Kate Barr

Kate Barr burst into politics with her irreverent “Can’t Win” campaign for North Carolina Senate District 37, using her guaranteed loss to expose gerrymandering and make electoral reform impossible to ignore. While most avoid unwinnable races, Kate turned hers into a viral moment—equal parts strategy, spectacle, and satire.
Now she’s taking that protest to the Republican Congressional primary in her home state, entering the race for North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District against incumbent Tim Moore. Filing as a Republican to challenge entrenched power in what she calls “a rigged system built by politicians for politicians,” Kate’s campaign once again blurs the line between protest and performance—with a serious purpose at its core: giving voters back their voice.
With two decades of experience in behavioral science, Kate specializes in understanding human motivation and moving people to action. Her expertise in persuasive communication goes far beyond theory—she delivers the right message to the right audience at exactly the right moment.
Kate’s creative approach to activism and enterprise has attracted global media attention—from CBS Evening News to The Washington Post to ABC Australia—and earned her recognition as Charlotte Magazine’s 2025 Charlottean of the Year for making democracy engaging and urgent.
Historian Heather Cox Richardson recently told Kate, “I follow everything you do with fascination... you never thought you would be doing this, but it turns out you’re really good at it. So this moment has given us something.”
Whether she’s decoding voter psychology, building sustainable ventures like her award-winning social enterprise pip & grow, or joyfully calling out political dysfunction, Kate brings sharp strategy and fearless creativity to every effort—turning bold ideas into real-world impact.