Candidate · November 3, 2026
Richard N. Ojeda II
On the ballot for U.S. House · North Carolina's 9th District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $2.9M
- cash on hand
- $46K
- issues with public statements
- 17
- outside spending for or against
- $1,335
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · North Carolina's 9th District1, |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic Party1, |
| Status | Challenger |
| Also on the ballot |
|
§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
His campaign website says he served 24 years in the U.S. Army, with tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti, including 15 years at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and that he retired as a major.4,
Why they say they're running
His campaign website's home page says he is running to stand up for American families and veterans and to protect democracy, and its About page says he had not planned to return to politics but decided to run because of the state of the country.4,
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websiteojedafornc.com5
- Facebookfacebook.com/ojedafornc5
- Instagraminstagram.com/ojedafornc5
- X (Twitter)x.com/ojedafornc5
- TikToktiktok.com/@ojedafornc5
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@OjedaforNC5
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Education
His campaign website's Protecting Education page says he would defend the Department of Education and public schools and would fight efforts to dismantle the department. It also says he would seek federal funding for rural schools.6
- Close the department and move or end its programs
- Shrink it and give states more control over federal school money
- Keep the department and its programs, or expand it
His campaign website's Protecting Education page says he would expand loan forgiveness for public servants, strengthen financial aid and crack down on predatory lending.6
- Narrow or end existing forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness
- Keep current forgiveness programs, with no new cancellation
- Add targeted relief, such as more forgiveness for public service workers or through income-based repayment
- Broad cancellation of student debt
Abortion and Reproductive Health
His campaign website's Ensuring Quality Healthcare page, under a heading on reproductive freedom, says he would codify Roe v. Wade and protect the right to choose.7
- Legal only to save the pregnant woman's life
- Legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to save the woman's life
- Legal early in pregnancy only, up to a limit such as 6, 12 or 15 weeks
- Legal until about 24 weeks, as under Roe v. Wade, and later to protect the woman's life or health
- Legal at every stage, with no limit based on weeks of pregnancy
His campaign website's Ensuring Quality Healthcare page says he would write Roe v. Wade into federal law.7
- A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
- Leave abortion law to each state
- A national law limiting abortion (for example, after 15 weeks of pregnancy)
His campaign website's Ensuring Quality Healthcare page says he would protect access to birth control as well as to cancer screenings and prenatal care.7
Health Care
His campaign website's Ensuring Quality Healthcare page says he will push to expand Medicaid in North Carolina and fight to keep the people who rely on it covered. Its Investing in North Carolina page says he would work to expand Medicaid and keep rural hospitals open.7,
His campaign website's Ensuring Quality Healthcare page says healthcare is a right that should be about people rather than profits, and that he would invest in Medicaid, Medicare and hospitals so families can get care without crushing debt.7
Veterans
His campaign website's Fighting for Veterans page says he would push to add VA facilities in North Carolina, hire more staff and reduce red tape so veterans do not wait months to be seen.9
- Hire more VA staff, including to replace jobs lost in 2025
- Keep staffing near current levels
- Cut VA staff further, especially in administrative jobs
His campaign website's Fighting for Veterans page says he would resist any effort to reduce military pensions or disability benefits for veterans.9
Environment and Public Lands
His campaign website's Environment page says he opposes privatizing national lands and would vote against attempts to sell public land.10
- Transfer large areas of federal land to the states
- Sell limited amounts of federal land, such as near towns for housing
- Keep federal lands in federal ownership
Immigration
His campaign website's Immigration page says he would replace ICE with a different immigration enforcement system that is lawful, accountable, transparent and subject to oversight, and that people who commit violent crimes should be removed.11
His campaign website's Immigration page says people who have lived and worked in the country for decades, raised families and broken no other laws should be offered a path that includes accountability instead of a permanent underclass.11
His campaign website's Immigration page says he wants an immigration process that functions for asylum seekers, refugees, and families who are waiting after following the legal rules.11
Economy, Jobs and Trade
His campaign website's Standing Up for Working Families page says he supports raising the federal minimum wage so that people who work full time are not left in poverty.12
His campaign website's Standing Up for Working Families page says right-to-work laws should be repealed, saying they weaken unions and keep wages low.12
Social Security and Medicare
His campaign website's Saving Social Security page says he opposes raising the retirement age and opposes privatizing the system.13
- Raise the full retirement age
- Keep it at 67
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.14
| Raised | $2,930,069 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $2,941,848 |
| Cash on hand | $45,572 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $1,335 supporting and $0 opposing Richard N. Ojeda II this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through March 9, 2026.15
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| Turn Left PAC | $1,335 | — |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
- Candidate financial disclosure report16filed Sep 16, 2026
- Candidate financial disclosure report17filed Jun 10, 2025