State

State Representative, 18th District

Vote for: 1
Term: 2 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A state representative votes on North Carolina laws and the state budget in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Candidates Compare by issue

Latisha Grady

Republican

Business operations specialist · Wilmington

The gist

Supports letting school boards set their own calendars.
Supports state limits on more PFAS compounds and 1,4-dioxane.
Opposes rolling back data center sales tax exemptions.
Proposes requiring closed-loop cooling at new data centers.
Opposes a toll on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
Opposes an independent redistricting commission.
Supports curbing license plate reader surveillance.

More about Latisha

View sources (1)

Supports letting school boards set their own calendars.
Latisha Grady 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“I’d support H.B. 121 to repeal the law to give authority to school boards to determine calendars”
Supports state limits on more PFAS compounds and 1,4-dioxane.
Latisha Grady 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“I’d support setting state-level enforceable MCLs for additional PFAS compounds and 1,4-dioxane, independent of waiting on federal action”
Opposes rolling back data center sales tax exemptions.
Latisha Grady 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“What’s still on the table is the exemption on equipment and construction materials, and I don’t support rolling that back either.”
Proposes requiring closed-loop cooling at new data centers.
Latisha Grady 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“I’d sponsor or co-sponsor legislation requiring closed-loop cooling and on-site power generation as the standard for new data centers”
Opposes a toll on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
Latisha Grady 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“I would vote against a toll.”
Opposes an independent redistricting commission.
Latisha Grady 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“No, I would not because Republicans won the majority in North Carolina in 2010 using map lines drawn by Democrats.”
Supports curbing license plate reader surveillance.
Latisha Grady 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“I am uncomfortable with automated license plate readers and networked surveillance systems continuously tracking vehicle movements”

Deb Butler

DemocraticIncumbent

Attorney · Wilmington

The gist

Sponsored a budget transparency bill requiring public notice.
Supports repealing the 2025 Power Bill Reduction Act.
Opposes tax breaks for data centers.
Opposes tolling the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement.
Supports taking redistricting away from lawmakers.
Supports reinstating the earned income tax credit.
Sponsored a no-budget, no-pay constitutional amendment for legislators.In office

In office = from the candidate's own official statements or legislation as an officeholder, not their campaign.

More about Deb

View sources (2)

Sponsored a budget transparency bill requiring public notice.
Deb Butler 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“the bill I drafted and filed this year known as H.B. 178 entitled “Budgeting Accountability and Transparency Act” would be at the top”
Supports repealing the 2025 Power Bill Reduction Act.
Deb Butler 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“I would like to repeal S.B. 266, which is misleadingly entitled “Power Bill Reduction Act.””
Opposes tax breaks for data centers.
Deb Butler 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“Data centers use incredible amounts of power and water and we, as taxpayers, have no business subsidizing their profit margins.”
Opposes tolling the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement.
Deb Butler 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“I will not support a toll on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement as I consider that to be double taxation.”
Supports taking redistricting away from lawmakers.
Deb Butler 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“Lawmakers should not be in charge of drawing the districts.”
Supports reinstating the earned income tax credit.
Deb Butler 2026 candidate questionnaire
Candidate questionnaire · Port City Daily (WECT, Port City Daily, WHQR and The Seahawk media consortium) · portcitydaily.com
“reinstituting the earned income tax credit, which would help working families”
Sponsored a no-budget, no-pay constitutional amendment for legislators.
House Bill 1039, "Const Amend: No Budget No Pay." (2025-2026 session, as filed)
Government record · North Carolina General Assembly · ncleg.gov
“to disallow the compensation and allowances of members of the General Assembly from the end of the fiscal year until a budget is ratified”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 7 issues covered in this race.