{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"John T. Edwards","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, John Thomas Edwards is a registered voter in Beaufort County, North Carolina, registered since 2010 (16 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows John Thomas Edwards's year of birth as 1992; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 12 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of John Thomas Edwards can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"John","lastname":"Edwards","middlename":"Thomas","suffix":null,"token":"e7d3a1370361a99a"},"token":"vcW9jknPxO_JaZCT"},{"candidatename":"Ashley Woolard","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Ashley Mcmullan Woolard is a Republican candidate for the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners in the 2026 election in Beaufort, North Carolina. He is seeking a seat on the county\u2019s governing body, which is responsible for setting policy, approving the budget, and overseeing local services such as public safety, land use, and infrastructure.\n\nWoolard was born and raised in Beaufort County, graduating from Washington High School before earning a Bachelor of Science in business from East Carolina University. After college he joined the family\u2011owned Woolard Insurance Group, eventually becoming its president (or vice\u2011president, according to his own statements) and building a career as a small\u2011business owner in the region.[1]\n\nHis political involvement began early. Woolard served as Chairman of the Beaufort County Republican Party from March\u202f2007 to March\u202f2009, a role in which he helped organize local GOP activities and candidate recruitment.[1][4] He also held leadership positions in civic groups, including three years as an officer of the Washington Rotary Club (earning Rotarian of the Year in 2005), and service as president of the Old Ford Ruritan Club in 2004, where he was named Ruritan of the Year in 2002.[4]\n\nWoolard first ran for elected office in 2014, seeking the Republican nomination for North Carolina House District\u202f6. His platform emphasized two tracks: lowering taxes and reducing regulation to foster small\u2011business job creation, and maintaining a strong job base while supporting a raise for all teachers without tenure\u2011related penalties.[1] He again pursued the District\u202f6 seat in 2016, finishing a close second in the Republican primary with 36.73% of the vote behind Beverly Boswell\u2019s 39.27%.[1] Although he did not win the primary, his campaigns highlighted a conservative fiscal agenda, support for eliminating the state income tax, and a pledge to protect constitutional principles.[1]\n\nIn 2009 Woolard announced a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina\u2019s 1st Congressional District, positioning himself as a \u201ccitizen\u2011legislator\u201d who would remain rooted in Beaufort County while serving in Washington. His campaign messaging stressed opposition to what he described as intrusive federal government, a commitment to conservative values, and a promise to defend the Constitution.[4][9]\n\nWhile Woolard has not held elected office, his repeated candidacies and party leadership experience have kept him visible in local politics. His current run for the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners builds on his business background and long\u2011standing involvement in community organizations, and he continues to advocate for lower taxes, limited government regulation, and policies he believes will benefit small businesses and families in eastern North Carolina.[1][4]\n\nIf elected, Woolard says he will bring a \u201cconservative platform of fiscal awareness\u201d to the board, aiming to balance budgetary responsibility with support for essential services and local economic development. He also emphasizes his intention to remain a \u201ccitizen\u2011politician,\u201d living in Beaufort County when not serving in a governmental role, and to uphold Judeo\u2011Christian values in public decision\u2011making.[4][9]\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Ashley Woolard - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Ashley_Woolard)\n- [4] [Ashley Woolard Announces his Candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, 1st District | Eastern NC Now](https://www.beaufortcountynow.com/post/49/ashley-woolard-announces-his-candidacy-for-the-u-s-house-of-representatives-1st-district.html)\n- [9] [Ashley Woolard for Congress](https://web.archive.org/web/20101029062440/http://woolardforcongress.com/)","firstname":"Ashley","lastname":"Woolard","middlename":"Mcmullan","suffix":null,"token":"5b8e37d50dec1cce"},"token":"1S01mwSqGK44DTD-"},{"candidatename":"Stan Deatherage","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, William Stanhope Deatherage is a registered voter in Beaufort County, North Carolina, registered since 1985 (41 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows William Stanhope Deatherage's year of birth as 1955; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 18 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of William Stanhope Deatherage can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"William","lastname":"Deatherage","middlename":"Stanhope","suffix":null,"token":"84ebcbffe363d1fe"},"token":"XUSi4U_CfdQNCaGO"},{"candidatename":"Ed Booth","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"> **Editorial note \u2014 same-name confusion.** Web searches for \"Edwin Booth\" will surface Edwin Booth (1833-1893), the famous 19th-century American stage actor and brother of John Wilkes Booth. That person is not the candidate profiled here. Edwin Earnhardt Booth, who goes by \"Ed Booth,\" is a sitting Beaufort County, North Carolina commissioner running for re-election in 2026 [1][2].\n\n## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nEdwin \"Ed\" Earnhardt Booth is the Democratic incumbent on the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, with a term expiring in 2026 [1]. He is on the ballot for re-election in the November 2026 general election, facing Republican John Edwards [2]. In March 2026, Booth was among five commissioners who voted 5-2 to support a $38.6 million NCDOT road-safety project on 15th Street in Washington -- a corridor where state data shows 417 crashes over the prior five years. Responding to the City of Washington's opposition to the project, Booth said the board's responsibility extends to all residents of the county: \"This is one of the most dangerous streets in the state, documentation will tell you that... I respect the position that they have taken but we represent the whole county and the City of Washington happens to be in Beaufort County and it's our people, our citizens that are riding that street everyday.\" [3]\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Staff Directory \u2013 Ed Booth, Beaufort County, NC](https://co.beaufort.nc.us/directory.aspx?EID=76)\n\n[2] [Meet your Beaufort County Candidates for the 2026 Election \u2013 WCTI 12](https://wcti12.com/elections/local/meet-your-beaufort-county-candidates-for-the-2026-election)\n\n[3] [Beaufort County commissioners back $38.6M NCDOT project on 15th Street despite city pushback \u2013 WITN](https://www.witn.com/2026/03/03/beaufort-county-commissioners-back-386m-ncdot-project-15th-street-despite-city-pushback/)\n","firstname":"Edwin","lastname":"Booth","middlename":"Earnhardt","suffix":null,"token":"7834651a8f9d52e8"},"token":"kq1Fq_tn6rTcN5de"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":"county_commission","office":"county_commission","officedescription":"A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Beaufort County Board Of Commissioners"}