State House District 27 Representative Rodney D. Pierce filed for re-election today.
He said he is “proudly seeking to continue his work serving the people of House District 27 – not political insiders in Raleigh.”
Said Pierce: “I’ve spent this term working on behalf of the people of House District 27. My focus has always been on advancing the priorities and commitments we have long deserved.”
Pierce launched his Bringing the Capital to the Constituents series in March to connect residents with state leaders and highlight the services the state government provides.
In 2026, the series will bring North Carolina State Highway Patrol Commander Colonel Freddy L. Johnson Jr. in January; State Revenue Secretary McKinley Wooten Jr. in February; and Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt in March.
Pierce said he championed public safety initiatives by leading a bipartisan effort that lobbied Governor Josh Stein, Speaker Destin Hall, and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger Sr. to form a bipartisan Rural Violent Crime Task Force to tackle rising violent crime in rural counties, an effort supported by the State Bureau of Investigation.
Later this month on December 13, to promote civic education, he’s holding the Eastern NC Civics Bowl, a quiz bowl competition on civics, social studies and U.S. history that will pit high schoolers from traditional public schools, charters, and private schools in the district against each other.
Pierce will partner with county health departments and the American Red Cross on January 14, to hold the District 27 Blood Drive to improve public health outcomes.
He said he has kept constituents informed about what’s happening in Raleigh through town halls — January 28 in Halifax County, May 19 in Warren County, and an upcoming one on December 8 in Northampton County.
The record of what he described as consistent engagement also “highlights the contrast in how Pierce and his opponent respond when voting rights in District 27 are at stake. In 2023, when Halifax and Warren counties were redrawn into a state Senate district that weakened our voter power, my opponent said nothing. This October, when Republicans in Raleigh — at President Trump’s request — imposed a congressional map that again undermined District 27 voters, he said nothing.”
Said Pierce of former Representative Michael Wray, who is mounting a comeback campaign: “His repeated silence on these maps raises real questions about his commitment to protecting voting rights. I, however, filed a formal protest in the House against the Congressional map and am a plaintiff in the federal lawsuit Pierce v. N.C. State Board of Elections challenging the unfair state Senate maps.”
Pierce said, “He voted with Republicans to expand private school funding over public schools, cut minority business support, raised utility and insurance costs, restricted sheriffs’ control over pistol permits, and reduced compensation for families near hog farms. He backed GOP tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations that drain billions from our state. Those tax cuts are why Republicans are now fighting each other in Raleigh — and why we still don’t have a state budget to fund local projects in District 27.”
Pierce said his opponent had unexcused absences last year when the legislature voted on Senate Bill 382, a bill that stripped away more of the governor’s appointment powers.
“He didn’t show up to work,” Pierce said. “That bill made North Carolina the only state in the country where our state auditor is over our state board of elections. And my opponent didn’t even provide an excuse for his absences. How can you miss a vote as important as that?”
So far, Pierce is endorsed by Pro-Choice NC, Sierra Club of North Carolina, Carolina Federation, Work for Democracy, former United States Congresswoman Eva Clayton, former State Senator and Representative Angela Bryant, former State Representatives Nathan Baskerville and Terry Garrison, Warren County Commissioner Tare Davis, Halifax County Commissioner Gary Redding, and Haliwa-Saponi Tribal Councilman Tyler Richardson. He’s also been designated a Mental Health Now candidate by Inseparable Action.
“Several of these leaders have represented portions or all of House District 27 at the state or federal level,” Pierce said of his endorsers. “Baskerville, Bryant, and Garrison all served in the legislature at the same time as my opponent. If fellow Democrats who actually worked with him directly believe so strongly in my candidacy that they’re endorsing me, that speaks volumes.
“Everything I’ve done has been about empowering the people I represent. It’s about keeping them informed, and focusing on areas like public safety, public health, public education, and voting rights.”
Said Pierce: “The people of District 27 deserve a representative who’s working for them, not looking out only for themselves and a select circle of friends. I’m running for re-election to keep that promise.”
