(This story has been updated to include Joanne Chesley’s platform and career history.)

RALEIGH — Rowan County will have at least one new representative in the state government after the state’s redistricting. Kevin Crutchfield, who previously represented the southern parts of Rowan County including China Grove and Landis, is now running for reelection to a district that only covers parts of Cabarrus County.

Rowan’s newly drawn House of Representatives district will be District 83, which covers China Grove, Landis, Kannapolis, parts of southwestern Rowan County and parts of Cabarrus County. District 83 will be contested by two Republican candidates and one Democrat candidate. 

Republican Grant Campbell is a doctor from the Concord area who previously served three tours in the military as a combat medic. He also serves as a vice-chairman of the N.C. State Board for Community Colleges. Campbell’s campaign website states that his campaign priorities will be promoting rural opportunities for healthcare and education. He lists the priorities in education as parental empowerment, school choice, workforce-ready graduates and teacher compensation and healthcare priorities as opposing government control, addressing the opioid crisis and increasing avenues for joining the workforce. Campbell will be running for the second time after withdrawing his bid for a House seat in 2022 due to that year’s redistricting leaving him just three miles outside of the district.

“Despite suggestions to use technicalities to remain in the race, I felt it was not the right thing to run to represent a district that I no longer live in,” Campbell said at the time.

Republican Brad Jenkins is the pastor of Chapel Street Baptist Church in Landis. Jenkins is the former chair of the Rowan County Republican Party who served six years in the United States Army as a crew chief of Blackhawk helicopters. Jenkin’s campaign website lists his platform as being based on faith, family and freedom. He states that he will oppose “woke gender ideologies” in schools, support school choice and increased vocational training opportunities, support lessened government influence in medicine and business and support term limits on N.C. General Assembly members. Jenkins was defeated by Crutchfield by 13 percent, or around 1,200 votes.

Democrat Joanne Chesley is the final contestant for Rowan County’s new Congressional seat. Chesley is a retired educator who spent 42 years both in the classroom and in administration. Chesley said that the highlights of her platform are educational attainment, maternal healthcare and voting rights and access. Her priorities in education are listed as increasing graduation and certification rates in public schools, two-year and four-year colleges as well as increasing availability of workforce development programs. Her healthcare priorities are working to reduce maternity healthcare deserts in an effort to decrease instances of severe illness or deaths due to pregnancy, while on the voting rights issue she said that she supports efforts to overturn “NC legislative actions supporting gerrymandering.” 

House District 76 covers Salisbury, Spencer, East Spencer, Faith, Granite Quarry, Rockwell and the rest of northern and eastern Rowan County. Incumbent Harry Warren, a Republican will face a challenge from Rowan-Salisbury School Board member Alisha-Byrd Clark, a Democrat.

House District 77 covers Cleveland, parts of northwestern Rowan County, Davie County and parts of Yadkin County. Incumbent Julia Howard, a Republican, will be facing a challenge from Kashmir Sibby, a Democrat.

Senate District 33 covers Rowan and Stanly counties and will see a familiar contest to Rowan voters. Incumbent Carl Ford, a Republican, will be contested by challenger Tangela Morgan, a Democrat. Morgan challenged Ford in the same race in 2022 and was defeated 73 percent to 27 percent, or 52,235 votes to 19,058 votes.