Declaration of Independents: Kenneth Harper Jr.

• By: AnneMarie McPherson Spears
• September 1, 2026

Kenneth Harper Jr.

President & CEO

Harpco Benefits LLC

New Bern, North Carolina

Kenneth Harper’s passion for servant leadership is what drew him to the insurance industry—and to the political arena. It’s also what prompted him to attend the inaugural Insurance Campaign Institute, held days before the 2026 Big “I” Legislative Conference this past April.

“We had access to key strategists and deep field knowledge,” he says. “And then you actually could practice the skills on Capitol Hill after.”

Harper ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 and lost the Republican primary. Despite the defeat, the lessons learned and relationships built during the experience have opened new doors to serve his community.

Why be involved in public service?

It is a measurement of your character and your interest in serving others. In Mark 9:35, Jesus tells his disciples, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” The element of servanthood is what we do working in the financial service industry, and what every elected official should be doing as they serve the interests of their constituents.

Takeaways from the Insurance Campaign Institute?

Discussions were rich. They talked about campaign strategy, they’re equipping you for what to expect in the political landscape, how to develop your message and public speaking, and how to embrace different people and different views. We learned how to maneuver through challenges and be victorious by understanding your numbers, your audience and your demographics, and what you must do to be able to reach them.

Current focus?

After a statewide race, it takes some years to get settled back in. I was away from my business for a year and a half. I was able to cultivate some genuine, amazing relationships, and I now want to utilize that experience to serve my clients and make an impact in my state. I see myself as an advocate and a conduit to connect people, putting faith back into our industry and helping bring down costs associated with storms in coastal North Carolina.

What brought you to the insurance industry?

My career started as an entrepreneur. At the age of 19, I started selling Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door. I had never sold anything in my entire life. After about six months, I became one of the top Kirby dealers in the state of North Carolina. My Kirby career expanded for 10 years. Kirby taught me so much about perseverance and how to overcome objections. Standing on someone’s front porch who doesn’t know you from Adam, you’ve got about four seconds and you’re going to get a door slammed in your face most of the time. However, I was able to cross over many thresholds and had a very rewarding career.

Door-knocking saw a shift as things began to change in the early 2000s. I was 30 years old and I was robbing Peter to pay Paul. I had a young family. And I didn’t know the difference between a mutual fund and a mutual friend. But I knew that I needed to do something different, and I was looking to reinvent my career. 

When I discovered the opportunity within the financial service industry to make an impact in the community by educating consumers every single day, it truly was exciting and made me feel like I had a purpose, that I could impact society and make a difference in people’s lives.

What path led you to start Harpco Benefits?

I went to my local community college and asked them to help me revamp my resume. Lo and behold, a lady walked up to me and handed me a magazine called Success From Home, which featured an article about Primerica Financial Services Inc. I saw all their success stories, and I would go through training and have an opportunity to be mentored. I also was intrigued by the opportunity to provide financial services and help people set up their retirements and save for their children’s education. Just like that Kirby vacuum cleaner, it sucked me right in.

I stayed with Primerica for six wonderful years. Ultimately, I wanted to have something to cultivate for myself, where I could provide more strategic products. The independent market drew me in. Harpco stands for “helping Americans resolve problems and creating opportunity.” 

Would you ever run for office again?

I see myself being an advocate and a conduit to connect people, putting faith back into our industry, building resiliency and helping bring down astronomical costs associated with catastrophic storms. I recently help my church members with a FORTIFIED Roof^TM, a voluntary construction standard backed by research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

I think I’d run again, but I don’t know when. Right now, the biggest role I can play is being an advocate on the ground for North Carolinians.

What would you say to other independent insurance agents about running for office?

If you have a burning desire in your heart, go ahead and run. But be prepared for what’s ahead, because it will be a tumultuous, stormy sea. It’s very humbling. I learned how to listen to people who think differently from me. I learned how to listen to their issues and their concerns. I learned what I believe more deeply and how to articulate it in a manner that’s easy for people to digest and easy for them to understand.

Make sure you have the support of your spouse and your family. Don’t just passively go into this. Talk to your family, talk to your children, because all of them are being put in the spotlight because of your decision to run for office.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned over your 20 years as a licensed insurance professional?

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t feel like you have to be a perfectionist in what you do. Just bring your best effort to the table every single day. Every person that we meet in the field—whether in a coffee shop or when you’re speaking to a group—we owe them to be knowledgeable, bring forth good information, be able to answer questions accurately and be truthful, kind and respectful.

I have hundreds of clients and the majority of that business came from referrals, not advertising. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. People want to know that you care about them, you care about their family, you care about their interests. The income we earn in our industry is just a byproduct from service. When you do what’s in the best interest of others, you never have to worry about yourself.

What are some of the ways you serve and why do you think it’s important to be involved in your community as an insurance agent?

When I first started Harpco, I began working with the Welfare Reform Liaison Project out of Greensboro and with the Commander Peace Academy. I had the opportunity to work with the founder, Greg Commander, and got to go into prison with him to teach financial literacy and talk about mistakes that I made as a youth and how I reinvented myself.

I served on the board of Sherri Denese Jackson Foundation, which is a domestic violence awareness organization. I’m a former board member of Heads Up for Our Youth, founded by Dwayne Shaw and Rick Morton. On the political side, I worked with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition under Rev. Jesse Jackson. 

Currently, I sit on the board of the New Bern YMCA. I recently spoke to a group of students about making good decisions as they graduate and go to college, and the importance of having good mentorship. I’m part of the Coastal Carolina Disaster Resiliency Agency in New Bern. And I’m on the Government Affairs Committee with the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina. I can bring the topics we talked about on Capitol Hill, like the “Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act,” back to my board and we can then take them to the individuals we’re serving and bring something good that can impact their lives.

And I’m involved with my local church as well, as a minister. I’ve been ordained since 2016. I try to do everything that I can to make an impact in the community—not perfect by any measure, but I truly want to be an example.

Making an impact with life and living benefits insurance?

One of the products that I provide to my clients is living benefits, which protects clients in event of terminal illness, critical illness, chronic illness or critical injury, and it allows them to actually receive part of their death benefit while they’re still living with particular triggering events. Recently a client in his 50s was diagnosed with colon cancer. I was able to give him a check for over $200,000 because of the policy that we put in place nearly 10 years ago.

Another client has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s dementia. I was able to get her daughter, who quit her job to be her caretaker, a check for over $50,000 to take care of her accommodations and transitions. An insurance agent can impact his community beyond measure.

Next gen talent?

In our industry, it’s imperative that we continue to cultivate relationships with the next generation of agents. Our industry is aging. I turned 50 this year, so I’m bringing my children in to help me and to show them the success of this industry. One of my daughters is getting ready to get her license. Another daughter is helping me with my social media.

As we evolve in the industry, especially with artificial intelligence (AI), I think it’s important that we recognize the value of human beings in making an impact. We need the next generation to be involved in insurance and in the financial services industry so that it can be even stronger than where it is today. This business is not a get-rich-quick situation. This is a long-term, long-impact business, and we need the right people to take the reins as the future continues to expand and grow.

AnneMarie McPherson Spears is IA news editor.