ROCKINGHAM — A familiar face to Richmond County has joined the race for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Dan Bishop.
Chris Maples, a Navy veteran and former teacher, announced Thursday that he was running for North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Maples is no stranger to the office, having worked for both Bishop as district director and Rep. Richard Hudson as a congressional aide managing constituent services.
“I have been serving the people of the 8th Congressional District since 2013 as an advisor to two of North Carolina’s greatest congressional representatives,” Maples said in a press release issued Thursday. “As a veteran, educator, husband, and father – I’m ready to hit the ground running to serve the people of our great state with integrity and honor.”
According to the release, Maples enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1991 and served active duty until 1995, when he made the move to the Naval Reserves and later served in the National Guard from 2002-2004.
After that, Maples taught social studies at the high school and community college levels.
He is also married to a teacher, Toni Maples, who currently serves on the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.
“We’ve been tremendously encouraged by the support coming from our friends and neighbors,” Maples said. “When Dan Bishop announced his bid for Attorney General, people in our community started calling and asking me to run for Congress. I’m humbled to put my name on the ballot and look forward to earning the trust, confidence, and vote of the people of North Carolina’s eighth congressional district.”
Maples was hired as executive director of external affairs at UNC-Pembroke in 2021. According to the press release, he will begin a leave of absence on Jan. 1.
In the latest congressional maps, the 8th district includes all of Richmond, Anson, Montgomery, Scotland, Stanly and Union counties, as well as the western half of Robeson, eastern sliver of Mecklenburg and most of Cabarrus.
Maples will be facing at least three other candidates in the Republican primary: Mark Harris, who ran for — and technically won — the seat in 2018; state Rep. John Bradford; and fellow Navy veteran Don Brown.
At least two other candidates, Union County businessman Allan Baucom and Cabarrus County realtor Leigh Brown, have announced plans to run, but had not filed as of noon Thursday.
(Note: Maples did not yet appear in records from the N.C. State Board of Elections as of noon Thursday.)
There have been no candidates yet to file from the Democratic, Libertarian or Green parties for the seat.
The 8th District isn’t the only contested seat in the state.
Mark Walker, who served in the U.S. House from 2015-2021 is trying to regain the 6th District seat. However, he is facing three opponents from his own Republican Party.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, who has represented the 5th District since 2005, is also facing a Republican opponent — as is Hudson in the 9th District — but none from another party.
The 13th District, represented by Democrat Wiley Nickel, has 10 Republicans vying for that seat. Nickel has said he will not run, according to multiple media outlets.
There are also four Republicans and one Democrat running for the 10th Congressional District, being vacated by Rep. Patrick McHenry.
The only House race to feature candidates from each of the four recognizes political parties in the 1st District, which covers the northeast portion of the state.
Filing ends at noon Friday, Dec. 15.
