N.C. House District 82 includes the southeastern and southwestern borders of Cabarrus County. District 82 represents approximately 63,000 registered voters of whom 27% are Democrat, 34% are Republican and 38% are unaffiliated. The seat was last held by Republican physician Kristin Baker, who said she would not seek re-election. Two newcomers are seeking the seat. In the 2020 presidential election, approximately 49,000 voters cast ballots and 55% voted for the Republican candidate (Trump) and 44% voted for the Democratic candidate (Biden).
Berry is a small business owner who appears to be a real estate broker. She says on her site that her main issues of concern are the economy (raise the statewide minimum wage, invest in job training and workforce), housing (increase affordable housing) and Medicaid expansion. She is also an advocate of declaring that mental health is a priority public health issue. She is the mother of three and says she has lived in Cabarrus County for a decade. (Age ~42)
Echavarria is a financial advisor. On his website, Echevarria highlights the following issues: make schools safe and increase teacher's pay; relief from inflation; zero personal income tax; increased law enforcement spending; transparency in healthcare costs. He previously ran unsuccessfully for the N.C. House for District 73. He won the Republican primary but lost in the general election in 2022 to Diamond Stanton-Williams. He unseated N.C. House member for District 83 Kevin Crutchfield in the March primary. He attended Florida State. (Age ~40s)