{"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":"3q5yCXx7FKJ5JiQb"},{"candidatename":"Donald Earl Edwards","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Donald Earl Edwards is a registered voter in Sampson County, North Carolina, registered since 1992 (34 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Donald Earl Edwards's year of birth as 1972; 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 Donald Earl Edwards 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/)","firstname":"Donald","lastname":"Edwards","middlename":"Earl","suffix":null,"token":"74de41232ae7b512"},"token":"mo6__GgbGh7pOdQW"}],"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"}