{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Jimmy Thornton","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJames Haywood Thornton, known as Jimmy Thornton, is the incumbent Sampson County Sheriff seeking his seventh term. He won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary, defeating challenger Tracy Jackson 4,529 votes (69 percent) to 2,009 votes (30 percent) with all 23 precincts reporting, and faces Democratic challenger Donald Edwards in the November 3, 2026 general election [3]. He has served as Sampson County's chief law enforcement officer since 2002 [1].\n\n## Background and education\nThornton is a 1969 graduate of Hobbton High School in Sampson County. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Social Work from East Carolina University in 1974 and a Master of Business Administration from North Carolina State University in the 1980s [1].\n\n## Career\nBefore becoming sheriff, Thornton worked as a District Manager for the North Carolina Division of Adult Correction's Probation and Parole section for 28 years. He was first elected Sampson County Sheriff in 2002 and has been re-elected continuously since, most recently earning a fifth term in 2018 [1].\n\n## Family\nThornton had been married to his wife Betsy for more than 45 years as of 2018. They have two sons, Brian and Greg, and three grandchildren [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Thornton earns fifth term as county sheriff \u2013 Sampson Independent](https://www.clintonnc.com/news/local/34737/thornton-earns-fifth-term-as-county-sheriff) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[2] [Sheriff Jimmy Thornton \u2013 North Carolina Sheriffs' Association](https://ncsheriffs.org/people/jimmy-thornton) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[3] [Grady makes clerk history \u2013 Sampson Independent](https://www.clintonnc.com/news/breaking-news/112367/grady-makes-clerk-history) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19","firstname":"James","lastname":"Thornton","middlename":"Haywood","suffix":null,"token":"7ac41d765b05f029"},"token":"3RanQCt_z4j4A5Uf"},{"candidatename":"Tracy Jackson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nWilliam Tracy Jackson (Republican) ran for Sampson County, NC Sheriff in the 2026 primary. He lost to incumbent Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, 4,529 to 2,009 votes (69% to 30%).\n\n## Background and education\nA Sampson County native, Jackson was born and raised in Clinton, NC. He holds an Advanced Law Enforcement Certification and serves as a law enforcement instructor at multiple local community colleges.\n\n## Career\nJackson has more than 15 years in law enforcement. He began as a Sampson County deputy sheriff, worked up to the rank of detective, and left full-time in 2008. Most recently he served as Chief of Police in Stedman, NC, where he built the department from the ground up. He has also farmed turkeys under a Butterball contract for 20 years.\n\nJackson volunteered as a youth coach at Clinton High School and Sampson Middle School, served as a deacon at Clinton Community Church, and spent 11 years on the board of the Sampson Community Theatre.\n\n## Family\nMarried to Natalie Jones Jackson; four children and two grandchildren.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [About \u2013 Tracy Jackson for Sheriff](https://jacksonforsheriff.com/about/)\n- [2] [Tracy Jackson Announces Campaign \u2013 Sampson Weekly](https://thesampsonweekly.com/f/tracy-jackson-announces-campaign-for-sheriff-of-sampson-county)\n","firstname":"William","lastname":"Jackson","middlename":"Tracy","suffix":null,"token":"5836f1f15920fa4b"},"token":"H8mRcDJ2IePR3gzh"}],"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":"Sampson County Sheriff"}