{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Richard T. Miller","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n**Status update.** Miller lost the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for NC House District 55 to Clancy Baucom. Certified results show Baucom winning with roughly 79% (about 4,516 of 5,703 votes cast across Anson and Union Counties), John K. Powell Jr. placing second with 13.9% (792 votes), and Miller placing third with 6.9% (395 votes). Baucom advances to face Democratic nominee John J. Kirkpatrick IV on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [3].\n\nRichard Thomas Miller was a Republican candidate for NC State House District 55, which covers parts of Anson and Union Counties. He ran in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary against Clancy Baucom and John K. Powell Jr.\n\nMiller emphasized practical skills training in public schools, tax relief and job support for small businesses, legislative term limits, lobbying reform, and strong law enforcement. He campaigned as a first-time candidate with no prior political office.\n\n## Background and education\nMiller was born in Glen Cove, New York, and has been a resident of Monroe, NC, for more than 26 years.\n\n## Career\nMiller runs his family's painting business, which he took over from his father more than 20 years ago.\n\n## Family\nMiller grew up as the son of a house painter and a teacher, and frames his candidacy around the lived economic experience of working families in Anson and Union Counties.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [About \u2013 Richard T. Miller for NC House Seat 55](https://www.richardmiller4nc.com/about)\n- [2] [Political Beat Primary Candidate Guide: NC State House District 55 \u2013 WSOC TV](https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/political-beat-candidate-guide-north-carolina-state-house-district-55/3DLHWG5TOVBHJKFWCCKSEQO45M/)\n- [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections / Decision Desk HQ, March 3, 2026 primary results, NC House District 55 Republican primary (accessed 2026-07-24)","firstname":"Richard","lastname":"Miller","middlename":"Thomas","suffix":null,"token":"d68ebe91c90926c7"},"token":"rwPEeHwy5dwRGKW7"},{"candidatename":"John Powell","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJohn Kenneth Powell Jr. ran as a Republican candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives District 55, which covers central and eastern Union County and all of Anson County. He lost in the 2026 Republican primary to Clancy Baucom.\n\nPowell ran as a Republican willing to reach across the aisle. His stated priorities included protecting girls' sports, defending parental rights, and protecting faith, family, and freedom in North Carolina.\n\n## Background and education\nPowell was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from Myers Park High School in 1977. He earned a B.S.B.A. in marketing from Appalachian State University in 1982.\n\n## Career\nPowell's professional background spans consulting, management, real estate appraisal and brokerage, and photography. He filed his candidacy from Monroe, NC.\n\n## Family\nPowell's father is John Kenneth Powell Sr., a UNC Chapel Hill football All-American who played for the Tar Heels from 1946 to 1949.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Candidate for District 55 NC House goes on the record \u2013 Anson Record](https://ansonrecord.com/top-stories/158327/candidate-for-district-55-nc-house-of-representatives-goes-on-the-record)\n","firstname":"John","lastname":"Powell","middlename":"Kenneth","suffix":"JR","token":"16972a6e911efbfd"},"token":"8RkYRJLe0YB-PUQR"},{"candidatename":"Clancy Baucom","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Clancy Cleveland Baucom is a Republican candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives in District\u202f55, seeking election on November\u202f3,\u202f2026. The office is a seat in the state\u2019s lower legislative chamber, where members introduce, debate, and vote on state laws that affect North Carolina residents [18][20].\n\nBaucom is a lifelong resident of Union County. He graduated from Piedmont High School and earned an associate\u2019s degree from North Carolina State University, as noted on his campaign website [18]. He has been married to his wife Kim for 35\u202fyears and they have three adult daughters.\n\nFor more than three decades Baucom operated a wholesale nursery business in Marshville, giving him deep ties to the agricultural community and a reputation as a farmer and businessman [18]. His professional background informs his emphasis on protecting farmland, limiting foreign ownership of agricultural land, and reducing regulatory burdens on growers.\n\nBaucom entered elected office as a Union County Commissioner. He first appeared on the ballot in a special general election for an at\u2011large seat on the Union County Board of Commissioners on November\u202f5,\u202f2024, running as a Republican [1]. While serving on the board, he has championed tax incentives to attract businesses, supported projects to improve the county\u2019s water supply, and worked to preserve farmland. He also helped limit new residential development, with the board approving only 159 new houses in unincorporated Union County over three years, a record of growth management highlighted in a local news post [20].\n\nIn his campaign for the state House, Baucom outlines priorities that mirror his county\u2011level work: religious freedom, election integrity, pro\u2011life policies, reduced business regulation, and protection of Second Amendment rights. He advocates for voter\u2011ID laws, signature verification, and transparent election processes [18]. He also stresses fiscal responsibility, arguing that tax dollars belong to taxpayers and should be spent wisely to foster economic growth [18].\n\nBaucom\u2019s platform emphasizes protecting North Carolina\u2019s agricultural heritage, opposing foreign ownership of farmland, and resisting over\u2011development that strains infrastructure and schools. He positions himself as a \u201cfamily man, farmer, and Sunday\u2011school teacher\u201d who will bring a limited\u2011government, America\u2011First perspective to the General Assembly [18].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Clancy Baucom (Union County Board of Commissioners At-large, North Carolina, candidate 2024) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Clancy_Baucom_(Union_County_Board_of_Commissioners_At-large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2024))\n- [8] [elect clancy baucom [sta-evccm1-c-001]](https://cf.ncsbe.gov/CFOrgLkup/DocumentGeneralResult/?SID=STA-EVCCM1-C-001&OGID=56402)\n- [18] [Clancy Baucom for NC House | Clancy Baucom for NC House](https://electclancybaucom.com/)\n- [19] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [20] [Clancy Baucom, John Powell and Richard Miller face off in ...](https://www.facebook.com/thecharlotteobserver/posts/clancy-baucom-john-powell-and-richard-miller-face-off-in-nc-house-district-55-re/1352163190282980/)","firstname":"Clancy","lastname":"Baucom","middlename":"Cleveland","suffix":null,"token":"f6b0aa459401ca84"},"token":"O7vfUwSomzh7Pl8G"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_representative","o.office":"state_house","office":"state_house","officedescription":"The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the state legislature, with 99 members elected from single-member districts to two-year terms. Representatives pass state laws, originate revenue bills, approve the state budget, and \u2014 with the Senate \u2014 confirm gubernatorial appointments and propose constitutional amendments.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Representative","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 055"}