Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot.Click to learn more!

Celeste Cairns

From Ballotpedia
Celeste Cairns
Candidate, North Carolina House of Representatives District 13
North Carolina House of Representatives District 13
Tenure
2023 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
3
Predecessor:Patricia McElraft (R)
Compensation
Base salary
$13,951/year
Per diem
$104/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Next election
November 3, 2026
Education
Bachelor's
University of Georgia
Personal
Birthplace
Valdosta, GA
Religion
Anglican
Profession
Accountant
Contact

Celeste Cairns (Republican Party) is a member of theNorth Carolina House of Representatives, representingDistrict 13. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Cairns (Republican Party) is running for re-election to theNorth Carolina House of Representatives to representDistrict 13. The Republican primary for this office onMarch 3, 2026, was canceled.

Biography

Celeste Cairns was born in Valdosta, Georgia, and lives inEmerald Isle, North Carolina. Cairns earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Georgia. Her career experience includes working as a CPA with Deloitte and in the audit and consulting departments of Willis Corroon Corporation and HCA Healthcare Corporation.[1][2]

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Committee assignments

2023-2024

Cairns was assigned to the following committees:


Elections

2026

See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13

IncumbentCeleste Cairns (R) andJason Moore (D) are running in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on November 3, 2026.

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled.Jason Moore (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. IncumbentCeleste Cairns (R) advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 without appearing on the ballot.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement,click here.

2024

See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13

IncumbentCeleste Cairns defeatedKatie Tomberlin in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Celeste Cairns
Celeste Cairns (R)
 
69.9
 
35,181
Image of Katie Tomberlin
Katie Tomberlin (D) Candidate Connection
 
30.1
 
15,158

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 50,339
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13

Katie Tomberlin defeatedMelvin Cooper in the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Katie Tomberlin
Katie Tomberlin Candidate Connection
 
62.2
 
2,341
Image of Melvin Cooper
Melvin Cooper Candidate Connection
 
37.8
 
1,420

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,761
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. IncumbentCeleste Cairns advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13.

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cairns in this election.

Pledges

Cairns signed the following pledges.

  • U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13

Celeste Cairns defeatedKatie Tomberlin in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Celeste Cairns
Celeste Cairns (R)
 
71.3
 
25,850
Image of Katie Tomberlin
Katie Tomberlin (D)
 
28.7
 
10,394

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 36,244
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled.Katie Tomberlin advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13

Celeste Cairns defeatedPete Benton andEden Gordon Hill in the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 13 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Celeste Cairns
Celeste Cairns
 
54.9
 
6,271
Pete Benton
 
34.9
 
3,984
Eden Gordon Hill
 
10.3
 
1,172

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 11,427
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Campaign finance

2019

See also: North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District special election, 2019

General election

Special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 3

Gregory Murphy defeatedAllen Thomas,Greg Holt, andTim Harris in the special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on September 10, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gregory Murphy
Gregory Murphy (R)
 
61.7
 
70,407
Image of Allen Thomas
Allen Thomas (D)
 
37.5
 
42,738
Image of Greg Holt
Greg Holt (Constitution Party)
 
0.4
 
507
Image of Tim Harris
Tim Harris (L)
 
0.3
 
394

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 114,046
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Republican primary runoff election

Special Republican primary runoff for U.S. House North Carolina District 3

Gregory Murphy defeatedJoan Perry in the special Republican primary runoff for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on July 9, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gregory Murphy
Gregory Murphy
 
59.7
 
21,481
Image of Joan Perry
Joan Perry
 
40.3
 
14,530

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 36,011
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3

The following candidates ran in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Allen Thomas
Allen Thomas
 
50.0
 
12,933
Image of Richard Bew
Richard Bew
 
25.2
 
6,532
Dana Outlaw
 
12.6
 
3,268
Image of Isaiah Johnson
Isaiah Johnson
 
6.9
 
1,774
Image of Gregory Humphrey
Gregory Humphrey
 
2.7
 
695
Image of Ernest Reeves
Ernest Reeves
 
2.6
 
683

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 25,885
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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

Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3

The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gregory Murphy
Gregory Murphy
 
22.5
 
9,530
✔
Image of Joan Perry
Joan Perry
 
15.4
 
6,536
Image of Phillip Shepard
Phillip Shepard
 
12.1
 
5,101
Image of Michael Speciale
Michael Speciale
 
9.5
 
4,022
Image of Phil Law
Phil Law
 
8.7
 
3,690
Image of Eric Rouse
Eric Rouse
 
7.7
 
3,258
Jeff Moore
 
5.4
 
2,280
Image of Francis De Luca
Francis De Luca
 
3.9
 
1,670
Image of Celeste Cairns
Celeste Cairns
 
3.5
 
1,467
Chimer Davis Clark Jr.
 
2.6
 
1,092
Image of Michele Nix
Michele Nix
 
2.2
 
915
Graham Boyd
 
2.1
 
897
Image of Paul Beaumont
Paul Beaumont
 
1.9
 
805
Image of Mike Payment
Mike Payment Candidate Connection
 
1.3
 
537
Image of Don Cox
Don Cox
 
0.6
 
251
Image of Kevin Baiko
Kevin Baiko
 
0.4
 
171
Image of Gary Ceres
Gary Ceres Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
108

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 42,330
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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

Libertarian primary election

Special Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3

Tim Harris defeatedShannon Bray in the special Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 3 on April 30, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tim Harris
Tim Harris
 
56.0
 
75
Image of Shannon Bray
Shannon Bray
 
44.0
 
59

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 134
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia 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.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Celeste Cairns has not yet completedBallotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.Send a message to Celeste Cairns asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Celeste Cairns,click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 25,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the surveyhere.

You can ask Celeste Cairns to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing celeste@celestefornc.com.

Email


2024

Celeste Cairns did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Celeste Cairns did not completeBallotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Celeste Cairns did not completeBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Cairns’ campaign website stated the following:

“

PROTECT LIFE

As the mother of two beautiful children and as a member of the Board of Directors for a local pregnancy resource center in the 3rd District, Celeste is 100%, unapologetically pro-life.

While Democrats across the nation continue pushing for unlimited access to abortions, Celeste will stand up for the most vulnerable and fight for policies that defend the sanctity of life. In Congress, Celeste will continue her fierce advocacy for the unborn by fighting to defund Planned Parenthood and any taxpayer-funded organization that supports the murder of defenseless children.

CUT TAXES FOR ALL

The historic tax cuts passed by Republicans in 2017 have helped working families in the 3rd District save more of their hard-earned money while allowing business owners to hire more workers and pay higher wages. If Congress fails to make these tax cuts permanent, individual tax cuts will expire and both the standard deduction and the child tax credit will shrink by 2025.

Celeste is committed to making the tax cuts permanent to deliver certainty to working families and job creators in the 3rd District and across the nation who have already benefited from the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. In addition, Celeste will work with President Trump to continue making our tax code simpler and fairer to help all Americans keep more of their paycheck.

DEFEND OUR CONSERVATIVE VALUES

Like you, Celeste is tired of watching radical Democrats across the nation hijack our future, attempt to re-write the Constitution, and put forward socialist policies that would bankrupt our children and grandchildren. More government is never the solution – and the 3rd District deserves a leader in Congress who will fight back against Nancy Pelosi’s big-government agenda that will cost taxpayers trillions of dollars.

As a devout conservative, Celeste will fight tirelessly to ensure a smaller, more accountable federal government so future generations can achieve the American Dream.

UNLEASH OUR ECONOMY

As a former C.P.A. for one of the largest accounting and consulting firms in the nation, Celeste has seen firsthand the challenges facing working families and businesses of all sizes. Celeste understands that businesses must be empowered to create jobs, expand, and grow our economy – but that will only happen if we get government out of the way.

In Congress, Celeste will work with President Trump to cut burdensome, job-killing regulations and to promote free market principles that will unleash our economy’s true potential.

PRESERVE OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

As a proud gun owner and member of the N.R.A., Celeste knows there are few things more important than our constitutional right to bear arms. The Left will continue to criminalize law-abiding gun owners to take away our right to defend ourselves, which is why it’s critical we elect a Representative to Congress who will protect our freedoms at all costs.

The men and women of the 3rd District should rest assured – Celeste will continue to champion the rights of law-abiding gun owners in Congress by fighting back against any attempt by radical Democrats to take away our Second Amendment rights.

STAND WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP

The mainstream media, Democrats, and “never-Trump” Republicans have stopped at nothing to derail President Trump’s agenda since he was sworn into office. In the face of adversity, President Trump has remained resolute to sign historic tax cuts into law, rebuild our military, and appoint strict constitutionalist judges to federal courts and the Supreme Court.

Unlike career politicians, President Trump is keeping his promises to the American people and his accomplishments will preserve our conservative values and Constitution for generations – but we have more to accomplish if we truly want to Make America Great Again.

Celeste will call on Republicans to unify behind our President to help him deliver more results for the American people. In Congress, Celeste will work with President Trump to fund a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and stop the radical Left from socializing our healthcare system.

[3]

”
—Celeste Cairns’ campaign website (2019)[4]

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia LogoNote: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Celeste Cairns campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024North Carolina House of Representatives District 13Won general$165,509 $148,997
2022North Carolina House of Representatives District 13Won general$76,856 $50,948
2019U.S. House North Carolina District 3Lost primary$119,166 N/A**
Grand total$361,531 $199,945
Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in North Carolina

Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of North Carolina scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].   

In 2024, theNorth Carolina State Legislature was in session from April 24 to December 13.

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills relating to family issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes related to business.


2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].   

In 2023, theNorth Carolina State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 25.

Legislators are scored based on their stance related to healthcare costs.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills relating to family issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes related to business.
Legislators are scored on their votes on environment and conservation issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.











See also


External links

Candidate

North Carolina House of Representatives District 13

  • Website
  • Facebook

    • Officeholder

    North Carolina House of Representatives District 13

  • Website

    • Personal

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on March 21, 2019
    2. ↑Celeste Cairns 2022 campaign website, "About," accessed March 16, 2023
    3. ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑Celeste for Congress, "Issues," accessed March 26, 2019

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Patricia McElraft (R)    		North Carolina House of Representatives District 13
    2023-Present    		Succeeded by
    -


    Leadership
    Speaker of the House:Destin Hall
    Majority Leader:Brenden Jones
    Minority Leader:Robert Reives
    Representatives
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    District 11
    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    Ya Liu (D)
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    District 26
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    District 35
    District 36
    District 37
    District 38
    District 39
    District 40
    District 41
    District 42
    District 43
    District 44
    District 45
    District 46
    District 47
    District 48
    District 49
    District 50
    District 51
    District 52
    District 53
    District 54
    District 55
    District 56
    District 57
    District 58
    District 59
    District 60
    District 61
    District 62
    District 63
    District 64
    District 65
    District 66
    District 67
    District 68
    District 69
    District 70
    District 71
    District 72
    District 73
    District 74
    District 75
    District 76
    District 77
    District 78
    District 79
    District 80
    District 81
    District 82
    District 83
    District 84
    District 85
    District 86
    District 87
    District 88
    District 89
    District 90
    District 91
    District 92
    District 93
    District 94
    District 95
    District 96
    District 97
    District 98
    District 99
    District 100
    District 101
    District 102
    District 103
    District 104
    District 105
    District 106
    District 107
    District 108
    District 109
    District 110
    District 111
    District 112
    District 113
    District 114
    District 115
    District 116
    District 117
    District 118
    District 119
    District 120
    Republican Party (71)
    Democratic Party (49)


    Flag of North Carolina
    v • e
    State ofNorth Carolina
    Raleigh (capital)
    Elections

    What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures

    Government

    Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy