{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Mark Gerson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMark Walter Gerson ran in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for the Caldwell County Board of Education, one of seven candidates competing for four nominations. He finished sixth with 10.04% of the vote; Teresa Branch (20.32%), Joe Sims (17.39%), William \"BJ\" Fore (17.26%), and Lesa Bolick Widener (14.30%) won the four Republican nominations. Gerson will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Gerson is a registered voter in Caldwell County, North Carolina, registered since 2016 (10 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Gerson's year of birth as 1970; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 9 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 March 3, 2026 primary official precinct-level results](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Mark","lastname":"Gerson","middlename":"Walter","suffix":null,"token":"12318e6053947a5b"},"token":"NLS02dwAfVchGJ3p"},{"candidatename":"Brandon L. Cornett","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nBrandon Lee Cornett ran in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for the Caldwell County Board of Education, one of seven candidates competing for four nominations. He finished fifth with 12.82% of the vote; Teresa Branch (20.32%), Joe Sims (17.39%), William \"BJ\" Fore (17.26%), and Lesa Bolick Widener (14.30%) won the four Republican nominations. Cornett will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Cornett is a registered voter in Caldwell County, North Carolina, registered since 2020 (6 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Cornett's year of birth as 1993; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 3 elections voted in since 2020, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 March 3, 2026 primary official precinct-level results](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Brandon","lastname":"Cornett","middlename":"Lee","suffix":null,"token":"c9e6ef685aeb64c2"},"token":"6j_SqM8ZPcspGyfp"},{"candidatename":"Teresa Branch","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Teresa Hollar\u202fBranch is a Republican candidate for the Caldwell County Board of Education in the 2026 general election (Nov\u202f3,\u202f2026) in Caldwell,\u202fNC. The County Board of Education is a seven\u2011member body that governs the Caldwell County Schools district; members serve four\u2011year terms and are elected at\u2011large, with elections officially nonpartisan but candidates often identified by party affiliation\u202f[6][8].\n\nBranch has a long history of service to the district. She first won a seat on the at\u2011large school board in the 2010 election, serving a term that ended in 2012\u202f[2]. After a brief hiatus, she was re\u2011elected in the 2014 general election, securing 20.8\u202f% of the vote\u202f[2]. She continued to serve through subsequent elections, most recently appearing on the ballot in the 2022 general election for an at\u2011large seat\u202f[1][6]. According to the board roster, her current term runs through 2026, making her the incumbent in this race\u202f[6].\n\nIn addition to her elected roles, Branch has worked extensively in education administration. She is a former teacher, assistant principal, and principal, and she served as the director of Exceptional Children for the district\u202f[12]. In 2023 she took on the role of interim director of Caldwell County Smart Start, a program that expands pre\u2011K opportunities and partners with child\u2011care centers to increase early\u2011learning capacity\u202f[12]. Her professional focus has emphasized expanding early childhood education and supporting students from birth through the start of school.\n\nBranch\u2019s campaign filings list her email as branchnc@gmail.com (also shown as BRANCHNC@GMAIL.COM)\u202f[1][8]. No phone number or personal campaign website is provided in the available sources. While Ballotpedia does not include a portrait, the site lists only placeholder images for candidates, so a definitive candidate photo is not available.\n\nOverall, Branch brings over a decade of board experience, a background in school leadership, and recent work directing early\u2011education initiatives to her candidacy for the 2026 Caldwell County Board of Education.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Teresa Branch (Caldwell County Schools school board At-large, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Teresa_Branch_(Caldwell_County_Schools_school_board_At-large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n- [2] [Teresa Branch - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Teresa_Branch)\n- [3] [Teresa Branch (Caldwell County Board of Education, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Teresa_Branch_(Caldwell_County_Board_of_Education,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n- [4] [Caldwell County, North Carolina, elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Caldwell_County,_North_Carolina,_elections,_2026)\n- [5] [Caldwell County, North Carolina, elections, 2022 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Caldwell_County,_North_Carolina,_elections,_2022)\n- [6] [Caldwell County Schools, North Carolina, elections - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Caldwell_County_Schools,_North_Carolina,_elections)\n- [7] [William Fore (Caldwell County Schools school board At-large, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/William_Fore_(Caldwell_County_Schools_school_board_At-large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n- [8] [Teresa Branch (Caldwell County Schools school board At-large, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Teresa_Branch_(Caldwell_County_Schools_school_board_At-large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n- [9] [North Carolina elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2026)\n- [10] [Candidate Lists | NCSBE](https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists)\n- [11] [Caldwell County Schools - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldwell_County_Schools)\n- [12] [Teresa Branch takes reins as director of Caldwell County Smart Start [News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.] - Insurance News | InsuranceNewsNet](https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/Teresa-Branch-takes-reins-as-director-of-Caldwell-County-Smart-Start-%5BNews-Topic-a-410828)","firstname":"Teresa","lastname":"Branch","middlename":"Hollar","suffix":null,"token":"1e6ad8e84be22a72"},"token":"lSMmdQTL7Wgd0U7D"},{"candidatename":"Joe Sims","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Joe Sims is a Republican candidate seeking an at\u2011large seat on the Caldwell County Board of Education in the November 3, 2026 general election. He will appear on the Republican primary ballot on March 3, 2026, competing for one of four at\u2011large positions that represent the entire county rather than a single district. The Board of Education governs the Caldwell County Schools system, setting district policy, adopting the annual budget, overseeing the superintendent, and making decisions on curriculum, facilities, and student services. Board members are elected to four\u2011year terms and are responsible for ensuring that the public\u2011school system meets state standards and community expectations.\n\nSims first joined the Caldwell County Board of Education through an appointment in 2013. He subsequently won election to a full term in the November 4, 2014 general election, receiving 11,371 votes (17.6% of the total) in a nonpartisan race for at\u2011large seats\u30102\u3011. His tenure on the board has included participation in budget deliberations and policy setting for the county\u2019s schools, though detailed records of specific initiatives he championed are not publicly documented.\n\nBeyond his service on the board, publicly available sources provide no additional biographical details such as education, professional career, or community involvement. The Ballotpedia candidate page for the 2026 race notes that Sims did not complete the Candidate Connection survey and that no endorsements or campaign themes have been recorded for this election cycle\u30101\u3011. Voters can contact him via the email address listed on the Caldwell County Schools website, JSIMS@CALDWELLSCHOOLS.COM, which is offered as a point of contact for the campaign\u30101\u3011.\n\nIn the 2026 race, Sims is again seeking to retain his seat amid a field that includes several other Republican candidates. The primary will determine which four candidates advance to the November general election, where the top vote\u2011getters will serve on the board for the next term. No campaign website or social\u2011media page has been identified in the available sources.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Joe Sims (Caldwell County Schools school board At-large, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Joe_Sims_(Caldwell_County_Schools_school_board_At-large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n- [2] [Joe Sims - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Joe_Sims)\n- [3] [North Carolina elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_elections,_2026)","firstname":"Joseph","lastname":"Sims","middlename":"Dwight","suffix":null,"token":"55617bb1d8395e32"},"token":"ZusCL49q5MCwGgUd"},{"candidatename":"Lesa Bolick Widener","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Melessa Bolick Widener is a registered voter in Caldwell County, North Carolina, registered since 1996 (30 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Melessa Bolick Widener's year of birth as 1960; 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 7 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 Melessa Bolick Widener 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":"Melessa","lastname":"Widener","middlename":"Bolick","suffix":null,"token":"2f5a65e0ccbb6cb2"},"token":"DwF9OUb-J6Y9o6bf"},{"candidatename":"William (BJ) Fore","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, William Joseph Fore is a registered voter in Caldwell County, North Carolina, registered since 1981 (45 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows William Joseph Fore's year of birth as 1963; 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 13 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 Joseph Fore 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":"Fore","middlename":"Joseph","suffix":null,"token":"a6d9c2e6e586b14b"},"token":"K94rbvmVLEG4A3zn"},{"candidatename":"Meredith Jane Wilson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMeredith Jane Wilson ran in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for the Caldwell County Board of Education, one of seven candidates competing for four nominations. She finished seventh (last) with 7.87% of the vote; Teresa Branch (20.32%), Joe Sims (17.39%), William \"BJ\" Fore (17.26%), and Lesa Bolick Widener (14.30%) won the four Republican nominations. Wilson will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Wilson is a registered voter in Caldwell County, North Carolina, registered since 2015 (11 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Wilson's year of birth as 1982; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 9 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 March 3, 2026 primary official precinct-level results](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Meredith","lastname":"Wilson","middlename":"Jane","suffix":null,"token":"148e3bc23afabef0"},"token":"abzNPW0cDlKkvUc-"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"school_board","o.office":"county_school_board","office":"county_school_board","officedescription":"A school board member serves on the elected body that governs a public school district. The board sets district policy and budget priorities and hires and evaluates the superintendent, while leaving day-to-day management to the administration.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment for a public school district \u2014 setting direction while leaving day-to-day management to the superintendent.\n- Budget literacy for operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the county commission (which appropriates) and the state.\n- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent \u2014 the board's highest-stakes recurring decision.\n- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County School Board Member","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":4,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Caldwell County Board Of Education"}