Change Address

VOTE411 Voter Guide

US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 09

Each state receives representation in the US House of Representatives in proportion to the size of its population but is entitled to at least one representative. There are currently 435 representatives, a number fixed by law since 1911. Starting in 2024, NC has 14 members of the US House; the NC State Legislature changed the district boundaries in October, 2025. The House shares with the Senate responsibility for all lawmaking within the United States. For an act of Congress to be valid, both houses must approve an identical document. Each representative serves a two-year term. There are no term limits.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Richard Hudson
    (REP)

  • Candidate picture

    Richard N. Ojeda II
    (DEM)

Biographical Information

What experience and skills make you the best candidate for this office? (Max. 750 characters)

What is the most important policy or action you would work to accomplish in your first year? (Max. 750 characters)

What economic policies will you pursue to help Americans who are worried about their economic prospects in the coming years? (Max. 750 characters)

What actions will you bring to your role to decrease political polarization and improve the effectiveness of the federal government? (Max. 750 characters)

Are there environmental policies that you will prioritize and bring forward legislatively if you are elected? (Max. 750 characters)

Additional Comments (Max. 1000 characters)

Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Campaign Mailing Address PO BOX 35
ABERDEEN, NC 28315
Current Occupation Retired Major - United States Army
Age (optional) 55
Campaign Phone 3043763842
Campaign Email info@ojedafornc.com
Campaign Website http://www.ojedafornc.com/
Campaign X (Twitter) Handle @ojedafornc
Campaign Facebook URL http://www.facebook.com/ojedafornc/
Campaign Youtube URL
I bring a lifetime of service and real-world experience to this office. I served 24 years in the United States Army, including multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and spent much of that time stationed at Ft. Bragg where we became a family. I know what leadership looks like under pressure and how to take responsibility for people’s lives. After my military service, I served in the State Senate and worked as a public school educator teaching JROTC, giving me hands-on experience with the policies that affect working families, veterans, and students. I understand this district because I raised my family here, I show up in every community, and I know how to fight and win for the people I serve.
In my first year, my top priority would be tackling the affordability crisis facing working families, veterans, and seniors. That starts with strengthening and fully funding the VA and stopping the damaging budget cuts pushed by Elon Musk and championed by Richard Hudson that put veterans’ care at risk. I would fight to expand childcare and mental health support for military families, tie the minimum wage to the cost of living so wages keep up with rising prices, and make the first $45,000 of income tax-free so working people can finally get ahead.
Americans are working harder than ever and still falling behind. I will fight for economic policies that put working people first, not billionaires and special interests. That means tying the minimum wage directly to the cost of living so paychecks keep up with rising prices, and making the first $45,000 of income tax-free so families can breathe again. I will also fight to protect healthcare, including Medicaid, from dangerous budget cuts like those Richard Hudson passed in his so-called Big Beautiful bill, which put access to care for working families, seniors, and veterans at risk.
Political polarization grows when leaders stop showing up. Independent voter registration is higher than it’s ever been because people are fed up with being ignored. My approach is simple: meet people where they are. We are going into communities Democrats are often told to avoid, knocking on doors, sitting down, and having real conversations. That is how trust is built. I believe representation means being present, listening, and taking people seriously. That is what this district has been missing for a long time, and it is exactly what Richard Hudson refuses to do.
Yes. We are living in a moment that should be hard to imagine, where a President of the United States pulled us out of the Paris Climate Accord and treated climate change like it was not real. The consequences are already here, and they do not fall evenly. Communities facing the worst pollution, flooding, and water contamination are almost always working-class communities and communities of color. That is why I am deeply concerned about unchecked data center development in this state, which siphons local water resources and targets communities with the least power to push back. I will fight for environmental policies that protect clean water, public health, and land, and put people before corporate profit.
For 13 years, this district has been represented by someone who does not see his job as standing up for the people who live here. Richard Hudson does not see his job as representing North Carolina. As chair of the NRCC, he sees his job as raising money from billionaires and corporate interests and protecting the MAGA majority in Congress. Meanwhile, working people here are working longer hours, paying more for everything, and being told to wait their turn.

I grew up around people who worked with their hands, wore a uniform, and showed up even when it was hard. I served this country for 24 years because I believe representation is about responsibility. It means being present, listening, and fighting for the people who put their trust in you. This district deserves a representative who shows up, who knows struggle firsthand, and who answers to working families, not donors. That is why I am running, and that is who I will fight for every single day.