Name: Winn Decker
Age: 33
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: www.Winn4nc.com
Occupation and employer: Senior Manager, Common App
1. What in your background qualifies you to represent the people of your North Carolina district effectively? What would you cite as your biggest career accomplishment?
I am the son of two public school teachers and have lived in North Carolina for more than a decade. I came here for graduate school, earned a Ph.D. focused on public budgeting and policy, and built my career working on education, workforce, and state policy issues. That work has kept me close to how decisions made in Raleigh affect classrooms, local governments, and families trying to keep up with a rapidly growing region.
Professionally, I have worked with governors’ offices, state agencies, legislators, and local leaders to design and implement education and workforce initiatives. My role has consistently been less about headlines and more about execution. I understand how policy moves through the General Assembly, how budgets are built, and how well-intentioned ideas can fall apart without planning and follow-through.
The accomplishment I am most proud of is helping states carry out large, multi-year education and workforce initiatives that expanded access while operating within real fiscal and political constraints. That work required collaboration, discipline, and persistence, and it delivered results people could actually see. It is the same mindset I would bring to representing this district: grounded in experience, focused on outcomes, and accountable to the people affected by the decisions we make.
2. What do you believe to be the three most pressing issues facing the next General Assembly? What steps do you believe the state should take to address them?
The next General Assembly faces a few challenges that cut across nearly every issue area.
First is affordability. Housing costs, child care, and basic household expenses are rising faster than wages in many parts of the state. The state needs to take a more active role in supporting housing supply, coordinating infrastructure investment with growth, and making sure local governments have the tools they need to keep communities livable. Ignoring affordability undermines economic growth and pushes costs onto families and local governments.
Second is public education, from early childhood through postsecondary pathways. North Carolina’s long-term competitiveness depends on strong public schools and clear pathways into good jobs. That means stable funding, paying and retaining educators, and aligning education and workforce systems so students can move smoothly from school into careers without unnecessary barriers.
Third is responsible budgeting and governance. The state cannot continue making major fiscal decisions without long-term planning. That includes passing budgets on time, being honest about the impact of tax policy, and preparing for uncertainty around federal funding. Good policy requires not just passing laws, but following through with oversight, evaluation, and course correction when things are not working.
3. North Carolina expanded Medicaid two years ago. However, federal budget cuts now threaten the program due to a state “trigger law” that ends expansion if federal support drops below 90%. How would you address Medicaid funding to maintain coverage for the millions of North Carolinians enrolled?
Medicaid expansion has meaningfully improved access to health care across North Carolina, and the trigger law tied to federal funding was intended as a fiscal safeguard. The problem is that it turns a complex budget decision into an automatic cutoff, even if ending coverage would create greater costs elsewhere in the system.
If federal support were to change, the General Assembly should not allow expansion to end by default. Lawmakers should revisit the trigger and treat Medicaid funding as a deliberate budget decision, informed by data on uncompensated care, hospital stability, workforce impacts, and overall costs to the state. Rural hospitals in particular rely on Medicaid expansion to keep their doors open, and abrupt termination would put many at risk.
The state has options. That includes modifying the trigger to allow legislative discretion, using reserves as a temporary bridge while federal policy is clarified, and weighing the real cost of termination against maintaining coverage. Simply ending expansion will shift costs to hospitals, local governments, and families. That option does not work for North Carolinians.
4. The General Assembly has recently passed legislation limiting local control over zoning and development standards to address housing shortages. Do you support the legislature’s approach of limiting local zoning authority to increase housing supply, or should municipalities retain greater autonomy over land use decisions?
North Carolina needs to build more housing, and the state has a role to play in addressing shortages that cross municipal boundaries. At the same time, a one-size-fits-all approach from the General Assembly is not the right solution.
Local governments are closer to the realities of growth, including infrastructure capacity, transportation needs, and how development affects schools and services. Limiting local authority may accelerate some housing production, but it can also create problems if growth is not coordinated with transit, roads, and utilities.
I believe the state should focus on setting clear goals, aligning funding with housing production, and removing unnecessary barriers, while still giving municipalities flexibility in how they meet those goals. That includes encouraging missing-middle housing, supporting transit-oriented development, and tying state investments in transportation and infrastructure to local housing plans rather than preempting them outright.
5. How would you address the rising costs of housing, child care, and basic necessities facing North Carolina families?
Rising costs are putting real pressure on families, and there is no single fix. Housing, child care, transportation, and basic necessities are all connected, and state policy often treats them in isolation.
On housing, the state needs to increase supply while coordinating infrastructure and transportation so growth is sustainable. That means supporting a wider range of housing types, aligning infrastructure investments with where housing is built, and giving local governments the tools to plan effectively rather than shifting costs onto them.
Child care is both a family issue and a workforce issue. The state should focus on stabilizing the child care system by supporting providers, addressing workforce shortages, and making care more affordable for working families. When child care breaks down, it affects labor force participation and household stability.
More broadly, the General Assembly needs to be honest about how state decisions affect household costs. That means budgeting in a way that does not shift expenses onto families through higher property taxes, underfunding schools, or longer and more expensive commutes for workers. It also means recognizing that cutting revenue without a plan often raises costs elsewhere, even if those costs do not show up directly in the state budget.
6. Climate disasters are intensifying: Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded the Triangle in 2025, and coastal erosion threatens the Outer Banks. With much affordable housing located in flood-prone areas and FEMA resources stretched thin, what is your plan for climate resilience and disaster relief?
Climate disasters are no longer isolated events in North Carolina. In just the past few years, flooding in Western North Carolina, repeated storms in the Triangle, and erosion along the coast have exposed how vulnerable many communities are. In southern Wake County, residents see how rapid growth and aging infrastructure collide when heavy rain overwhelms stormwater systems, disrupts daily life, and threatens homes. Too often, low-income families and renters bear the greatest risk, as affordable housing is more likely to be located in flood-prone areas with fewer protections.
The state needs to get ahead of these risks instead of responding only after the damage is done. That means investing in stormwater systems, flood mitigation, and resilient roads and utilities, while giving local governments the flexibility to plan responsibly for growth. It also means holding developers and insurers accountable when building or underwriting in high-risk areas, rather than allowing costs to be pushed onto families and local governments after disasters strike. FEMA resources are stretched, and recovery cannot fall solely on local communities. North Carolina should maintain flexible emergency funds, move faster on recovery, and partner closely with local governments and community organizations already doing this work. How the state plans for climate risk will shape whether communities can recover and remain affordable places to live.
7. The General Assembly recently passed a new congressional redistricting map. This marks the state’s seventh congressional map since 2016. How do you view the most recent redistricting? And do you support independent redistricting processes, or do you believe the legislature should retain this power?
North Carolina’s most recent redistricting is part of a troubling pattern. This is the seventh congressional map since 2016, and that kind of instability is not healthy for a democracy. Constantly redrawing districts to serve those in power undermines voter confidence and makes elections feel more like political gamesmanship than fair competition. Gerrymandering by any party weakens representation, but the current maps reflect a clear effort by legislative leaders to lock in power rather than respond to voters.
I support an independent redistricting process with clear standards and real checks and balances. Decisions about representation should not be made by the same politicians who benefit from the outcome. The redistricting maps, combined with recent power grabs around the State Board of Elections, and the fight we saw to retroactively invalidate votes during Justice Riggs’ election, point to a broader erosion of trust in how our elections are administered. Restoring confidence requires transparency, independence, and guardrails that put voters ahead of partisan advantage. North Carolinians deserve elections that are fair, stable, and worthy of their participation.
8. The General Assembly failed to pass a 2025–27 budget, leaving teachers without raises. North Carolina ranks 43rd nationally in teacher pay. How would you address teacher compensation, and what will you do to ensure a budget passes that adequately funds education?
Failing to pass a budget has real consequences, and teachers are often the first to feel them. When budgets stall, raises are delayed and school systems are left planning in uncertainty. Teacher pay should not be treated as a bargaining chip. North Carolina needs to pass budgets on time and commit to sustained, competitive compensation that keeps pace with the cost of living.
Doing that requires discipline in how we fund public education. Large tax cuts have reduced state revenue and shifted more pressure onto counties, even as expectations for schools continue to rise. We also need clearer guardrails around education funding. Opportunity Scholarships should not grow at the expense of public schools, and the Education Lottery should be used transparently and consistently for its intended purposes, supplementing, not replacing, core education funding. Strong public schools depend on aligning priorities with the budget and following through year after year. Growing up with teachers along with my time at The Hunt Institute helped me understand how important our teachers and support staff are not only to our students but to our state’s growth and development.
9. North Carolina currently has a 12-week abortion ban with certain exceptions. Some legislators have proposed further restrictions. Do you support the current law, do you believe access should be expanded, or would you support further restrictions?
I do not support further restrictions on abortion, and I believe decisions about pregnancy and reproductive health should be made by a patient in consultation with their doctor, not by politicians. The current law has already created barriers and uncertainty for patients and providers, particularly in complicated or time-sensitive situations.
North Carolina should focus on supporting comprehensive reproductive health care. That includes protecting access to abortion, expanding access to contraception, and supporting medically accurate health education so people can make informed decisions. Policies that restrict care tend to fall hardest on those with fewer resources, without reducing the need for care itself. The state’s role should be to support safe, legal health care and informed choice, not to insert itself into private medical decisions.
10. Federal legislation will ban most hemp-derived THC products, like delta-8, by November 2026, threatening North Carolina’s hemp industry. Meanwhile, recreational marijuana remains illegal and medical marijuana bills have stalled. What is your position on hemp regulation and how would you address the upcoming federal ban, if at all?
North Carolina’s hemp industry has become an important part of the state’s agricultural economy, and abrupt changes at the federal level could have serious consequences for farmers and small businesses who followed the rules and invested in this market. As federal policy shifts, the state should focus on providing clarity and stability for producers, not leaving them in limbo. That means engaging early with federal partners, giving farmers time to adapt, and ensuring state regulations are clear, consistent, and focused on safety rather than punishment.
At the same time, the current patchwork approach to THC products is not sustainable. North Carolina should move toward a more coherent cannabis policy that prioritizes public health, consumer safety, and access to legitimate medical use. I support advancing medical marijuana legislation and creating a regulated framework that replaces today’s gray market with clear standards, testing, and oversight. We can protect farmers, safeguard consumers, and reduce uncertainty by addressing this issue directly instead of allowing federal action and inaction in Raleigh to dictate outcomes by default.
11. Gov. Josh Stein recently signed “Iryna’s Law,” which eliminates cashless bail, requires mental health evaluations for certain defendants, and attempts to restart the death penalty by requiring alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable. The law also accelerates death penalty appeals. Where do you stand on the death penalty and changes made by the law?
I do not support the death penalty. The risk of wrongful convictions is real, and once an execution is carried out, there is no way to correct those mistakes. Those risks fall disproportionately on marginalized defendants and people who cannot afford strong legal representation. Restarting executions by changing methods or accelerating appeals does not address the underlying problems with capital punishment; it simply reduces the time available for review in a system that has already proven it can get things wrong.
Public safety depends on a justice system that is fair and credible. That means adequately funding public defenders so caseloads do not overwhelm the right to a meaningful defense, using mental health evaluations appropriately, and resisting the politicization of the courts. Judges and prosecutors should be focused on applying the law fairly, not signaling that they are “tough on crime.” A speedy trial should never come at the expense of accuracy or due process.
12. Tech companies are investing heavily in North Carolina data centers, bringing jobs and tax revenue but also consuming significant electricity and water resources. How should the state balance data center investment with environmental protection and community concerns?
North Carolina, and especially the Triangle, has long been a hub for technology and innovation, and data centers are now part of that growth. They bring investment and tax revenue, but they also place significant demands on electricity, water, and local infrastructure. If the state wants to continue attracting these projects, it needs to be honest about their full impact, not just the economic upside.
That means setting clearer expectations from the start. Large, energy- and water-intensive projects should plan for how they will affect the grid and local systems, and they should be responsible for the costs associated with that demand. The state should strengthen oversight, require transparency around resource use, and give local governments a meaningful role in siting decisions. Growth should work for the communities hosting it, not leave them managing higher costs or strained infrastructure after the fact.
13. Give an example of an opinion, policy, vote, or action you changed based on constituent feedback. If you have not yet held elected office, describe a time when you changed your position on an issue after listening to those affected by it.
As technology became more common in classrooms, I was initially open to the idea that personal devices, like phones, could be managed in ways similar to other educational tools. Like many people, I believed the challenge was less about whether technology belonged in schools and more about how it was used.
Over time, listening to teachers, parents, and students changed that view. Educators were clear about the impact phones were having on attention, classroom management, and student well-being, and newer research reinforced those concerns. Based on that feedback and evidence, I came to support clearer limits on cell phone use during the school day, with appropriate exceptions. That experience reinforced how I try to approach policy: listen to the people closest to the issue, pay attention to the evidence, and be willing to adjust when it becomes clear something is not working as intended.
14. Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?
One issue that cuts across many of these questions is how the General Assembly actually does its work. Too often, we see the majority party focus on passing bills without taking the time to understand how a law will be implemented, how it will be overseen and what kind of follow-trough to expect from the legislature, along with how a bill will be funded so the burden doesn’t fall on local governments and taxpayers. Whether it is education funding, infrastructure, health care, or environmental policy, families feel the consequences when the state does not plan carefully or revisit policies that are not working as intended. I am running to bring a more disciplined and accountable approach to governing; I plan on being a representative that values evidence, listens to communities, and treats policymaking as an ongoing responsibility rather than a one-time vote.