCSBE.gov
