In this episode we zoom into the District 17 NC Senate race that will be on the Republican Ballot. Sarah Al-Baghdadi positions herself as a community-focused contender with experience in law enforcement, substitute teaching, and small business. She centers mental health, promises high accessibility, and raises concerns about proposed data centers, though her public record is light—no campaign website yet and minimal filings beyond committee paperwork.
Shirley Johnson offers a detailed platform anchored in public safety, parental rights, school choice, and fiscal responsibility. With a decade on a state senate staff, leadership at a Child Advocacy Center and CASA, and service on an FBI Human Trafficking Task Force, she connects policy to family outcomes. She argues for strengthening penalties for violent crime, auditing education spending to fund teacher pay without raising taxes, and expanding housing supply by curbing overly restrictive local zoning. On hot-button issues, she supports tighter abortion limits with narrow exceptions, legislative control of redistricting, and clear standards for data center incentives tied to energy, water, and community impact. She also outlines climate resilience through research-driven infrastructure and better disaster preparedness.
If you want a policy blueprint with line-by-line positions on safety, schools, and growth, Johnson gives you a lot to evaluate. If you want a neighbor-first representative who promises responsiveness and district-led priorities, Al-Baghdadi makes a service-forward case.
Find this helpful? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a neighbor who’s voting in District 17. Your voice moves North Carolina—what will you choose?
Republican Ballot: NC Senate District 17 Candidates
Sarah Al-Baghdadi: Sarahayyadlmc@gmail.com (no website or campaign finance reports filed)
Shirley Johnson: Campaign Finance Report
Facebook/Instagram/TikTok/ShirleyJ007@gmail.com
2026 Voters' Guide for Southern Wake County
Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)
Closest Early Voting Locations
February 12-28
WE Hunt Recreation Center-Holly Springs
Hilltop Needmore Town Park Clubhouse-Fuquay Varina
ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM
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Now, let's dive in!
