{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Eric L. Byrd","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nEric Lee Byrd, of the Moravian Falls community in Wilkes County, North Carolina, was one of six Republican candidates for Wilkes County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary, running against incumbent Chris Shew, Sharon Call-Diaz, David Carson, Jamie Dowell, and David Gambill [1]. Shew won the primary with 1,136 votes; Byrd received 302 votes, finishing fifth of the six candidates, according to official North Carolina State Board of Elections results [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [9 file for commissioner, 6 for sheriff \u2013 Journal Patriot](https://www.journalpatriot.com/news/9-file-for-commissioner-6-for-sheriff/article_9f1e5455-b747-5539-a920-ec98611de642.html)\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 official precinct-level results, Wilkes County Sheriff Republican primary, March 3, 2026, accessed 2026-07-23: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/WILKES_PRECINCT_SORT.txt","firstname":"Eric","lastname":"Byrd","middlename":"Lee","suffix":null,"token":"638e0a6ae5c069fe"},"token":"tq8FfHdIlV-6BDB3"},{"candidatename":"Jamie Dowell","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, James Elisha Dowell is a registered voter in Wilkes County, North Carolina, registered since 2004 (22 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows James Elisha Dowell's year of birth as 1983; 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\n**James Elisha Dowell was a Republican candidate for Wilkes County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary and did not advance, finishing second of six candidates with 700 votes; incumbent Chris Shew won the nomination with 1,136 votes.** [3]\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 James Elisha Dowell 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 \u2014 official March 3, 2026 primary results, Wilkes County (WILKES_PRECINCT_SORT.txt), accessed 2026-07-23: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/WILKES_PRECINCT_SORT.txt","firstname":"James","lastname":"Dowell","middlename":"Elisha","suffix":null,"token":"9b79f65f02666c9e"},"token":"DEUrShtNSEQtazUj"},{"candidatename":"Chris Shew","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nChris Shew is the incumbent Sheriff of Wilkes County, North Carolina, first elected in 2010 [1][2]. He won the Republican primary for a fifth term on March 3, 2026, receiving 3,583 votes to challengers Jamie Dowell (3,370), David Gambill (1,260), Eric L. Byrd (1,126), David Carson (1,082), and Sharon Call-Diaz (218), according to official North Carolina State Board of Elections results [3]. He advances to the November 3, 2026 general election as the Republican nominee.\n\n## Career\n\nShew has spent more than four decades in Wilkes County law enforcement. He was sworn in as a part-time deputy on June 17, 1980, under Sheriff Kyle Gentry; became a full-time deputy and detention officer by 1983; and was promoted that year to sergeant and then captain of the 2nd shift, supervising investigations, civil process, and patrol operations [1]. From 1984 to 1986 he worked in investigations on property crimes and major cases. In December 1986 he became chief detective under Sheriff Fred Myers, a role he held until 2001 overseeing all county investigations, then served as chief deputy for Sheriff Dane Mastin from 2001 until his own election as sheriff in 2010 [1]. He has been incident commander for the Hazardous Devices Unit and the Tactical Team, holds advanced certifications from the North Carolina Sheriffs' Training and Standards Division and the North Carolina Criminal Justice Standards and Training Division, and served eight years as a reserve officer with the Wilkesboro Police Department [1]. In early 2023 he briefed media on a month-long murder investigation, describing the department's investigative steps [4].\n\n## Office history\n\nShew was first elected sheriff in 2010 [1][2]. In the 2022 Republican primary he defeated Eric L. Byrd, 7,090 votes to 3,653; he then ran unopposed in the November 2022 general election, winning 21,345 votes for his fourth term, according to official NCSBE results [3]. In the 2026 Republican primary (detailed above) he defeated five challengers to advance toward a fifth term [3].\n\nCampaign finance filings for the 2022-23 cycle show Shew raised $17,726 and spent $15,667, with contributions from local supporters and in-kind expenses for advertising, signage, and event catering [5].\n\n## Family\n\nShew lives in the Antioch community of Wilkes County and is married with children [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Staff Directory \u2022 Chris Shew](https://wilkescounty.net/directory.aspx?EID=6) \u2014 Wilkes County government\n[2] [Sheriff candidates tell background, why they're running](https://www.journalpatriot.com/sheriff-candidates-tell-background-why-theyre-running/article_2741b7d7-8cef-546f-a60c-b2dd29f9bb4c.html) \u2014 Journal Patriot\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 official precinct-level results for Wilkes County Sheriff: 2022 Republican primary (May 17, 2022) at https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2022_05_17/results_pct_20220517.zip, 2022 general election (November 8, 2022) at https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2022_11_08/results_pct_20221108.zip, and 2026 Republican primary (March 3, 2026) at https://dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[4] [Three Charged in Wilkes County Murder](https://www.ashepostandtimes.com/news/three-charged-in-wilkes-county-murder/article_3c186135-3fd1-56eb-96de-44787229e2fc.html) \u2014 Ashe Post & Times\n[5] [Sheriff's race leads local spending](https://www.journalpatriot.com/news/sheriff-s-race-leads-local-spending/article_a0eabb42-52da-11e8-9cd5-034a37e78512.html) \u2014 Journal Patriot","firstname":"Chris","lastname":"Shew","middlename":"Lee","suffix":null,"token":"3bd8f30b6aab960b"},"token":"upcF4ssT_AVcp65N"},{"candidatename":"Sharon Call-Diaz","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nSharon Call-Diaz, a Republican from the Millers Creek community in Wilkes County, North Carolina, ran in the 2026 Republican primary for Wilkes County Sheriff, her third campaign for the position. She previously lost to incumbent Chris Shew in 2014 and 2018.\n\nCall-Diaz proposed establishing patrol districts and community policing to improve response times, placing a school resource officer in every school, updating the Wilkes Communications Center, and establishing a civil crimes unit.\n\n## Career\nCall-Diaz completed Basic Law Enforcement Training at Wilkes Community College in July 1991 and was sworn in as a deputy sheriff in 1993. She has worked as a Wilkes County Deputy Sheriff for over 30 years and remains certified. She has served as a Training and Supervising Officer for more than a decade and as a supervisor for nine years. She holds NC Justice Academy certifications as a Field Training Officer and Criminal Investigator and has received SWAT training. Separately, she works as a private investigator.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Wilkes Sheriff Candidates Give Responses to Questions \u2013 The Wilkes Record](https://thewilkesrecord.com/wilkes-sheriff-candidates-give-responses-to-questions-p11594-149.htm)\n- [2] [9 file for commissioner, 6 for sheriff \u2013 Journal Patriot](https://www.journalpatriot.com/news/9-file-for-commissioner-6-for-sheriff/article_9f1e5455-b747-5539-a920-ec98611de642.html)\n","firstname":"Sharon","lastname":"Call-Diaz","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"bbdf4ccd4a390d43"},"token":"IQE0iMEjTp5NHf6P"},{"candidatename":"David Gambill","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, David Duane Gambill JR is a registered voter in Wilkes County, North Carolina, registered since 1999 (27 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows David Duane Gambill JR's year of birth as 1979; 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\n**David Duane Gambill JR was a Republican candidate for Wilkes County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary and did not advance, finishing third of six candidates with 412 votes; incumbent Chris Shew won the nomination with 1,136 votes.** [3]\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 Duane Gambill 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/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 official March 3, 2026 primary results, Wilkes County (WILKES_PRECINCT_SORT.txt), accessed 2026-07-23: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/WILKES_PRECINCT_SORT.txt","firstname":"David","lastname":"Gambill","middlename":"Duane","suffix":"JR","token":"78f310799c44db04"},"token":"Jeo8MUPYfTXTCEV9"},{"candidatename":"David Carson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, William David Carson is a registered voter in Wilkes County, North Carolina, registered since 1988 (38 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows William David Carson's year of birth as 1969; 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\n**William David Carson was a Republican candidate for Wilkes County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary and did not advance, finishing fourth of six candidates with 354 votes; incumbent Chris Shew won the nomination with 1,136 votes.** [3]\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 William David Carson 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 \u2014 official March 3, 2026 primary results, Wilkes County (WILKES_PRECINCT_SORT.txt), accessed 2026-07-23: https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/WILKES_PRECINCT_SORT.txt","firstname":"William","lastname":"Carson","middlename":"David","suffix":null,"token":"a07eb1fd5a472810"},"token":"NhMrXdLzrjPlSSkq"}],"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":"Wilkes County Sheriff"}