{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Joshua D. Whitford","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Joshua D. Whitford is the Republican candidate for Craven County Board of Commissioners District\u202f1 in the 2026 North Carolina general election. He won the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Republican primary and will appear on the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 ballot, where no Democratic challenger is listed [1][11].\n\nWhitford is a fourth\u2011generation Craven County resident who has lived his entire life in the community of Ernul. He graduated from West Craven High School and earned an associate\u2019s degree in Fire Protection Technology from Coastal Carolina University. He has been married to his wife Lindsay for 13\u202fyears and they have two daughters.\n\nProfessionally, Whitford has served the City of New\u202fBern Fire Rescue as a Fire Specialist\u202fIII for 18\u202fyears. He is also a long\u2011time volunteer with the Little Swift Creek Volunteer Fire Department, where he has contributed 25\u202fyears of service, holding positions from Captain to Assistant Chief, Chief, and currently President of the department [11].\n\nIn announcing his candidacy, Whitford said he wants to be a \u201cpositive leader\u201d who listens to constituents and works on solutions for the district\u2019s concerns. He identified key issues as road conditions, public safety (including fire, law\u2011enforcement, and EMS), support for farmers, storm\u2011water management, education, the tax\u2011reevaluation process, and greater transparency in government. His campaign message emphasizes community\u2011focused problem solving and accountability [11].\n\nWhitford\u2019s contact information includes an email address listed on his Ballotpedia profile: WHITFORD4DISTRICT1@GMAIL.COM, and he encourages voters to learn more via his Facebook page, though no official campaign website was identified [1][11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Joshua D. Whitford (Craven County Board of Commissioners District 1, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Joshua_D._Whitford_(Craven_County_Board_of_Commissioners_District_1,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n- [9] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [11] [Meet your Craven County Candidates for the 2026 Election](https://wcti12.com/news/election/local-election/meet-your-craven-county-candidates-for-the-2026-election)","firstname":"Joshua","lastname":"Whitford","middlename":"Douglas","suffix":null,"token":"7bc61878e75f727b"},"token":"UKLEFaZfSjzXi0up"},{"candidatename":"John Chittick","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJohn Richard Chittick is a candidate for Bladen County Board Of Commissioners District 01 in Craven County, North Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. The North Carolina primary is scheduled for March 3, 2026, with the general election on November 3, 2026.\n\nNo additional biographical information is currently available for this candidate. Voters seeking more information are encouraged to contact local news sources, the county Board of Elections, or the candidate's campaign directly.\n","firstname":"John","lastname":"Chittick","middlename":"Richard","suffix":null,"token":"c1168d20adee98cb"},"token":"uMAp37SQHfSh-872"},{"candidatename":"Craig Lewis","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"**Status: Lewis lost the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for Craven County Board of Commissioners District 1, finishing third of three candidates with 460 votes (27.2%); Joshua D. Whitford led with 700 votes (41.4%) and John Chittick placed second with 529 (31.3%). Whitford advances to the November 3, 2026 general election [3].**\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Lowell Craig Lewis JR is a registered voter in Craven County, North Carolina, registered since 2003 (23 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Lowell Craig Lewis JR's year of birth as 1985; 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 14 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 Lowell Craig Lewis JR 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/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, official March 3, 2026 primary election results by precinct, published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)","firstname":"Lowell","lastname":"Lewis","middlename":"Craig","suffix":"JR","token":"db604220c932ee75"},"token":"ykwmsvjWcv4xlpRI"}],"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":"Craven County Board Of Commissioners District 01"}