U.S. House, North Carolina 10th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in North Carolina's 10th Congressional District?
Pat Harrigan has the strongest record in North Carolina's 10th Congressional District. Pat Harrigan scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Pat Harrigan's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Ashley Bell (5 of 15 criteria) and Steven Feldman (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Ashley Bell
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 56
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Steven Feldman
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Pat Harrigan
64 / 100
Public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- 75
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Ashley Bell
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Steven Feldman
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Pat Harrigan
- Unresolved2025-10-06
A former Wake Forest University athletic trainer, Bridget Sullivan, sued him for libel in Forsyth County Superior Court over a post saying she was fired; the U.S. attorney moved the case to federal court.
Where it stands: Voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff on Feb. 2, 2026, with no ruling on the merits.
Sources: WHQR / WFDD, Oct. 6, 2025, North State Journal, Feb. 16, 2026
- On the record2025-06-04
Voted Nay on final passage of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, which passed 366 to 57 with the Speaker, Majority Leader and Whip voting Yea.
- Credit2025-07-24
Held a telephone town hall with 11,958 constituents in July 2025, one of several such calls his office reported.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Ashley Bell. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure is listed for 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Steven Feldman. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, each received by its due date. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Pat Harrigan. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed Aug. 12, 2026 after a Clerk extension, and FEC reports on file. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk annual financial disclosure, Filing ID 10081474, House Committee on Ethics site search for Harrigan, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. Voted Nay on final passage of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act (2025), the Sunshine Protection Act (2026) and the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act (2026) when Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Scalise and Whip Emmer voted Yea.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 151, June 4, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 238, July 14, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 142, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. Served as an Army infantry officer and Special Forces officer with two Afghanistan deployments, ran a manufacturing business, and has served in Congress since 2025. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Harrigan
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. Took the military officer's oath after West Point and the House oath in January 2025. He was not in Congress for any electoral vote count objection, and no misuse-of-office finding was found.
Sources: Office site, About, GovTrack, missed votes
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Ashley Bell. Physician associate for about 15 years in emergency, primary care and rural clinics, and a former professor in physician assistant education; earlier a public school band director. Has not held public office.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ashley Bell, Campaign site, About
Steven Feldman. Professor of dermatology, pathology and public health sciences at Wake Forest School of Medicine and a physician and medical researcher. Has not held public office.
Sources: Wake Forest School of Medicine faculty profile, Ballotpedia, Steven Feldman
Pat Harrigan. In the U.S. House since January 2025 (first term); a former Army Special Forces officer who commanded a remote combat outpost in Afghanistan as a platoon leader, and co-owner of a defense manufacturing business.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Pat Harrigan, Office site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Ashley Bell. Publishes issue positions on health care, anti-corruption, artificial intelligence and other topics, mostly in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, Issues, WBTV candidate questionnaire, Feb. 17, 2026
Steven Feldman. Publishes a platform and positions page built on reducing federal debt, a defense-focused military and limited government, in general terms.
Sources: Campaign site, About, Campaign site, Platform
Pat Harrigan. Serves on the House Armed Services Committee (Intelligence and Special Operations, Military Personnel, and Readiness subcommittees) and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Ashley Bell. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, answered the WBTV primary questionnaire, gave a PBS NC State Lines interview and publishes issue pages.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ashley Bell, WBTV candidate questionnaire, Feb. 17, 2026, PBS NC, State Lines, Aug. 13, 2026
Steven Feldman. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey and publishes platform and positions pages.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Steven Feldman, Campaign site, Platform
Pat Harrigan. Holds telephone town halls (one reached 11,958 constituents in July 2025), offers an e-newsletter and issue pages, and answered the WBTV primary questionnaire. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office press release, July 24, 2025, Office site, home page, WBTV candidate questionnaire, Feb. 17, 2026, Ballotpedia, Pat Harrigan
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Ashley Bell. Says she lives and works in the 10th District and has lived in the Triad for years. FEC by-state totals show about 89 percent of itemized individual contributions from North Carolina.
Source: Campaign site, About
Steven Feldman. Says he has lived in North Carolina more than 40 years; the state candidate list gives a Winston-Salem home address.
Sources: Campaign site, About, NCSBE 2026 general election candidate list
Pat Harrigan. Lives in Hickory, where his district office is. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 46 percent of itemized individual contributions from North Carolina.
Sources: North State Journal, Feb. 16, 2026, Office site, home page
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. FEC reports on file through June 30, 2026, each received by its due date, and no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Pat Harrigan. FEC reports on file through June 30, 2026, each received by its due date, and no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. Missed 12 of 676 roll call votes, 1.8 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. Runs a district office in Hickory, offers help with federal agencies, and schedules staff mobile office hours in Iredell, Yadkin and Lincoln counties.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, Events
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Ashley Bell. No public record found.
Steven Feldman. No public record found.
Pat Harrigan. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in North Carolina's 10th Congressional District?
Pat Harrigan has the strongest record in North Carolina's 10th Congressional District. Pat Harrigan scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Pat Harrigan's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Ashley Bell (5 of 15 criteria) and Steven Feldman (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in North Carolina's 10th Congressional District in 2026?
Ashley Bell (Democratic), Steven Feldman (Libertarian), Pat Harrigan (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Ashley Bell a good candidate for Congress?
Ashley Bell has public evidence on 5 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Steven Feldman a good candidate for Congress?
Steven Feldman has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Pat Harrigan a good candidate for Congress?
Pat Harrigan scores 64 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 11 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance 75 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every North Carolina race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the North Carolina 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.