Democrat Kate Barr is a loser. Like, actually — her slogan for her 2024 North Carolina state senate race was “Kate Barr Can’t Win.” But now, for the 2026 midterm primaries, she wants to actually win. Except this time, she’s going for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives… oh yeah, and she’s running as a Republican.
Barr’s party switch is not a sudden flip-flop in values, but rather a statement (and defensive move) against the Republicans’ congressional redistricting efforts taking place across the country, following President Donald Trump’s urging to garner a stronger right majority in Congress. (As a response, Democrats have joined in on redistricting efforts as well.) In October 2025, North Carolina lawmakers passed a new congressional map that ousted at least one current Democrat and is likely to favor Republican nominees in the upcoming midterm elections.
Per the Cook Political Report, Barr’s congressional District 14, located west of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a “solid Republican” zone, meaning a Democrat’s chance of winning the general election is exceptionally low. So, in an effort to unseat current MAGA Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Moore, Barr is running in the Republican primary.
“My values haven’t changed,” Barr said in a Dec. 12 TikTok about her campaign. “I’m just running in the Republican primary to fight these gerrymandered maps.”
Barr’s campaign isn’t her first political statement.
In 2024, Barr lost to Rep. Vickie Sawyer in the race for North Carolina Senate District 37, an outcome she pretty much expected. That’s because it was a protest campaign, meant to draw attention to the previous North Carolina congressional map (which also heavily favored Republicans). That campaign also served to launch Barr’s nonprofit, Can’t Win Victory Fund, which offers donations, training, and resources to “long-shot candidates” to further draw attention to gerrymandering.
This time around, though, Barr is campaigning to win. Although she’s focused on fighting gerrymandering from both parties, Barr is also campaigning on her hopes to increase the federal minimum wage, take away income tax on the first $100,000 earned, and improve affordability in her state and country.
Is Barr even allowed run as a Republican?
In short, yep! North Carolina’s qualifications for elected office don’t mention regulations on who can or cannot run as a Republican — they just state the usual residency, age, and citizenship requirements. Additionally, politicians are not bound by any law that requires them to vote for or comply with their party’s standards. (They just sorta usually do that on their own.)
Barr isn’t the only non-Republican North Carolinian taking this route. NC Educators on the Ballot, a grassroots org dedicated to defending public education in the state legislature, recruited six previously Democrat or unaffiliated current and retired teachers to run for office in 2026 Republican primaries. “It’s the strategy of playing the ball where it lies and going where the conversations are happening,” the org’s founder and retired teacher Patricia Saylor told The Assembly.
Barr and NC Educators have received some backlash from current Republicans, with Moore calling Barr “fraudulent” and the state’s GOP calling all of the teachers “counterfeit candidates.”
“As North Carolina continues to move towards Republicans, some disingenuous bad actors now want to play games in our primaries,” said NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons in a Jan. 14 press release. “We trust that on March 3 conservative voters across our state will select Republican candidates who will support the family first agenda that’s made our state the best place to live, work, and retire.”
Here’s how supporters are bolstering Barr’s efforts.
In running as a Republican, Barr hopes to win the votes of unaffiliated voters in her district, or those not registered with either party, in the primary election, which takes place on March 3. Those electors currently make up the largest voting bloc in the state, outnumbering both parties at 39% of eligible voters. She could also garner support from registered Republicans who are unhappy with current red leadership. Even registered Democrats are able to vote for her; they just have to change their affiliation before the Feb. 6 deadline.
“This district is gerrymandered out the wazoo” Barr said on TikTok. “The only way to get Tiny Tim Moore is to vote for me.”
Barr’s campaign is also currently looking for 500-1,000 volunteers to personally canvas potential voters in North Carolina’s congressional District 14 for her. Those out of her jurisdiction can still help by amplifying her messages, fundraising or joining her No More Moore Squad.
“This is about holding corrupt leaders accountable, no matter what letter they have next to their name,” Barr said in a statement shared by the Charlotte Observer. “I’m not pretending that I suddenly woke up a Republican. I’m the same person I’ve always been.”