{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Southey Blanton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"> **Editorial note \u2014 same-name confusion.** An earlier version of this page described John Clifford Blanton, a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives \u2014 a different person entirely. That biography has been removed. John Southey Blanton, who appears on the ballot as \"Southey Blanton,\" is the candidate profiled here.\n\n## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJohn Southey Blanton is a Democratic candidate for North Carolina Senate District 25 (Alamance and Randolph counties) in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing Republican incumbent Amy Scott Galey [1]. He filed his candidacy on December 19, 2025 [1]. His campaign describes him as a \"proud supporter of public schools\" [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 candidate filing list (Candidate_Listing_2026.csv, dl.ncsbe.gov) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[2] [Southey Blanton for NC Senate](https://southey4senate.com) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20","firstname":"John","lastname":"Blanton","middlename":"Southey","suffix":null,"token":"6f3a6a0e78f89b1f"},"token":"WskgjDuZvl"},{"candidatename":"Amy Scott Galey","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Amy Scott Galey is the incumbent Republican State Senator for North Carolina\u2019s 25th District, seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election. She has served in the Senate since January\u202f1,\u202f2023, with her current term set to end on January\u202f1,\u202f2027, and previously represented the 24th District after winning election in 2020\u202f[1][5]. The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature; senators draft, debate, and vote on state laws, approve the budget, and serve on standing committees that shape policy in areas such as education, health, and public safety\u202f[1][5].\n\nGaley earned a B.A. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989 and a J.D. from the UNC School of Law in 1994, after graduating from Western\u202fAlamance High School in 1985\u202f[1][5]. She began her professional career as an office assistant and later as a staff attorney with the Defender Corporation of Charleston County\u202f[1]. Licensed to practice law in North Carolina, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia, she also served as an Alamance County Commissioner from 2016 to 2020, chairing the board from 2017 to 2020\u202f[12][16][17].\n\nIn the Senate, Galey has held several leadership roles, including Senate Majority Whip for the 2025\u20112026 session\u202f[3]. Her committee assignments have consistently placed her on key appropriations and policy panels: she chaired the Appropriations on Health and Human Services Committee (2025\u20112026) and the Appropriations on Education/Higher Education Committee (2023\u20112024), and served on the Judiciary, Education/Higher Education, Health Care, and Rules and Operations of the Senate committees, among others\u202f[1][5][17].\n\nGaley\u2019s legislative record includes sponsoring the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, which prohibits shackling pregnant inmates and provides parenting and health services\u202f[12][16]. She has also introduced or supported bills on topics ranging from disaster recovery to veterans\u2019 appreciation and tax\u2011advantaged accounts\u202f[4]. In her first Senate term she helped pass a balanced\u2011budget package that raised teacher pay by 5\u202f%, cut taxes for families, and funded major infrastructure projects\u202f[14]. She secured more than $50\u202fmillion in local funding for water, sewer, EMS, and fire\u2011department projects across her district during the 2021\u20112022 budget cycle\u202f[16].\n\nOn policy positions, Galey is a self\u2011described \u201cstrong supporter of the Second Amendment,\u201d holds a concealed\u2011carry permit, and is a member of the NRA\u202f[14][17]. She opposes Medicaid expansion, has voiced support for overturning Roe\u202fv.\u202fWade, and backs school\u2011choice initiatives\u202f[20]. She has also expressed support for Black Lives Matter while emphasizing a broader view of public safety\u202f[20].\n\nGaley\u2019s campaign emphasizes \u201cRespect, Experience, Courage,\u201d and highlights her local roots in Union Ridge, Alamance County, where she lives on her family\u2019s farm with her husband Fred and three children\u202f[12][16]. Her official campaign website provides additional details on her platform and contact information\u202f[12].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Amy Galey - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Amy_Galey)\n- [3] [Senator Amy S. Galey - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/s/429)\n- [4] [Senator Amy S. Galey's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/s/429)\n- [5] [Amy Galey - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Galey)\n- [11] [Amy Galey (R - NC)](https://vote.norml.org/politicians/188910)\n- [12] [Amy Galey for North Carolina Senate 24](https://amygaley.com/)\n- [13] [State Senator Amy Galey | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/25697)\n- [14] [Amy Scott Galey | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/amy-scott-galey)\n- [15] [Amy Galey - North Carolina Republican Senate Caucus](https://ncstatesenate.com/members/amy-galey/)\n- [16] [Meet Amy Galey - Amy Galey](https://amygaley.com/meet-amy-galey/)\n- [17] [Amy Galey reelected to NC Senate for District 25 - Elon News Network](https://www.elonnewsnetwork.com/article/2022/11/north-carolina-senate-results)\n- [18] [North Carolina State Sen. Amy Galey - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/387460/Amy_S_Galey.html)\n- [19] [Amy Galey - North Carolina Candidate - Transparency USA](https://www.transparencyusa.org/nc/candidate/amy-galey)\n- [20] [Get to know North Carolina Senate District 24 Republican candidate Amy Galey](https://www.wxii12.com/article/north-carolina-senate-guilford-alamance-republican-amy-galey/34195635)","firstname":"Amy","lastname":"Galey","middlename":"Scott","suffix":null,"token":"af5a750ba2743517"},"token":"Vauq8Fk7yZ"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_senator","o.office":"state_senate","office":"state_senate","officedescription":"The Tennessee Senate is the upper chamber of the state legislature, with 33 members elected from single-member districts to four-year terms. Senators pass state laws, approve the state budget, confirm certain gubernatorial appointments, and \u2014 with the House \u2014 propose constitutional amendments.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Senator","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc State Senate District 25"}