{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Richard Fulghum","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Richard Carlton Fulghum III is a registered voter in Wilson County, North Carolina, registered since 1988 (38 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Richard Carlton Fulghum III's year of birth as 1967; 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 6 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2024-11-05 general 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 Richard Carlton Fulghum III 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":"Richard","lastname":"Fulghum","middlename":"Carlton","suffix":"III","token":"b220aa35bef7c4d4"},"token":"GojwYGepLh2BAzlh"},{"candidatename":"Michael T. Wetherington","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Michael Thomas Wetherington is the incumbent Republican commissioner for District\u202f7 on the Wilson County Board of Commissioners and is seeking reelection in the 2026 race for that seat.  The Board of Commissioners sets county policy, adopts the budget, and oversees services such as public safety, schools, and infrastructure, responsibilities that Wetherington emphasizes in his campaign announcement by citing the need to \"take care of the taxpayer and make use of county taxes in the most efficient way possible\" and to keep county employee salaries competitive [6].\n\nThe public announcement provides no details about Wetherington\u2019s formal education or early career, noting only that the article does not mention his schooling [6].\n\nWetherington entered county government not through an election but by appointment after the death of Commissioner Bill Blackman, when the local Republican Party asked him to fill the remainder of the term.  He describes the experience as \u201calmost a full term\u201d and says it gave him \u201cexperience under the belt with the board\u201d as well as insight from helping run his family\u2019s business [6].  He has not previously run for office, making this campaign his first electoral effort.\n\nIn outlining his priorities, Wetherington highlights several areas of county governance.  He pledges to maintain and increase competitive pay for county employees, support public safety by ensuring the sheriff\u2019s department and police have needed resources, and continue progress in public schools.  He also references his personal experience with hurricane relief during Hurricane Helene, arguing the county must be prepared to protect lives and property in similar emergencies.  Throughout, he stresses fiscal responsibility, efficient use of tax dollars, and the importance of hearing every county resident\u2019s voice [6].\n\n## Sources\n- [6] [Wetherington announces 2026 reelection campaign](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/wetherington-announces-2026-reelection-campaign-c79e5033)","firstname":"Michael","lastname":"Wetherington","middlename":"Thomas","suffix":null,"token":"86fa711edc2f2d83"},"token":"h8hq4lTFrQa9sd-B"}],"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":"Wilson County Board Of Commissioners District 07"}