U.S. House, North Carolina 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in North Carolina's 4th Congressional District?
Valerie Foushee has the strongest record in North Carolina's 4th Congressional District. Valerie Foushee scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Valerie Foushee's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Mahesh Ganorkar (6 of 15 criteria) and Guy Meilleur (4 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 · incumbent
Strongest record
Valerie Foushee
On the ballot as Valerie P. Foushee
62 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 38
Republican
Mahesh Ganorkar
On the ballot as Mahesh (Max) Ganorkar
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Guy Meilleur
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 56
- Performance
- NR
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.
Valerie Foushee
- On the record2025
Was the only North Carolina member to sign a Republican member's discharge petition to force a vote on a congressional stock-trading ban.
Source: WRAL, July 2026
- Credit2026-07
WRAL's review of ethics disclosures lists her among North Carolina House members who own no individual stocks.
Source: WRAL, July 2026
- Credit2025-04-22
Held an in-person town hall in Pittsboro and said it would not be a one-off; INDY Week described it as rare amid criticism of her constituent engagement.
Source: INDY Week, April 24, 2025
- Credit2025
Serves as ranking member of the House Science Committee's Space and Aeronautics subcommittee.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Mahesh Ganorkar
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Guy Meilleur
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Valerie Foushee. Her 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed May 13, 2026, and WRAL's review of ethics disclosures lists her among members owning no individual stocks. No House Ethics finding or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076606, WRAL, July 2026, FEC administrative fines search
Mahesh Ganorkar. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and a House candidate financial disclosure was filed Sept. 21, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082913
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Valerie Foushee. No public record found.
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Valerie Foushee. Held an in-person town hall in Pittsboro in April 2025, which INDY Week called rare amid criticism of her constituent engagement, and said it would not be a one-off.
Source: INDY Week, April 24, 2025
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Valerie Foushee. In the U.S. House since 2023 and the state Senate from 2013 to 2023, after the Orange County commission and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board. No formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Valerie Foushee
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Valerie Foushee. Has taken the oaths of local, state and federal office. Not in Congress for the January 2021 electoral votes. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Valerie Foushee
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Valerie Foushee. U.S. representative since January 2023 and a state senator from 2013 to 2023 (E9); earlier chaired the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
Source: Ballotpedia, Valerie Foushee
Mahesh Ganorkar. Self-employed residential construction project manager with an MBA in international finance and marketing who worked on joint ventures between U.S. and Indian companies. Has not held public office.
Sources: INDY Week candidate questionnaire, 2026, Ballotpedia, Mahesh Ganorkar
Guy Meilleur. Consulting arborist who was a lecturer and curator at N.C. State, an instructor at Duke and an arborist at UNC. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Guy
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Valerie Foushee. Ranking member of the Science Committee's Space and Aeronautics subcommittee and serves on Transportation and Infrastructure (E11); her House site publishes key issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, House office site, services
Mahesh Ganorkar. Publishes issue positions, including school choice funded through parents' tax returns, mostly in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Guy Meilleur. Publishes priorities on the economy, education, health care and housing as questions and general goals.
Source: Campaign site, Priorities
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Valerie Foushee. Three channels documented: an e-newsletter, the INDY Week questionnaire and an in-person town hall. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: House office site, INDY Week candidate questionnaire, 2026, INDY Week, April 24, 2025
Mahesh Ganorkar. Two channels documented: the INDY Week questionnaire and a campaign issues page. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: INDY Week candidate questionnaire, 2026, Campaign site, Issues
Guy Meilleur. Two channels documented: the INDY Week questionnaire and a priorities page. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: INDY Week candidate questionnaire, 2026, Campaign site, Priorities
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Valerie Foushee. Born in Chapel Hill and has held local and state office in the district since 1997. FEC by-state totals show about 79 percent of itemized individual contributions from North Carolina.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Valerie Foushee, INDY Week candidate questionnaire, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Mahesh Ganorkar. Files from a Pittsboro address and told INDY Week he has lived in the area 12 years. FEC by-state totals show about 39 percent of itemized individual contributions from North Carolina, on a small base.
Sources: NC State Board of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list, INDY Week candidate questionnaire, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Guy Meilleur. Moved to North Carolina in 1985 to study at N.C. State and files from a Durham address.
Sources: Campaign site, Meet Guy, NC State Board of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Valerie Foushee. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Mahesh Ganorkar. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Valerie Foushee. Legislative Effectiveness Score 0.157 against a benchmark of 0.522 in the 118th Congress, below expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill she sponsored.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Valerie Foushee. Missed 54 of 1,917 roll call votes, 2.8 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Valerie Foushee. Runs a Durham district office and offers help with federal agencies and grants. No published casework totals found.
Sources: House office site, House office site, services
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Valerie Foushee. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.48648 in the latest posted House scores (2023), ranked 403 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Valerie Foushee. No public record found.
Mahesh Ganorkar. No public record found.
Guy Meilleur. 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 4th Congressional District?
Valerie Foushee has the strongest record in North Carolina's 4th Congressional District. Valerie Foushee scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Valerie Foushee's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Mahesh Ganorkar (6 of 15 criteria) and Guy Meilleur (4 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 4th Congressional District in 2026?
Valerie Foushee (Democratic, incumbent), Mahesh Ganorkar (Republican), Guy Meilleur (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Valerie Foushee a good candidate for Congress?
Valerie Foushee scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 38 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Mahesh Ganorkar a good candidate for Congress?
Mahesh Ganorkar 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 Guy Meilleur a good candidate for Congress?
Guy Meilleur has public evidence on 4 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.
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.