Biography
Iris Bender is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives District 87, running against incumbent Republican Destin Hall in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1][2] Her career experience includes working as a businesswoman.[1]
In her Ballotpedia survey, Iris Bender said she would put Caldwell County's needs ahead of Raleigh politics.[3] Her stated priorities included workforce training through Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, broadband expansion, and increased Medicaid reimbursement rates so that UNC Health Caldwell can hire and retain staff.[3] She also said she would work to eliminate the state's 2% sales tax on groceries and to increase childcare subsidy funding.[3] On education, she said she would seek to increase state funding for public schools and to pause or roll back voucher expansion until public schools are fully funded.[3]
- 1.Iris Bender - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Iris Bender - Ballotpedia (Candidate Connection survey responses) · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
North Carolina House District 87
Iris Bender is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for North Carolina House District 87 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.