{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Neal Jackson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMaze O'Neal \"Neal\" Jackson is the Republican candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives District 78 in the 2026 election. He has served as the district's state representative since January 1, 2023, after winning the 2022 primary and general elections [1]. He filed for re-election in the 2026 cycle and is running unopposed in the November 3, 2026 general election after the Democratic filer, Matt Borja, withdrew from the race [3].\n\n## Background and education\nBorn in Pinehurst, North Carolina, Jackson is married to Tracy and is the father of five children. He is a Baptist pastor at Beulah Baptist Church, a role he has held since 2009, and he also identifies as a business owner [1][2].\n\n## Office history\nJackson entered elective politics by winning the May 2022 Republican primary for the 78th district, defeating David Ashley and Cory Bortree. In the November 2022 general election he defeated Democrat Erik Davis, capturing 76.55% of the vote and securing the seat [1]. He was sworn in at the start of the 2023 legislative session.\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nFor the 2023-2024 session, Jackson's committee assignments include Banking; Education-Universities; Finance; Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House; and State Personnel [1]. Vote Smart lists additional assignments including Agriculture and Environment, Vice Chair of Energy and Public Utilities, Chair of the Finance Committee, and membership on the Higher Education and Revenue Law Study committees [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Neal Jackson (North Carolina politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Jackson_(North_Carolina_politician))\n[2] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/202734/neal-jackson)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Listing (NC House District 078, Moore/Randolph counties) \u2014 https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv, accessed 2026-07-20","firstname":"Maze","lastname":"Jackson","middlename":"O'Neal","suffix":null,"token":"26f6c0bdee683412"},"token":"UapeV31pzmxpMdHv"},{"candidatename":"Mark Dutton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"**Status update: Dutton lost the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for NC House District 78, receiving 3,286 votes (28.0%) to Neal Jackson's 8,450 votes (72.0%); he will not appear on the November 2026 general-election ballot [3].**\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Mark Lyman Dutton is a registered voter in Moore County, North Carolina, registered since 2006 (20 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Mark Lyman Dutton's year of birth as 1971; 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 10 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 Mark Lyman Dutton 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, 2026 primary election results (`results_pct_20260303`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-24","firstname":"Mark","lastname":"Dutton","middlename":"Lyman","suffix":null,"token":"ce3e467baf7c0a54"},"token":"8KwSG0yiiHdpSP_S"}],"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 078"}