{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Davonta Ferguson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nDavonta Dominic Ferguson was a Democratic candidate for Wilson County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary, a three-candidate field. He placed third with 1,057 votes, behind winner Brandon L. Barbrey (3,339) and Christopher (Chris) Boykin (2,333), and lost the primary [1]. He will not appear on the Wilson County Sheriff ballot in the November 3, 2026 general election.\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Davonta Dominic Ferguson is a registered voter in Wilson County, North Carolina, registered since 2011 (15 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Davonta Dominic Ferguson's year of birth as 1993; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 11 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 election [3].\n\nNo additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Davonta Dominic Ferguson can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 primary certified precinct results, Wilson County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/WILSON_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) \u2014 Wilson County Sheriff (DEM), accessed 2026-07-21; also confirmed via the [NC State Board of Elections 2026 Candidate Listing](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)\n\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Davonta","lastname":"Ferguson","middlename":"Dominic","suffix":null,"token":"e2b84a700957518a"},"token":"oGjglIv8lryN9VCx"},{"candidatename":"Christopher C. (Chris) Boykin","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nChristopher Carl Boykin ran in the 2026 Democratic primary for Sheriff of Wilson County, North Carolina.\n\nBoykin's campaign emphasized school safety and preventive law enforcement. He proposed expanding School Resource Officer coverage and increasing deputy support in schools. He also advocated for improving deputy retention through competitive pay, better resources, and promotion from within the department.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Chris Boykin for Sheriff \u2013 Campaign Website](https://www.chrisboykinforsheriff.com/)\n","firstname":"Christopher","lastname":"Boykin","middlename":"Carl","suffix":null,"token":"06e1d71895cedb71"},"token":"4u78sWNh_VQNiF-J"},{"candidatename":"Kevin Travis Raper","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nKevin Travis Raper was a Republican candidate for Wilson County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary. He placed second to Bobby Knight, 1,084 votes to 1,966, and lost the primary [1]. He will not appear on the Wilson County Sheriff ballot in the November 3, 2026 general election.\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Kevin Travis Raper is a registered voter in Wilson County, North Carolina, registered since 1996 (30 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Kevin Travis Raper's year of birth as 1978; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 16 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 election [3].\n\nNo additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Kevin Travis Raper can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 primary certified precinct results, Wilson County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/WILSON_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) \u2014 Wilson County Sheriff (REP), accessed 2026-07-21; also confirmed via the [NC State Board of Elections 2026 Candidate Listing](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)\n\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Kevin","lastname":"Raper","middlename":"Travis","suffix":null,"token":"541b790f044382c5"},"token":"Z1GVJgxaJHto3WZK"},{"candidatename":"Brandon L. Barbrey","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nBrandon Barbrey is a candidate for Wilson County Sheriff in North Carolina [1]. He launched his campaign for the position with a kickoff event [7]. During the Democratic primary process, sheriff candidates shared their platforms at a forum [8].\n\nBarbrey filed a challenge against fellow candidate Bobby Knight\u2019s candidacy before the Wilson County Board of Elections [1]. The board initially deemed Knight ineligible to run [9]. However, the State Board of Elections delayed hearing Knight\u2019s appeal [12] and later discussed the sheriff filing in a Monday meeting [11]. An elections director rejected an order to backdate the decision regarding Knight\u2019s candidacy [6].\n\nFollowing these developments, Barbrey and another candidate, Kevin Raper, advanced to a showdown with Knight for the sheriff position [3]. The State Board of Elections held a preliminary hearing to address the challenges from Barbrey and Raper against Knight [1]. Ultimately, the challengers dropped their appeals regarding Knight\u2019s candidacy [5].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nIn May 2025, Brandon Barbrey joined fellow candidate Kevin Raper in challenging the candidacy of Bobby Knight for Wilson County sheriff [1]. The challengers filed objections with the Wilson County Board of Elections, arguing that Knight was ineligible to run [2]. During a preliminary hearing, Barbrey and Raper presented their case against Knight\u2019s qualification to hold office [1].\n\nThe Wilson County Board of Elections initially ruled in favor of the challengers, deeming Knight ineligible to appear on the ballot [9]. However, the county elections director later rejected an order to backdate this disqualification, prompting Barbrey to indicate he would continue to challenge Knight\u2019s presence in the race [6].\n\nKnight filed an appeal with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, which scheduled a hearing to discuss the filing eligibility [10]. The state board delayed this hearing for further review [12], while also discussing the sheriff filing in a separate Monday meeting [11]. A letter published in the *Wilson Times* criticized the local elections board\u2019s handling of the challenge, stating that the board had erred in its initial decision [4].\n\nFollowing the state board's proceedings, Barbrey and Raper dropped their appeals regarding Knight\u2019s candidacy [5]. The two candidates subsequently advanced to a runoff showdown for the sheriff position [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [The Wilson County Board of Elections will hold a preliminary hearing Tuesday morning to hear challenges from Wilson County sheriff candidates Brandon Barbrey and Kevin Raper against fellow candidate Bobby Knight.](https://www.facebook.com/wilsontimes/posts/the-wilson-county-board-of-elections-will-hold-a-preliminary-hearing-tuesday-mor/1521705679961281/)\n[2] [Barbrey, Raper challenging Knight\u2019s candidacy for sheriff](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/barbrey-raper-challenging-knights-candidacy-fdd40294)\n[3] [Knight, Barbrey advance to Wilson sheriff showdown](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/knight-barbrey-will-showdown-for-sheriff-2ec889b4)\n[4] [Elections board errs in sheriff candidate challenge](https://www.wilsontimes.com/letters/elections-board-errs-in-sheriff-candidate-challenge-68a0fe82)\n[5] [Challengers drop appeals on Knight's candidacy for sheriff](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/challenges-dropped-on-knights-candidacy-for-sheriff-f65d296c)\n[6] [Elections director rejects backdate order; Barbrey to challenge Knight...](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/elections-director-denies-state-board-orders-knights-candidacy-to-be-challenged-0f124e0e)\n[7] [Barbrey launches campaign for sheriff](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/barbrey-hosts-campaign-kickoff-02fa55cc)\n[8] [Sheriff candidates share platforms at Democratic forum](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/sheriff-candidates-air-ideas-at-forum-756892c7)\n[9] [Elections board deems Knight ineligible to run](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/elections-board-deems-knight-ineligible-f023e39e)\n[10] [State Board of Elections to hear Knight\u2019s appeal Tuesday morning](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/knight-files-appeal-to-state-board-of-elections-55ac40c9)\n[11] [State Board of Elections to discuss sheriff filing in Monday meeting](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/state-board-of-elections-to-discuss-sheriff-filing-in-monday-meeting-f92732c7)\n[12] [State elections board delays Knight\u2019s appeal hearing](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/knights-appeal-pushed-back-by-ncsbe-e6db4de0)","firstname":"Brandon","lastname":"Barbrey","middlename":"Lee","suffix":null,"token":"d154be314a3d46cf"},"token":"GOVWYAYohblz44lf"},{"candidatename":"Bobby Knight","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"**Duval Bobby Knight won the Republican primary for Wilson County Sheriff on March 3, 2026, receiving 1,966 votes to runner-up Kevin Travis Raper's 1,084, and will appear on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot [1].**\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Duval Bobby Knight is a registered voter in Wilson County, North Carolina, registered since 2012 (14 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Duval Bobby Knight's year of birth as 1994; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 8 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [3].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records and the state's certified primary results. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Duval Bobby Knight can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 primary certified precinct results, Wilson County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/WILSON_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) \u2014 Wilson County Sheriff (REP)\n\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Duval","lastname":"Knight","middlename":"Bobby","suffix":null,"token":"25551811dbbd9737"},"token":"hSt_yyraKfk1TJSH"}],"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":"Wilson County Sheriff"}