Kate Barr

Selfie for Let’s Talk Durham

Snow may be hitting North Carolina, but Kate Barr is focused on March. She is running in the 14th District as a Republican while being a Democrat, taking an approach that does not follow the usual political rules. We had to learn more:

You’ve been married for over 20 years. At that stage, when the butterflies have faded and most days are filled with logistics, bills, and very tired Tuesdays, what truly keeps a marriage alive?

Friends, rituals and small kindnesses. 

My husband brings me coffee in bed most mornings (caffeinated wife, happy life). He makes the best sourdough bread every Sunday. We play stupidly-complicated board games for date nights and complain about one another to our friends every so often. Marriage really is about all of the glorious and mundane little things. It’s not butterflies, but it’s being truly known by another human and having them love you just as you are - even if they might smother you with a pillow if you keep snoring like that.

If you had to explain what marriage really is to a 10-year-old in just one sentence, what would you say?

Marriage is a lifelong playdate with your biggest crush. Same rules apply. Say sorry when you mess up, listen well, and always help to clean up!

From your lived experience, what, if anything, can truly prevent someone from becoming corrupt once they hold power?

Accountability! Powerful people need to answer for their actions. When they can keep power, no matter what, corruption often follows.

Competitive elections would really help. People behave better when they actually have to answer to voters. And when voters can fire leaders who don’t listen. How do we get there? We get more competitive elections when we get fair maps. 

Do you see corruption primarily as a failure of character, or as something that naturally emerges when systems make bad behavior easy and unchecked?

Both. Even decent people can make bad choices when there is no accountability. (Who among us hasn’t snuck an extra dessert when their parents weren’t looking?) 

If politicians genuinely believe their ability to stay in power is dependent on the voters, then they will behave in the way the voters expect - with integrity. We get there by unrigging the maps, reforming campaign finance, and adding term limits.

Once a party label is attached to someone, people often stop listening. What if we removed party labels altogether and focused only on policies? Could that bring people together, or do humans instinctively need teams?

This is one of the things I’m most curious to learn about in my campaign. I’m running on progressive policies, but with an R next to my name. How will Republican voters respond to that cross of party and policy? I genuinely don’t know. 

When people feel safe and secure, they are less likely to engage in extreme-team behavior. They are more open-minded. They are more accepting. Why? Because they aren’t being chronically stressed just getting through each day.

So, I think the solution is less about getting rid of parties and more about helping folks find that stable footing. That means more money in working families’ pockets. It means affordable healthcare and housing. It means affordable childcare.

An aside… when I think about “teams” today - we have the Democrats and Republicans, for sure. But we also have “status quo” and “burn it down” teams forming separately from party identity. Those are your Trump/AOC voters.  I find that dynamic pretty fascinating. It’s possible we’re seeing a new party (or parties) emerge.

Why is teaching not one of the most competitive and respected professions today, and what would need to change for it to feel as prestigious as becoming a doctor or lawyer?

Is this where I yell “down with the patriarchy!!!”? 

Teaching has long been a female-dominated profession, and that helps explain why it is so undervalued. In North Carolina specifically, lawmakers are also choosing not to meet their constitutional duty to provide a sound education because they answer to the Trump administration, not their constituents. We need to pay teachers much more, and keep public money out of private schools. Most people agree on this. The legislature just does not feel pressure to act (because of gerrymandering, again)

What gives you hope that long-term institutions like marriages, democracies, and public education can still endure in a world driven by instant gratification and hot takes?

Despite our never-ending quest for a dopamine rush, it’s still people that give me hope... My parents, who have never stopped working for democracy. The folks who have fought for a free & fair America since before I was born and are still in the streets today. My doctor husband who has gone full trad-dad while I tilt at windmills. The team I work with everyday. The middle-aged white women in Minnesota. Justin Jones. Zohran Mamdani. Catelin Drey. My kids. 

I spend a lot of time thinking about who will build the new institutions out of today’s rubble. We’re choosing those people right now - and a lot of genuinely wonderful humans are stepping up. That gives me hope.

Republican Primary

March 3rd, 2026

General Election for the U.S. House

November 3rd, 2026.