Sharon Hudson

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Sharon Hudson

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina, Charlotte, 1981

Personal

Birthplace

Charleston, W.Va.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Small business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Sharon Hudson (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent North Carolina. She lost in the Republican primary on March 3, 2020.

Hudson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

At the time of her candidacy, Hudson was co-chairman of the Lake Norman Conservatives. She served as vice president of the North Mecklenburg Republican Women from 2011 to 2013. As of her 2020 campaign, Hudson was a delegate with the Mecklenburg County Republican Party.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Hudson grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. She earned her B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1981. Her professional experience includes working as a contributing writer for Pundithouse.com and as a small business owner.

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2020

United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate North Carolina

Incumbent Thom Tillis defeated Cal Cunningham, Shannon Bray, and Kevin E. Hayes in the general election for U.S. Senate North Carolina on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thom Tillis (R)	48.7	2,665,598
		Cal Cunningham (D)	46.9	2,569,965
		Shannon Bray (L)	3.1	171,571
		Kevin E. Hayes (Constitution Party)	1.2	67,818

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,474,952
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jeremy Thomas (Independence Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

Cal Cunningham defeated Erica Smith, Trevor Fuller, Steve Swenson, and Atul Goel in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cal Cunningham	56.9	717,941
		Erica Smith	34.8	438,969
	Submit photo	Trevor Fuller	3.8	48,168
	Submit photo	Steve Swenson	2.7	33,741
		Atul Goel	1.8	22,226

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,261,045
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Steve Williams (D)
• Eva Lee (D)
• Eric Mansfield (D)
• Katherine Bell-Moore (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

Incumbent Thom Tillis defeated Paul Wright, Larry Holmquist, and Sharon Hudson in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thom Tillis	78.1	608,943
		Paul Wright	7.6	58,908
		Larry Holmquist	7.4	57,356
		Sharon Hudson	7.0	54,651

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 779,858
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sandy Smith (R)
• Garland Tucker III (R)

Constitution primary election

The Constitution primary election was canceled. Kevin E. Hayes advanced from the Constitution primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Shannon Bray advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina.

Endorsements

To see a list of endorsements for Sharon Hudson, click here.

2014

See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the North Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Natasha Marcus was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while John Bradford defeated Lynette Rinker and Sharon Hudson in the Republican primary. Marcus was defeated by Bradford in the general election.

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 98 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Bradford III	55%	14,558
	Democratic	Natasha Marcus	45%	11,922
Total Votes				26,480

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 98 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
John R. Bradford III	59.1%	2,536
Lynette Rinker	26.9%	1,153
Sharon Hudson	14%	599
Total Votes		4,288

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sharon Hudson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hudson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Republican political activist and marketing/public relations practitioner in North Mecklenburg. I have been involved in the Young Republicans, the MeckGOP, North Mecklenburg Republican Women, The Frederick Douglas Foundation, Lake Norman Conservatives, Widen I-77 and various campaigns and conservative causes. 

I graduated from UNCC with a B.A. in English, and a secondary teaching certification. I am married and we have three adult children. 

A small business owner, I have experience in property management, transportation, chemicals, construction, retail, banking, financial services, education and public relations. I home-schooled two of my children and have written opinion pieces and covered political events. Visit the blog page on my web site for links to those. 

For the past seven years I have been a leader in the Lake Norman area fighting the plan to build toll lanes on I-77. The road uses Public-Private Partnership funding, creating a bloated project that costs too much and does not meet the needs of the citizens. This "Obamacare" of transportation was pushed through, in spite of tremendous community opposition, by Thom Tillis, then the Speaker of the N.C. House.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Voters in North Carolina deserve an elected official they can depend on to work for them, not special interests. It would be my great honor to serve you in the U.S. Senate.

• President Trump needs a Senator he can count on to support his agenda. Send a Steel Magnolia to Washington to drain the swamp!

• Senator Tillis cannot win the general election in North Carolina. There are too many Repubicans who will not vote for him. And the Democrats like him even less.
  

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am pro-life.

I am pro-choice for education.
I am for private healthcare, with a fund to help with preexisting conditions
I support the second amendment.
I think we need to start paying off our national debt
I am for limited government.
I am for religious liberty
I hate corruption.
I believe in reducing taxes and regulations.
I believe we are responsible for taking care of the environment

I believe in a strong National Defense

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to President Trump because he has done so much for our country.

I look up to Mark Meadows. He is always a gentleman, and he is very loyal to President Trump.
I look up to Rush Limbaugh. God bless him.
I look up to Queen Elizabeth II. Her steadfastness is amazing.

I look up to my husband, a man of strength and character.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I enjoyed The Alchemist. I did not like The Giving Tree. The first represents self determination, the second is failed socialist policies.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, humility, the desire to listen to and serve his constituents. The desire to fight for an issue when it is necessary.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I like people, I like policy, I love our country, and I have the skill to be successful.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To be a model for the citizens, to do everything in your power to improve the lives of your constituents. To fulfill the oath of office.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be know as a public servant who was not afraid to fight for what is right. A steel magnolia.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was four years old when my mother told me that President Kennedy had been shot. I was very concerned. I went out to the car port and told my father when he arrived home from work. I am sure that he already knew.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Besides babysitting, I was a stock clerk at ShoeTown during the 11th grade. I worked part time during school and full time during the summer. It was very exciting to get my first pay check. I worked there until I left for better job, maybe a year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The last "book" I read was the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of rights. Really. Brushing up.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Maybe Jessica Fletcher, the writer and sleuth in the old "Murder She Wrote" TV show.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Girls like you" by Maroon 5

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Finding out that the person you worked to get elected to office is not worthy of the position.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Our greatest challenge is to resist the siren's song of socialism. Just like those ill fated ships, it would crash our economy on the rocks.
We need to pull together as a country for the common good. A house divided against itself cannot stand. We need to start paying down our national debt.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The Senate is a bit more removes from the electorate by design since the elections are only once every six years, but I personally feel a Senator should still engage with his or her constituents in order to know what is on their minds.

In addition to writing and passing legislation, the Senate is responsible for confirming important appointees, including judges, ambassadors and cabinet members.

The Senate also presides over impeachment trials.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

There are different paths for Senators. I would say the majority probably held elected office previously, but that is not required. Anyone who is intelligent can learn the job.

What do you think of the filibuster?

Filibusters are interesting. It would have to be a very important piece of legislation for me to do that.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

I would look at the persons qualifications, their character, and listen to what they have to say.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other senators?

Yes, it is always better to be friends than enemies. I am not running for office to be liked, but it that happens it is an extra bonus.

If you are not a current senator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I am interested in infrastructure and the environment.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. Senate, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

I am not sure what is available to a freshmen senator.

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I liked Elizabeth Dole until she seemed to lose her vision of conservatism.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

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External links

Suggest a link

• Sharon Hudson on Facebook
• Sharon Hudson on LinkedIn
• Sharon Hudson on YouTube
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• North Carolina State Board of Elections, Official primary candidate list
• North Carolina State Board of Elections, Official general election candidate list

Footnotes

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North Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ted Budd (R)

Thom Tillis (R)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Davis (D)

District 2

Deborah Ross (D)

District 3

Gregory Murphy (R)

District 4

Valerie Foushee (D)

District 5

Virginia Foxx (R)

District 6

Addison McDowell (R)

District 7

David Rouzer (R)

District 8

Mark Harris (R)

District 9

Richard Hudson (R)

District 10

Pat Harrigan (R)

District 11

Chuck Edwards (R)

District 12

Alma Adams (D)

District 13

Brad Knott (R)

District 14

Timothy Moore (R)

Republican Party (12)

Democratic Party (4)