Richard Hudson
Richard Hudson, a Republican who has represented North Carolina in the U.S. House since 2013, is seeking re-election in the 9th congressional district in 2026 against Democrat Richard Ojeda, a former West Virginia state senator.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Richard Hudson.
- Born
- November 4, 1971
- Birthplace
- Franklin, Virginia
- Education
- Myers Park High School (1990)
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Bachelor of Arts in political science and history, 1996)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Richard Hudson was born on November 4, 1971, in Franklin, Virginia, and has lived in the Charlotte area since childhood. He graduated from Myers Park High School in 1990 and went on to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he served as student body president and as president of the College Republicans. He graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history. His wife, Renee, was chief of staff for Kellyanne Conway.
Career
Before running for office himself, Hudson worked in Republican politics for many years.
He was communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party in the mid-1990s, served as district director for Congressman Robin Hayes from 1999 to 2005, and worked on the staffs of Virginia Foxx, John Carter and Mike Conaway.
In 2008 he was campaign manager for Pat McCrory's run for governor, and in 2011 he started Cabarrus Marketing Group, a consulting and marketing company he dissolved upon his election to Congress.
Hudson first ran for the U.S. House in 2012 in North Carolina's 8th district, winning the July 17 Republican runoff against Scott Keadle with 64% of the vote and then defeating Democratic incumbent Larry Kissell with 54%.
He took office in January 2013 and was re-elected in 2014 with 64.9% and in 2016 with 58.8%. The district he represents was later renumbered as the 9th.
At the beginning of the 116th Congress he was assigned to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and its subcommittees on energy, health, and consumer protection and commerce.
2026 race
Hudson's 9th district includes all of Alamance, Hoke, Moore and Randolph counties, most of Chatham and Guilford counties, and portions of northwestern Cumberland County. He was re-elected with 56.3% of the vote in 2024 and is again the Republican nominee in 2026.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Democrat Richard Ojeda, a former West Virginia state senator who served from 2017 to 2019 and was a candidate for president in 2020. Ojeda won the Democratic primary with 41.8% of the vote.