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James Gailliard, a Democratic candidate in one of North Carolina’s most competitive state Senate districts, accused his Republican opponent of “capitalizing” on his son’s death in a campaign mailer.
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The mailer in question, which the North Carolina Senate Majority Fund sent on behalf of state Sen. Lisa Barnes’ reelection campaign, depicts Gailliard standing next to a burning car.
“James Gailliard is weak on crime,” it reads.
In 2014, Gailliard’s 27-year-old son, Kyol, died in a car crash in Rocky Mount along with two other young men.
“As you can imagine, (it was) one of the most difficult moments of my life,” Gailliard, a pastor for a nondenominational Christian church and a former state House member, said on social media last week. “You can only imagine how shocked I was when just a few days before my son’s birthday, an attack ad is released by my opponent. And in the attack ad, of all things that are used, is a car fire. It literally has me standing next to a car on fire.”
He added, “Elections should be about making people’s lives better, not capitalizing on their tragedies and hardest moments.”
In a statement to The News & Observer, Barnes confirmed that she authorized the mailer, but said it was never intended to reference Gailliard’s son’s death.
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“I take that accusation seriously,” she said. “I lost my husband last year, and I know what it’s like to have loss follow you into your public life — no one should have to relive that. I understand grief doesn’t go away, but it isn’t a reason to avoid answering for your record. My opponent hasn’t refuted the facts in that mailer, and instead is creating a controversy that isn’t there. Voters deserve better than that.”
Barnes, a three-term incumbent, is seeking reelection in Senate District 11, which encompasses Franklin, Nash and Vance counties. The race is considered one of this year’s most competitive races; the Civitas Partisan Index named it one of three “toss-up” districts in the Senate.
This is not the first ad to cause controversy in the race.
Earlier this summer, Barnes praised an artificial intelligence-generated video posted to a community Facebook group that depicted Gailliard working on a devil-like creature’s behalf, while Barnes was depicted receiving an endorsement from Jesus Christ.
“Jesus called Lisa Barnes to protect Nash County,” a gospel song repeats throughout the video.
Business NC reported in June that Barnes responded positively to the video on Facebook, saying it “accurately reflects my calling which is amazing because I had zero input into its production.”
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This story was originally published September 15, 2026 at 9:53 AM.