{"biography":"Kenneth Judson Blackwell\u202fJr. is the Republican candidate for Wake County Sheriff in the 2026 general election, scheduled for November\u202f3,\u202f2026. The sheriff\u2019s office in Wake County is the chief law\u2011enforcement agency for the county, responsible for operating the county jail, providing court security, serving civil processes, and overseeing public safety initiatives such as traffic enforcement and emergency response. The office requires a candidate to be a resident of the county, meet age and citizenship qualifications, and possess a background in law enforcement or related public\u2011service experience. Blackwell meets these statutory requirements and, after the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Republican primary was canceled, advanced automatically to the November ballot alongside incumbent Democrat Willie Rowe [4].\n\nBorn on September\u202f7,\u202f1962, Blackwell grew up in the Fowler\u2019s Crossroads community outside Rolesville, North Carolina. He married his high\u2011school sweetheart Deborah Fuller in 1982; the couple raised two daughters and later welcomed two grandchildren before Deborah\u2019s death in January\u202f2021. In November\u202f2022 he married Cheryl Parrish, a longtime friend and classmate. Outside of his career, Blackwell enjoys fishing, reading, drawing, and spending time with his wife and their dog Milo [12].\n\nBlackwell\u2019s professional life has been spent entirely in law\u2011enforcement. He began as a Wake County Deputy, later served as a U.S. Marshal, and is currently an Investigator with the North Carolina State Capitol Police. These roles have given him experience in criminal investigations, federal\u2011state coordination, and community policing. His r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is highlighted on his campaign website, which emphasizes his long\u2011standing commitment to public safety and his familiarity with the challenges facing Wake County [12].\n\nThe campaign platform, as outlined on his website, focuses on several priority areas: reducing emergency response times; cracking down on fentanyl and other opioids; rescuing victims of human trafficking; expanding mental\u2011health services; increasing salaries for deputies and detention officers; and promoting a community\u2011focused approach to public safety. Blackforce also pledges transparency, accountability, and accessibility for both citizens and department employees if elected [4][12].\n\nBlackwell\u2019s contact information for voters includes an email address (kenny@kenny4wake.com) provided on the Ballotpedia page, and his campaign website (https://kenny4wake.com/) offers additional details and a means for supporters to get involved [4][12].\n\n## Sources\n- [4] [Kenny Blackwell - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kenny_Blackwell)\n- [5] [Kenneth Blackwell - NCDOJ](https://ncdoj.gov/officers/kenneth-blackwell/)\n- [12] [Kenny Blackwell for Wake County Sheriff](https://kenny4wake.com/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Wake County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Kenneth","fullname":"Kenneth Judson Blackwell JR","lastname":"Blackwell","middlename":"Judson","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Wake County Sheriff","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"wake","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Wake County Sheriff","county":"wake","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"wake","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"JR","summary":"Kenneth J. Blackwell\u202fJr., a career law\u2011enforcement officer, is the Republican candidate for Wake County Sheriff in 2026, running on a platform of faster response, drug crackdowns, and community\u2011focused policing.","terms":[],"token":"0b13540f2508903c"}