{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Shana W. Buchanan","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nShana W. Buchanan is the Mitchell County Clerk of Superior Court and the Republican candidate for the office in the November 3, 2026 general election in North Carolina, which carries a four-year term [1]. She filed for the office on December 1, 2025 and won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary over David Wheeler of Spruce Pine, 3,618 votes to 642 [1][2]. She is the only candidate listed for the office on the November 3, 2026 ballot [1]. Her address of record on the filing is in Bakersville [1].\n\n## Career\n\nBuchanan told the Mitchell News-Journal in February 2026 that she has \"served in the clerk's office for 27 years,\" having worked there since she was nineteen and served \"in every area of the office,\" and that she \"was appointed as the clerk on Oct. 1, 2024\" [3]. WKYK reported that Janet Cook, who joined the Mitchell County courthouse in 1992 and became Clerk of Court in 2006, retired after a September 27, 2024 recognition event that was overtaken by Hurricane Helene, and identified Buchanan as the new Mitchell County Clerk of Court [4].\n\nAsked what the public misunderstands about the job, Buchanan described the office's judicial functions: \"Clerks also preside as the judge over estate matters, guardianship matters, incompetency proceedings, adoptions and many other civil matters. It is surprising to many people that we are actually the judge over these matters just like any other judge in the state of North Carolina\" [3]. She said she has taken \"classes throughout my years of service at the Administrative Office of the Courts and the School of Government,\" and that \"this job requires experience\" [3]. On what the office demands, she said: \"I feel like to be clerk you have to be polite, professional and respectful. I want citizens to know they matter when they come into the clerk's office\" [3].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [2026 Candidate Listing](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[2] [Official precinct-level results, March 3, 2026 primary election](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) - North Carolina State Board of Elections, accessed 2026-07-30\n[3] [Two seeking Clerk of Court position](https://www.mitchellnews.com/local-news/two-seeking-clerk-court-position) - Mitchell News-Journal, accessed 2026-07-30\n[4] [Long-time Mitchell County Clerk of Court Retired](https://www.ourlocalcommunityonline.com/2025/01/03/long-time-mitchell-county-clerk-of-court-retired/) - WKYK, accessed 2026-07-30","firstname":"Shana","lastname":"Buchanan","middlename":"Webb","suffix":null,"token":"041e730a6056b358"},"token":"HEJJgb35C-wZ0KC9"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":null,"o.office":"clerk_of_superior_court","office":"clerk_of_superior_court","officedescription":"In North Carolina, the clerk of superior court keeps the records of the trial courts and also serves as an ex-officio judge of probate and over estates, guardianships, and certain special proceedings. It is both a records office and a judicial one.","officequalities":"- Records management for the trial courts, in conformity with North Carolina procedure and the orders of the judges.\n- Judicial responsibility over probate, estates, guardianships, and special proceedings \u2014 the clerk decides these matters.\n- Financial controls for collecting and disbursing court costs, fines, estate funds, and trust funds, with public accountability.\n- Supervision of a clerical staff handling high case volume and frequent statutory deadlines.\n- Attention to legal detail and sensitivity with a public often dealing with death or incapacity.\n- Administrative reliability \u2014 the office's filings are legally binding and its records are evidence.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Clerk of Superior Court","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Mitchell County Clerk Of Superior Court"}