{"biography":"Jeffrey Lee Haynes is the incumbent Clerk of Superior Court for Haywood County, North Carolina, having been appointed to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Hunter Plemmons after eight years of service. Haynes previously served as the chief deputy of the Haywood County Sheriff's Office before his appointment. The Clerk of Superior Court is an elected position, and Haynes will serve the remainder of the term\u2014approximately 14 months\u2014until the 2026 election, when a primary in March will select each party\u2019s nominee for the November general election. Haynes has announced his intention to run for a full term as the Democratic candidate in that race. In statements following his appointment, Haynes expressed gratitude for the confidence placed in him by local judicial officials and the criminal\u2011justice community, and he outlined goals to continue the legacy of past clerks, strengthen relationships with law\u2011enforcement agencies throughout Haywood County and neighboring areas, and collaborate with other clerks of superior court. His appointment and campaign plans were reported by WLOS News on June 5, 2024[12].\n\n## Sources\n- [12] [Jeff Haynes appointed as Haywood County's next Clerk of Superior Court](https://wlos.com/news/local/jeff-haynes-appointed-haywood-county-clerk-superior-court-sheriffs-office-chief-deputy-resignation-elected-position-election-2026-primary-democrat)","campaigns":[{"contest":"clerk_of_superior_court","county":"haywood","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Haywood County Clerk Of Superior Court"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Jeffery","fullname":"Jeffery Lee Haynes","lastname":"Haynes","middlename":"Lee","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"clerk_of_superior_court","contest_title":"Haywood County Clerk Of Superior Court","county":"haywood","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"haywood","office_key":"clerk_of_superior_court","office_title":"Clerk of Superior Court","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"haywood","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"clerk_of_superior_court","contest_title":"Haywood County Clerk Of Superior Court","county":"haywood","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"haywood","office_key":"clerk_of_superior_court","office_title":"Clerk of Superior Court","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"clerk_of_superior_court","office_title":"Clerk of Superior Court","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Jeffrey Lee Haynes, former chief deputy sheriff, was appointed Haywood County Clerk of Superior Court and will run as a Democrat in the 2026 election.","terms":[],"token":"0a300cb4f33b7ae5"}