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Celeste Cairns
Celeste Cairns (Republican Party) is a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 13. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.
Cairns (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives to represent District 13. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Celeste Cairns was born in Valdosta, Georgia, and lives in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Cairns earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia. Her career experience includes working as a CPA with Deloitte and in the audit and consulting departments of Willis Corroon Corporation and HCA Healthcare Corporation.[1][2]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Cairns was assigned to the following committees:
- Appropriations Committee
- Appropriations on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources Committee
- Banking Committee
- Energy and Public Utilities Committee
- Marine Resources and Aqua Culture Committee, Vice Chair
- Military and Veterans Affairs Committee
Elections
2024
See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13
Incumbent Celeste Cairns defeated Katie Tomberlin in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Celeste Cairns (R) | 69.9 | 35,181 |
 | Katie Tomberlin (D)  | 30.1 | 15,158 | |
| Total votes: 50,339 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13
Katie Tomberlin defeated Melvin Cooper in the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Katie Tomberlin | 62.2 | 2,341 |
 | Melvin Cooper | 37.8 | 1,420 | |
| Total votes: 3,761 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Celeste Cairns advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cairns in this election.
Pledges
Cairns signed the following pledges.
2022
See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13
Celeste Cairns defeated Katie Tomberlin in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Celeste Cairns (R) | 71.3 | 25,850 |
| Katie Tomberlin (D) | 28.7 | 10,394 | |
| Total votes: 36,244 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Katie Tomberlin advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13
Celeste Cairns defeated Pete Benton and Eden Gordon Hill in the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Celeste Cairns | 54.9 | 6,271 |
| Pete Benton | 34.9 | 3,984 | ||
| Eden Gordon Hill | 10.3 | 1,172 | ||
| Total votes: 11,427 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
2019
See also: North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District special election, 2019
General election
Special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
Gregory Murphy defeated Allen Thomas, Greg Holt, and Tim Harris in the special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on September 10, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gregory Murphy (R) | 61.7 | 70,407 |
 | Allen Thomas (D) | 37.5 | 42,738 | |
 | Greg Holt (Constitution Party) | 0.4 | 507 | |
 | Tim Harris (L) | 0.3 | 394 | |
| Total votes: 114,046 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Special Republican primary runoff for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
Gregory Murphy defeated Joan Perry in the special Republican primary runoff for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on July 9, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gregory Murphy | 59.7 | 21,481 |
 | Joan Perry | 40.3 | 14,530 | |
| Total votes: 36,011 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Allen Thomas | 50.0 | 12,933 |
 | Richard Bew | 25.2 | 6,532 | |
| Dana Outlaw | 12.6 | 3,268 | ||
 | Isaiah Johnson | 6.9 | 1,774 | |
 | Gregory Humphrey | 2.7 | 695 | |
 | Ernest Reeves | 2.6 | 683 | |
| Total votes: 25,885 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ollie Nelson (D)
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gregory Murphy | 22.5 | 9,530 |
| ✔ | | Joan Perry | 15.4 | 6,536 |
 | Phillip Shepard | 12.1 | 5,101 | |
 | Michael Speciale | 9.5 | 4,022 | |
 | Phil Law | 8.7 | 3,690 | |
| Eric Rouse | 7.7 | 3,258 | ||
| Jeff Moore | 5.4 | 2,280 | ||
 | Francis De Luca | 3.9 | 1,670 | |
| Celeste Cairns | 3.5 | 1,467 | |
| Chimer Davis Clark Jr. | 2.6 | 1,092 | ||
 | Michele Nix | 2.2 | 915 | |
| Graham Boyd | 2.1 | 897 | ||
 | Paul Beaumont | 1.9 | 805 | |
 | Mike Payment | 1.3 | 537 | |
 | Don Cox | 0.6 | 251 | |
 | Kevin Baiko | 0.4 | 171 | |
 | Gary Ceres | 0.3 | 108 | |
| Total votes: 42,330 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sandy Smith (R)
Libertarian primary election
Special Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3
Tim Harris defeated Shannon Bray in the special Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tim Harris | 56.0 | 75 |
 | Shannon Bray | 44.0 | 59 | |
| Total votes: 134 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Celeste Cairns did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Celeste Cairns did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Celeste Cairns did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Cairns’ campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
PROTECT LIFE As the mother of two beautiful children and as a member of the Board of Directors for a local pregnancy resource center in the 3rd District, Celeste is 100%, unapologetically pro-life. While Democrats across the nation continue pushing for unlimited access to abortions, Celeste will stand up for the most vulnerable and fight for policies that defend the sanctity of life. In Congress, Celeste will continue her fierce advocacy for the unborn by fighting to defund Planned Parenthood and any taxpayer-funded organization that supports the murder of defenseless children. CUT TAXES FOR ALL The historic tax cuts passed by Republicans in 2017 have helped working families in the 3rd District save more of their hard-earned money while allowing business owners to hire more workers and pay higher wages. If Congress fails to make these tax cuts permanent, individual tax cuts will expire and both the standard deduction and the child tax credit will shrink by 2025. Celeste is committed to making the tax cuts permanent to deliver certainty to working families and job creators in the 3rd District and across the nation who have already benefited from the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. In addition, Celeste will work with President Trump to continue making our tax code simpler and fairer to help all Americans keep more of their paycheck. DEFEND OUR CONSERVATIVE VALUES Like you, Celeste is tired of watching radical Democrats across the nation hijack our future, attempt to re-write the Constitution, and put forward socialist policies that would bankrupt our children and grandchildren. More government is never the solution – and the 3rd District deserves a leader in Congress who will fight back against Nancy Pelosi’s big-government agenda that will cost taxpayers trillions of dollars. As a devout conservative, Celeste will fight tirelessly to ensure a smaller, more accountable federal government so future generations can achieve the American Dream. UNLEASH OUR ECONOMY As a former C.P.A. for one of the largest accounting and consulting firms in the nation, Celeste has seen firsthand the challenges facing working families and businesses of all sizes. Celeste understands that businesses must be empowered to create jobs, expand, and grow our economy – but that will only happen if we get government out of the way. In Congress, Celeste will work with President Trump to cut burdensome, job-killing regulations and to promote free market principles that will unleash our economy’s true potential. PRESERVE OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS As a proud gun owner and member of the N.R.A., Celeste knows there are few things more important than our constitutional right to bear arms. The Left will continue to criminalize law-abiding gun owners to take away our right to defend ourselves, which is why it’s critical we elect a Representative to Congress who will protect our freedoms at all costs. The men and women of the 3rd District should rest assured – Celeste will continue to champion the rights of law-abiding gun owners in Congress by fighting back against any attempt by radical Democrats to take away our Second Amendment rights. STAND WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP The mainstream media, Democrats, and “never-Trump” Republicans have stopped at nothing to derail President Trump’s agenda since he was sworn into office. In the face of adversity, President Trump has remained resolute to sign historic tax cuts into law, rebuild our military, and appoint strict constitutionalist judges to federal courts and the Supreme Court. Unlike career politicians, President Trump is keeping his promises to the American people and his accomplishments will preserve our conservative values and Constitution for generations – but we have more to accomplish if we truly want to Make America Great Again. Celeste will call on Republicans to unify behind our President to help him deliver more results for the American people. In Congress, Celeste will work with President Trump to fund a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and stop the radical Left from socializing our healthcare system. |
” |
| —Celeste Cairns’ campaign website (2019)[4] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of North Carolina scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from April 24 to December 13.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the North Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 25.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 |
Officeholder North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on March 21, 2019
- ↑ Celeste Cairns 2022 campaign website, "About," accessed March 16, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Celeste for Congress, "Issues," accessed March 26, 2019
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Patricia McElraft (R) |
North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
