{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Jeff Deringer","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJeffrey Stephen Deringer ran as a Republican candidate for Dare County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary, one of four Republican candidates. He placed third with 999 votes; Rodney Rawls won the nomination with 3,070 votes, followed by Jimmy Pierce (2,592) and Teddy Daniels (701). Deringer will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Jeffrey Stephen Deringer is a registered voter, registered since 1999 (27 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2]. The voter file shows a year of birth of 1973; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2]. The voter history file shows 12 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, certified March 3, 2026 primary results by precinct (`results_pct_20260303.txt`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-21\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/)\n","firstname":"Jeffrey","lastname":"Deringer","middlename":"Stephen","suffix":null,"token":"879523760c819c83"},"token":"RzYBLGxolRzojAqH"},{"candidatename":"Jimmy Pierce","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJimmy Edward Pierce ran as a Republican candidate for Dare County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary, one of four Republican candidates. He placed second with 2,592 votes, behind winner Rodney Rawls (3,070); Jeff Deringer (999) and Teddy Daniels (701) also ran. Pierce will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Jimmy Edward Pierce is a registered voter, registered since 1998 (28 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2]. The voter file shows a year of birth of 1965; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2]. The voter history file shows 14 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, certified March 3, 2026 primary results by precinct (`results_pct_20260303.txt`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-21\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/)\n","firstname":"Jimmy","lastname":"Pierce","middlename":"Edward","suffix":null,"token":"f6a8a5486f540878"},"token":"KLll9Fa92B4DqwTh"},{"candidatename":"Rodney Rawls","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Rodney Rawls is the Republican candidate for Dare County Sheriff in the 2026 North Carolina elections, with the primary held on March\u202f3,\u202f2026 and the general election slated for November\u202f3,\u202f2026. The sheriff\u2019s office is the county\u2019s chief law\u2011enforcement agency, responsible for public safety, jail operations, and civil process, and will be filled by popular vote in this cycle [1].\n\nA lifelong Dare County resident, Rawls graduated from Manteo High School in 2002 after beginning public\u2011service work at age 13 as a junior firefighter with the Roanoke Island Fire Department. He continued in the fire service through his teens before joining the Kill Devil Hills Police Department in 2004 at age 20, where he has risen to the rank of Master Patrol Sergeant [5][6][8].\n\nRawls\u2019 law\u2011enforcement career spans more than two decades. After completing Basic Law Enforcement Training, he was hired by Kill Devil Hills Police and has logged over 22 years with the department, advancing through the ranks and currently serving in patrol leadership. Parallel to his police work, he volunteered with Dare County EMS from 2013 until 2025, providing emergency medical response throughout the county [5][8].\n\nHis professional record includes several recognitions: the North Carolina Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate (2015), the Hometown Hero Public Safety Award (2017), and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (2019). He also completed the West Point Leadership Program at Methodist University (2017) and attended the FBI Command College, among other leadership courses, to enhance his command capabilities [5][8].\n\nBeyond policing, Rawls remains active in community safety. He continues as a volunteer firefighter for Kill Devil Hills, earning Firefighter of the Year honors in 2020 and 2022. He completed foster\u2011parent training in 2022, has fostered multiple children, and adopted his daughter in 2024, reflecting a personal commitment to family and social services [5][8].\n\nDuring the campaign, Rawls emphasized retaining experienced personnel as the chief challenge for the sheriff\u2019s office, arguing that strong leadership, consistent standards, and a supportive internal culture are essential for public safety. He pledged to invest in training, improve recruitment and retention, and address the county\u2019s drug\u2011related issues through persistent law\u2011enforcement effort. These positions were outlined in his responses to a candidate forum and a local news questionnaire [8][12].\n\nRawls won the Republican primary, defeating three fellow law\u2011enforcement candidates, and, with no Democratic challenger on the ballot, is expected to become the next Sheriff of Dare County after the November election. The retiring incumbent, Sheriff John\u202f\u201cDoug\u201d\u202fDoughtie, has served since 2010, making Rawls\u2019 potential election a continuation of local law\u2011enforcement leadership [8][9][11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Rodney Rawls (Dare County Sheriff, North Carolina ...](https://ballotpedia.org/Rodney_Rawls_(Dare_County_Sheriff,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n- [5] [About | Rodney Rawls For S 1](https://www.rodneyrawlsforsheriff.com/about-4)\n- [6] [Home | Rodney Rawls For S 1](https://www.rodneyrawlsforsheriff.com/)\n- [8] [Dare sheriff candidate Rodney Rawls](https://www.outerbanksnews.org/post/dare-sheriff-candidate-rodney-rawls)\n- [9] [The Outer Banks Voice - As the next Dare County Sheriff, Rodney Rawls seeks to bring \u2018out the best\u2019 in the department](https://www.outerbanksvoice.com/2026/04/03/as-the-next-dare-county-sheriff-rodney-rawls-seeks-to-bring-out-the-best-in-the-department/)\n- [11] [The Outer Banks Voice - Some final words on the Dare County Sheriff\u2019s contest](https://www.outerbanksvoice.com/2026/03/05/some-final-words-on-the-dare-county-sheriffs-contest/)\n- [12] [The four candidates for Dare Sheriff on their priorities and key issues](https://www.wtkr.com/news/in-the-community/outer-banks/the-four-candidates-for-dare-sheriff-on-their-priorities-and-key-issues)","firstname":"Rodney","lastname":"Rawls","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"8209e04c1a9d92e2"},"token":"qisH4iEtIsIiESKM"},{"candidatename":"Teddy Daniels","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nTheodore \"Teddy\" Daniels ran as a Republican candidate for Dare County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary, one of four Republican candidates. He placed fourth (last) with 701 votes; Rodney Rawls won the nomination with 3,070 votes, followed by Jimmy Pierce (2,592) and Jeff Deringer (999). Daniels will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1].\n\n## Background\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Theodore Daniels is a registered voter, registered since 2025 (1 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2]. The voter file shows a year of birth of 1975; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2]. The voter history file shows 1 elections voted in since 2026, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, certified March 3, 2026 primary results by precinct (`results_pct_20260303.txt`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-21\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/)\n","firstname":"Theodore","lastname":"Daniels","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"0fb49c3e96b8dba3"},"token":"2gBe_n8tVIBkBhUa"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"sheriff","o.office":"county_sheriff","office":"county_sheriff","officedescription":"The sheriff is the county's chief law-enforcement officer. The office operates the county jail, provides court security, serves civil process and executes warrants, and provides patrol and investigation \u2014 a large operational command with a substantial budget.","officequalities":"- Organizational leadership of a sheriff's office spanning patrol, investigations, court services, and the county jail.\n- Oversight of the county jail, including intake, inmate health, and release procedures.\n- Working knowledge of Tennessee criminal law, court process, and constitutional search-and-seizure standards.\n- Ability to develop and oversee the office's operating budget with public accountability.\n- Coordination with municipal police departments and neighboring-county and state agencies.\n- A documented law-enforcement or public-safety background.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Sheriff","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Dare County Sheriff"}