{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Eric Southerland","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nEric Southerland is the Republican nominee for Duplin County Sheriff. He won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary against incumbent Sheriff Stratton Stokes and candidate Tony James, receiving about 48% of the vote to Stokes's 38% and James's 13% [2]. With no Democratic candidate filed for the seat, Southerland is unopposed on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot and is set to take office as Duplin County Sheriff on the first Monday in December 2026 [2].\n\n## Career\n\nSoutherland is a graduate of James Sprunt Community College's Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program [3]. He worked for the Duplin County Sheriff's Office for 11 years before serving as Chief of Police in Warsaw, North Carolina, for six years, from 2014 to 2020 [2]. Since retiring from the Warsaw Police Department in 2020, he has taught at James Sprunt Community College [2].\n\n## Office history\n\nSoutherland served as Chief of Police in Warsaw, North Carolina, from 2014 to 2020 [2]. He previously spent 11 years with the Duplin County Sheriff's Office [2]. In the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for Duplin County Sheriff, Southerland defeated incumbent Sheriff Stratton Stokes and candidate Tony James, receiving 2,298 votes to Stokes's 1,823 and James's 629, according to North Carolina State Board of Elections precinct-level results [4]. He is unopposed in the November 3, 2026 general election [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Eric Southerland for Duplin County Sheriff -- Meet Eric](https://www.ericsoutherland4sheriff.org/meet-eric)\n[2] [Southerland speaks after winning Duplin Co. sheriff primary -- WITN](https://www.witn.com/2026/03/05/southerland-speaks-after-winning-duplin-co-sheriff-primary/) -- accessed 2026-07-20\n[3] [Alum Eric Southerland Enjoys Career of a Lifetime in Law Enforcement -- James Sprunt Community College](https://jamesspruntcommunitycollege.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/alum-eric-southerland-enjoys-career-of-lifetime-in-law-enforcement/)\n[4] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 primary precinct-level results, accessed 2026-07-20 (https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)","firstname":"Samuel","lastname":"Southerland","middlename":"Eric","suffix":null,"token":"8456de9f9aab5fec"},"token":"KcPIBHy4eOGtgPSG"},{"candidatename":"Stratton Stokes","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nStratton Fielding Stokes is the sitting Sheriff of Duplin County, North Carolina, first elected in 2022 [1]. He filed for reelection in 2026 but lost the March 3, 2026 Republican primary to challenger Eric Southerland, receiving 1,823 votes to Southerland's 2,298 and third candidate Tony James's 629, according to North Carolina State Board of Elections precinct-level results [2]. With no Democratic candidate on the ballot, Southerland is unopposed in the November 3, 2026 general election and is set to take office as sheriff on the first Monday in December 2026, ending Stokes's tenure [3].\n\n## Background and education\n\nStokes is a lifelong native of Duplin County, raised in Northeast, a rural farming community [1]. He graduated from Wallace Rose-Hill High School in 2000 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Campbell University in 2004 [1]. He was accepted to Campbell University School of Law in 2014 and graduated in 2017 [1].\n\n## Career\n\nStokes began his law enforcement career with the Duplin County Sheriff's Office in 2005 as a jailer. In 2006 he completed Basic Law Enforcement Training at Coastal Carolina Community College and moved to the Patrol Division, reaching the rank of sergeant and serving on the Special Response Team and as a field training officer [1]. In 2011 he was accepted into the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's 40th Academy and was assigned to the Coastal District, covering ten counties including Duplin, where he specialized in major homicide, crime-scene, narcotics, and public-corruption investigations; he received the SBI's \"Sharon Alston Agent of the Year Award\" in 2013 [1]. He continued to serve as a reserve deputy with the Duplin County Sheriff's Office through law school, until his election as sheriff in 2022; after graduating law school in 2017 he opened a general-practice law firm in Kenansville [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Meet The Sheriff -- Duplin County, NC (archived October 30, 2025)](https://web.archive.org/web/20251030192230/https://www.duplinnc.gov/373/Meet-The-Sheriff) -- the county's site no longer hosts this page as of July 2026\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections, March 3, 2026 primary precinct-level results, accessed 2026-07-20 (https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip)\n[3] [Southerland speaks after winning Duplin Co. sheriff primary -- WITN](https://www.witn.com/2026/03/05/southerland-speaks-after-winning-duplin-co-sheriff-primary/) -- accessed 2026-07-20","firstname":"Stratton","lastname":"Stokes","middlename":"Fielding","suffix":null,"token":"93e499d2f9c6c90d"},"token":"PHpm-CyBiVVRm9BD"},{"candidatename":"Tony James","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAnthony \"Tony\" Joseph James (Republican) ran for Duplin County, NC Sheriff in the 2026 primary, one of three Republicans challenging incumbent Sheriff Stratton Stokes.\n\nJames emphasized a community-outreach approach to law enforcement, particularly programs connecting youth with law enforcement officers.\n\n## Career\nJames began his law enforcement career in 2003 as a road deputy with the Duplin County Sheriff's Office. He advanced to detective before leaving full-time employment in 2008, then served in the reserves for several years. As a detective, he taught Gang Awareness programs to community groups and schools throughout Duplin County. He later worked in agriculture, operating a hog farm and working full-time for a family corn-seed company.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Tony James Plans to Run for County Sheriff \u2013 The Daily Reflector](https://www.reflector.com/duplin/news/local/tony-james-plans-to-for-county-sheriff-for-2026-term/article_974b46fa-f09f-11ef-9e63-47920ef9807e.html)\n- [2] [Meet Your Duplin County Candidates 2026 \u2013 WCTI12](https://wcti12.com/elections/meet-your-duplin-county-candidates-for-the-2026-election)\n","firstname":"Anthony","lastname":"James","middlename":"Joseph","suffix":null,"token":"a7981b212c49f3d6"},"token":"5bvl7ypxrbirNtYE"}],"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":"Duplin County Sheriff"}