{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Mark Speed","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJames Marshburn \"Mark\" Speed is the Democratic candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives District 7, covering Franklin and Vance counties, on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1][2]. He filed to run on December 2, 2025 [1]. The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026 was canceled, and Speed advanced directly to the general election, where he faces Republican Cory Thornton [2].\n\n## Background and education\nSpeed has served as a Franklin County Commissioner since his appointment in 2017 and previously served on community-service boards representing Franklin, Nash, and Vance counties, per his own account in a 2022 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey filed during an earlier run for NC State Senate District 11 [3]. He is the son of the late James D. Speed, who represented the area in the North Carolina General Assembly for more than 30 years and is honored posthumously through the Franklin County Cattlemen's Association's Senator James D. Speed Achievement Scholarship [3][4]. Speed lives in Louisburg, NC [3].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing List (CSV)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n- [2] [Mark Speed - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Speed)\n- [3] Mark Speed's 2022 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey response, on his Ballotpedia profile \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20 (candidate-submitted; reflects his own account as of that survey)\n- [4] [Senator James D. Speed Achievement Scholarship - Morning Ag Clips](https://www.morningagclips.com/senator-james-d-speed-achievement-scholarship/)","firstname":"James","lastname":"Speed","middlename":"Marshburn","suffix":null,"token":"1949227f26f294aa"},"token":"CZ33NewVc9ERaNwM"},{"candidatename":"Cory Thornton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Cory James Thornton is a Republican candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives, District 7 in North Carolina's 2026 elections. The North Carolina State Board of Elections' 2026 candidate filing list shows Thornton filed on December 15, 2025; no primary was held for the seat, so he advances directly to the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [1].\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Cory James Thornton is a registered voter in Franklin County, North Carolina, registered since 2012 (14 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2]. NC's bulk voter export publishes only year of birth, not a full date; the voter file lists Cory James Thornton's year of birth as 1988 [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 14 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the March 3, 2026 primary election [3].\n\nNo additional published biographical information beyond the candidate filing and voter records was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Cory James Thornton can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing List\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter registration file\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (ncvhis_Statewide)","firstname":"Cory","lastname":"Thornton","middlename":"James","suffix":null,"token":"c310e9e968dbfa2f"},"token":"TDXSbP26VbjQMRTP"}],"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 007"}