{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Gwendolyn Harris","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nGwendolyn Leverne Harris is a candidate for the Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large seat in North Carolina [1]. She is running in the 2026 election cycle for this position [1]. As of May 12, 2026, the outcome of this upcoming election remains unknown.\n\n## Background and education\n\nGwendolyn Harris was born in 1972 [1]. She self-describes as a Christian and resides in Stanly County, North Carolina [1]. Harris attended South Stanly High School [1]. She later earned an Associate of Arts degree from Central Carolina Technical College [1].\n\n## Career\n\nGwendolyn Harris is a nurse practitioner by profession [1]. She holds professional licensure in nursing [1].\n\n## Office history\n\nGwendolyn Harris is a candidate for Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large in 2026 [1]. The provided source does not list any prior elected or appointed offices held by Harris, nor does it detail previous races run or lost [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Gwendolyn Harris (Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Gwendolyn_Harris_(Stanly_County_Board_of_Commissioners_At-Large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))","firstname":"Gwendolyn","lastname":"Harris","middlename":"Leverne","suffix":null,"token":"fca5678590b752c9"},"token":"f6mAEtxkodvsovk6"},{"candidatename":"Bill Lawhon","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Willie Dee Lawhon JR is a registered voter in Stanly County, North Carolina, registered since 1983 (43 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Willie Dee Lawhon JR's year of birth as 1951; 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 12 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 Willie Dee Lawhon JR 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":"Willie","lastname":"Lawhon","middlename":"Dee","suffix":"JR","token":"ada69d50454f1b73"},"token":"Tu_6lWH8PcmIu1_4"},{"candidatename":"Melvin B. Poole","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"LIB","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nAs of May 17, 2026, Melvin B. Poole is a candidate for the Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large seat in North Carolina [1]. He has filed to run in the upcoming general election for this position [5]. BallotReady lists him as a candidate for the November 2024 race, indicating his continued political activity in the jurisdiction [5].\n\nPoole previously sought the Stanly County Board of Education At-Large seat in the 2022 North Carolina Primary Election [2][5]. In that cycle, he participated in the Republican primary process for county-level office [4]. He also ran for the Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large position in the 2024 general election [1][3].\n\n## Career\n\nMelvin B. Poole graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and completed additional coursework in human development and learning at Pfeiffer University [7]. He served as a Military Police Officer during the Vietnam War, a service for which he is commemorated on the Wall of Faces registry of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund [6][7].\n\nProfessionally, Poole has worked as a Red Cross volunteer [5]. He self-describes his political affiliation as Libertarian and identifies himself as a candidate for Stanly County Commissioner At Large in the 2024 election [7].\n\n## Office history\n\nMelvin B. Poole ran for election to the Stanly County Board of Education At-Large in the 2022 North Carolina Primary Election [2]. He sought the Republican nomination but did not secure it, as he lost the primary race [4].\n\nPoole subsequently ran for election to the Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large in the 2024 North Carolina General Election [1]. He is listed as a candidate for this office in that cycle [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Melvin B. Poole (Stanly County Board of Commissioners At-Large ...](https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_B._Poole_(Stanly_County_Board_of_Commissioners_At-Large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2024))\n[2] [Melvin B. Poole (Stanly County Board of Education At-Large, North ...](https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_B._Poole_(Stanly_County_Board_of_Education_At-Large,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2022))\n[3] [Stanly County, North Carolina, elections, 2024 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Stanly_County,_North_Carolina,_elections,_2024)\n[4] [Stanly County Republican primary election results - Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WSPCWZKY/posts/election-results-brought-to-you-by-a-excellent-telecommunicationsas-of-this-repo/10158874259384077/)\n[5] [Melvin B. Poole | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/melvin-b-poole)\n[6] [THE WALL OF FACES - Vietnam Veterans Memorial ...](https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/41261/MELVIN-POOLE/)\n[7] [Melvin B. Poole platform & website | Stanly County Commissioner](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-general-election-nc-state-county-commissioner-nc-county-stanly/candidates/melvin-b-poole)","firstname":"Melvin","lastname":"Poole","middlename":"B","suffix":null,"token":"f6730ef9e37a2a09"},"token":"2L_0tzLWgmSUSoZR"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":"county_commission","office":"county_commission","officedescription":"A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Stanly County Board Of Commissioners At-Large"}