{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"David LaBarre","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"**March 3, 2026 primary result: Labarre lost the Democratic primary for Orange County Sheriff, finishing second of two candidates with 11,683 votes to Charles Blackwood's 16,402 [3].**\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, David Quinton Labarre II is a registered voter in Orange County, North Carolina, registered since 2022 (4 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows David Quinton Labarre II's year of birth as 1980; 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 6 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 David Quinton Labarre II 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, official March 3, 2026 primary election results (`results_pct_20260303`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/index.html?prefix=ENRS/2026_03_03/)","firstname":"David","lastname":"Labarre","middlename":"Quinton","suffix":"II","token":"c36274fe1787f729"},"token":"-HCEXe0GrpydtQqp"},{"candidatename":"Charles Blackwood","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nAs of 2026, Charles Blackwood serves as Sheriff of Orange County, North Carolina, having won the Democratic primary for a fourth term with 58.41% of the vote over challenger David LaBarre [13]. He will appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [6][13]. Blackwood's campaign emphasizes \"institutional knowledge\" and accountability, citing his tenure as key to continuity in the office [4][15].\n\nIn March 2025, Governor Josh Stein appointed Blackwood to chair the North Carolina Governor's Crime Commission [1][10][11][12]. He also became President of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association in 2025 [5][9].\n\n## Background and education\n\nBlackwood is a 45-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, according to his campaign biography [2]. He began his law-enforcement career as a patrol deputy in 1980 and was later promoted to Captain of Services and Major of Operations before his first election as sheriff [13]. He is featured as a public-safety profile subject on the website of Wake Forest University's School of Professional Studies [7]; the page does not describe a specific faculty or advisory-board title for him.\n\n## Career\n\nBefore and during his time as sheriff, Blackwood rose through the ranks of the Orange County Sheriff's Office over a 45-year career, per his campaign's own account [2][13]. He was elected President of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association in 2025 [5][9] and, separately, was appointed by Governor Stein to chair the North Carolina Governor's Crime Commission the same year [1][10][11][12]. In a February 2026 interview, Blackwood discussed his platform and record as he sought re-election [8].\n\n## Office history\n\nBlackwood was first elected Orange County Sheriff in 2014, narrowly defeating David Caldwell [13]. He won a second term in 2018 after defeating Tony White in the Democratic primary [13], and ran unopposed for a third term in 2022 [13]. In the 2026 Democratic primary, he defeated David LaBarre with 58.41% of the vote, securing a fourth term [6][13].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nAs county sheriff, Blackwood does not sponsor legislation or cast votes in the North Carolina General Assembly; his policy influence runs through executive leadership and the advisory roles described above. As President of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, he leads the state's primary sheriffs' advocacy organization [5][9][14]. He has emphasized \"institutional knowledge\" and accountability as central to his approach to public safety and community trust [4][15].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Orange County Sheriff Tapped to Serve as Chairman of Governor's Crime Commission \u2013 NC DPS](https://www.ncdps.gov/news/press-releases/2025/03/20/orange-county-sheriff-tapped-serve-chairman-governors-crime-commission)\n[2] [About Charles \u2013 Re-Elect Charles Blackwood Sheriff of Orange County](https://www.blackwoodforsheriff.com/about)\n[3] [News \u2013 Re-Elect Charles Blackwood Sheriff of Orange County](https://www.blackwoodforsheriff.com/news)\n[4] [Q&A: Blackwood campaigns on accountability, building trust \u2013 newsoforange.com](https://www.newsoforange.com/community/article_db9798c4-949c-4f3e-bfb4-f7105e92aa98.html)\n[5] [Sheriff Blackwood picked to be President of N.C. Sheriffs' Association \u2013 newsoforange.com](https://www.newsoforange.com/community/article_ffa14170-0ce8-11ed-8631-13604401c2a3.html)\n[6] [Incumbent Charles Blackwood projected to win Democratic primary for Orange County Sheriff \u2013 Daily Tar Heel](https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/city-orange-county-sherrif-breakings-20260304)\n[7] [Sheriff Charles Blackwood \u2013 School of Professional Studies at Wake Forest University](https://sps.wfu.edu/profiles/sheriff-charles-blackwood/)\n[8] [A conversation with Sheriff Charles Blackwood, who is running for re-election in Orange County \u2013 thecarrborean.com](https://www.thecarrborean.com/a-conversation-with-sheriff-charles-blackwood-who-is-running-for-re-election-in-orange-county/)\n[9] [Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood Becomes President of North Carolina Sheriffs' Association \u2013 The Local Reporter](https://thelocalreporter.press/orange-county-sheriff-charles-blackwood-becomes-president-of-north-carolina-sheriffs-association/)\n[10] [Orange County Sheriff Blackwood Appointed to Chair of North Carolina Governor's Crime Commission \u2013 Chapelboro.com](https://chapelboro.com/news/state-news/orange-county-sheriff-blackwood-appointed-to-chair-of-north-carolina-governors-crime-commission)\n[11] [Governor Stein Appoints Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood Chair of Crime Commission \u2013 ocsonc.com](https://www.ocsonc.com/press-release-archive-1/governor-stein-appoints-orange-county-sheriff-charles-blackwood-chair-of-crime-commission)\n[12] [Veteran lawman leads crime advisory panel \u2013 North Carolina Lawyers Weekly](https://nclawyersweekly.com/2025/03/24/veteran-lawman-leads-crime-advisory-panel/)\n[13] [Charles Blackwood Earns Election to Fourth Term as Orange County Sheriff Following Primary Win \u2013 Chapelboro.com](https://chapelboro.com/local-election-coverage/charles-blackwood-earns-election-to-fourth-term-as-orange-county-sheriff)\n[14] [Charles Blackwood \u2013 IndyWeek](https://indyweek.com/news/politics/elections/charles-blackwood/)\n[15] [Q&A: Orange County Sheriff candidate Charles Blackwood says 'institutional knowledge is critical' \u2013 Daily Tar Heel](https://dailytarheel.com/article/city-sheriff-charles-blackwood-elections-qanda-20260224)","firstname":"Charles","lastname":"Blackwood","middlename":"Stuart","suffix":null,"token":"a9f10715525175f4"},"token":"LV-W8PMbklYus9JG"}],"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":"Orange County Sheriff"}