Mary Patterson (North Carolina)
Mary Patterson (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 4th Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Democratic primary for U.S. House in North Carolina's 4th Congressional District as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D), Nida Allam (D), and Mary Patterson (D) are running in the Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. As of January 2026, Foushee and Allam led in endorsements, fundraising, and local media attention.[1][2]
The primary is a rematch between Foushee and Allam, who ran for the then-open seat in 2022. Foushee defeated Allam 46%–37%. The 2026 primary is taking place in the context of redistricting in North Carolina. The redrawn 4th District's boundaries differ from those established following the 2020 census and used in the 2022 election. According to The Assembly's Chase Pellegrini de Paur, "Of the roughly 40,000 votes that Foushee won in 2022, about 22% came from areas no longer in the district. The changes affected only about 5% of Allam’s voters."[1]
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D), EMILY's List, and the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee endorsed Foushee.[3] Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), Our Revolution, and the Sunrise Movement endorsed Allam.[4]
Pellegrini de Paur wrote that the candidates' "voting records likely wouldn’t differ dramatically...they are also radically different in their approach to politics. Allam has an aggressively pro-worker message and a penchant for TikTok trends and selfie-style Instagram videos. Foushee is a measured, 69-year-old stateswoman and the highest-profile member of a local political dynasty."[1] Writing in The Duke Chronicle, Lila Cohen and Sarah Diaz said Foushee "highlighted the experience she has gained over her years in public service and stressed the urgency of the current political climate."[5] The News & Observer's Kyle Ingram said Allam "has positioned herself as an anti-establishment figure who argues that mainstream Democrats have failed to mount a meaningful resistance to Trump."[6]
In an interview with the Duke Chronicle, Foushee said: "What probably has helped the most [to prepare for this role] is serving at the local level — having served on the school board ... and as a county commissioner, understanding what the needs of a community are."[5] In a statement, Allam said she was "running for Congress because in a moment when our community faces dueling crises of Republican authoritarianism and corporate billionaire greed, we need leaders in Washington who will actually fight to deliver the brighter future we deserve and desperately need."[7]
Foushee is a former administrator with the Chapel Hill Police Department who served for 15 years in local elected positions and 10 years in the North Carolina General Assembly before her election to Congress.[8] Allam is an organizer and the vice chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
As of January 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Safe/Solid Democratic.
Elections
2026
See also: North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Mahesh Ganorkar (R) and Guy Meilleur (L) are running in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Mahesh Ganorkar (R) | |
 | Guy Meilleur (L) | |
| ||||
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D), Nida Allam (D), and Mary Patterson (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Valerie Foushee | |
 | Nida Allam | |
| Mary Patterson | ||
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary
The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Mahesh Ganorkar (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 without appearing on the ballot.
Libertarian Party primary
The Libertarian Party primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Guy Meilleur (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 without appearing on the ballot.
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from RealClearPolitics, when available. We will regularly check for polling aggregation for this race and add polls here once available. To notify us of polls available for this race, please email us.
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie Foushee | Democratic Party | $554,812 | $456,764 | $183,744 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Nida Allam | Democratic Party | $583,160 | $354,433 | $228,728 | As of February 11, 2026 |
| Mary Patterson | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[9][10][11]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
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Note: As of January 28, 2026, Mary Patterson (D) had not filed as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission.
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from the Federal Election Commission. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Assembly, "A House District Divided," January 27, 2026
- ↑ The 9th Street Journal, "In echo of 2022, Foushee and Allam debate support for Israel," January 13, 2026
- ↑ Valerie Foushee campaign website, "Home page," accessed January 29, 2026
- ↑ Nida Allam campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed January 29, 2026
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Duke Chronicle, "Foushee and Allam are facing off again for NC’s 4th congressional seat. Here’s what they said," February 6, 2026
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Valerie Foushee faces contentious rematch with Nida Allam in NC’s bluest district," February 13, 2026
- ↑ NC Newsline, "Democrat Nida Allam brings major progressive backers to challenge incumbent US Rep. Foushee," December 11, 2025
- ↑ Valerie Foushee official website, "Justice and Policing," accessed February 2, 2026
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
