Mayor eyes congressional run
Jefferson filed a statement of candidacy on Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission stating that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives 6th District seat in the 2026 election.
The seat is held by Republican Rep. Addison McDowell, who said Wednesday that he plans to seek reelection.
'I'm proud of the work we're doing for the 6th District and, if he makes it to the general election, I'll certainly be ready to put my America First record up against the radical left's agenda any day of the week,' McDowell said in a statement to the Enterprise.
Jefferson declined to comment Wednesday on his statement of candidacy filing.
He has not publicly announced anything about plans to run for higher office. Candidate filing for congressional races opens in December.
FEC filings show one other Democrat, Beau Blair of Salisbury, has filed a statement of candidacy for the 6th District seat. Primaries would be held in March 2026, with the general election to follow in November 2026.
The 6th District includes all of High Point and Davidson County, as well as parts of western Greensboro, eastern and southern Forsyth County, all of Rowan and Davie counties and the western tip of Cabarrus County.
The district leans heavily Republican, according to the Cook Political Report.
It was redrawn for the 2024 election cycle, and McDowell finished first in a six-person GOP primary field that included Jay Wagner, a former High Point mayor, who finished fifth.
Former Rep. Kathy Manning of Greensboro, who represented the 6th District at the time, declined to seek reelection in 2024, saying that its new configuration was so gerrymandered by the Republican-controlled N.C. General Assembly that no Democratic candidate had a reasonable chance of winning.
McDowell did not face a Democratic opponent in the 2024 general election, only Constitution Party candidate Kevin E. Hayes, whom he defeated 69% to 31%.
Jefferson's statement of candidacy filing says he is establishing a principal campaign committee for the 2026 election called 'Cyril for Congress.'
The committee has not reported any fundraising results to the FEC yet and said in a recent filing that it had not reached the $5,000 threshold for contributions and/or expenditures that would have required a report to be filed by July 15.
Jefferson was elected mayor in November 2023 after serving a four-year term on City Council. His current term expires in December 2027.
If he were elected to Congress in 2026, he would have to resign as mayor, and the council would appoint his replacement.
Staff writer Paul Johnson contributed to this story.
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