ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – On Thursday, Navy veteran and former senior aide to Congressmen Bishop and Hudson, Chris Maples, announced that he will seek election to represent North Carolina’s 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“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,” said Maples, “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.”

Maples is a native North Carolinian and has been married for 32 years to his wife, Toni, who currently serves as an elected county commissioner in Richmond County in addition to her day job as a public-school teacher. Together, they have one son with one grandson.

“We’ve been tremendously encouraged by the support coming from our friends and neighbors,” said Maples, “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.”

Enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1991, Maples served on active duty until 1995 when he transitioned to the Naval Reserves for several years before joining the North Carolina National Guard in 2002. Having been injured during training, Maples separated from the National Guard in 2004 and went on to teach full-time at the community college and high school level.

In 2013, Maples began serving as a congressional aide to Richard Hudson, where he managed constituent relations in Anson, Richmond, Robeson, and Scotland counties. Then in 2019, Maples was appointed to serve as District Director for Congressman Dan Bishop. Most recently, Maples has served as the Director of External Affairs at UNC Pembroke, where is taking a leave of absence effective January 1.

North Carolina’s newly drawn 8th congressional district includes parts of Robeson, Mecklenburg, and Cabarrus counties, and all of Union, Stanly, Anson, Montgomery, Richmond, and Scotland counties.