Kimberly Hardy

Kimberly Hardy is the Democratic nominee challenging incumbent David Rouzer in North Carolina's 7th Congressional District.[1][2] A former school social worker with a Ph.D. in social work, she is a university social work professor and a vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.[1][2] She previously ran for the North Carolina House in 2020 and 2022.[1][2]

Hardy describes herself as raised by a police officer and a federal agent.[2] She earned a bachelor's degree from Morgan State University (1997), a master's in social work from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in social work from Morgan State University.[1] She worked as a school social worker before her academic career.[2] She has been an assistant professor of social work at the University of Connecticut (2010-2013) and the University of Saint Joseph (2013-2016), and later joined Fayetteville State University, where Port City Daily reports she is an associate professor.[1][2]

Hardy was the Democratic nominee for North Carolina House District 43 (Fayetteville) in 2020, losing to Rep. Diane Wheatley (R) 51.8% to 48.2%, and she also campaigned for the seat in 2022.[1][2] She has served as second vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.[2] She announced her 2026 candidacy for the 7th District in summer 2025; the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary was canceled and she advanced to the general election.[1][2]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.