{"biography":"James McVicker is the incumbent Sheriff of Bladen County, North Carolina, and is seeking a fourth term as the Republican candidate in the 2026 election for Bladen County Sheriff. He has served as sheriff since first winning the office in 2014 and was re\u2011elected in 2018, 2022, and again in 2022 for a third term, most recently defeating Democratic challenger Hakeem Brown by 6,507\u20115,216 votes [6].\n\nMcVicker is a native of Bladen County. He began his law\u2011enforcement career with the Lumberton Police Department before joining the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, from which he retired in 2001. After retirement he taught law\u2011enforcement training courses and then ran for sheriff, winning his first term in 2014 [6][7].\n\nBefore becoming sheriff, McVicker accumulated roughly 45 years of law\u2011enforcement experience, including service as a state trooper and as a police officer. As sheriff, he has emphasized school safety, promising to maintain school resource officers and to have deputies regularly visit schools and churches. He also participates in statewide law\u2011enforcement collaborations, attending the North Carolina Sheriffs\u2019 Association Annual Business Conference in 2024, where he highlighted the importance of networking and training among sheriffs [11].\n\nMcVicker\u2019s tenure has been marked by both community initiatives and controversy. Campaign\u2011finance records reveal that his 2014 and 2018 re\u2011election campaigns paid the Red Dome Group and political operative McCrae Dowless for \u201cget\u2011out\u2011the\u2011vote\u201d services, with payments of $8,000 to Red Dome and $8,800 to Dowless in 2018, and similar payments in 2014. These payments have been cited in investigations into alleged ballot\u2011harvesting and absentee\u2011ballot irregularities in Bladen County, leading to subpoenas from the North Carolina State Board of Elections and testimony alleging that Dowless was paid to procure absentee ballots on behalf of McVicker\u2019s campaign [8][10].\n\nDespite the investigations, McVicker has not publicly commented on the allegations, and the 2022 election results were not contested. He continues to serve as sheriff, overseeing the county\u2019s law\u2011enforcement operations, jail, and civil\u2011process duties, while campaigning for re\u2011election in the 2026 race.\n\n## Sources\n- [6] [McVicker re-elected as Bladen County Sheriff](https://www.wect.com/2022/11/01/mcvicker-brown-face-off-again-2022-election-bladen-county-sheriff/)\n- [7] [McVicker wins Bladen County sheriff\u2019s race](https://www.wect.com/2018/11/07/mcvicker-wins-bladen-county-sheriffs-race/)\n- [8] [Bladen County sheriff\u2019s connection to Red Dome, Dowless predates first term](https://www.wect.com/2018/12/11/bladen-county-sheriffs-connection-red-dome-dowless-predates-first-term/)\n- [10] [McVicker campaign paid man connected to alleged NC ballot harvesting operation](https://www.wect.com/2018/12/12/mcvicker-campaign-paid-man-connected-alleged-ballot-harvesting-operation/)\n- [11] [Sheriff McVicker attends NC Sheriffs\u2019 Association Annual Business Conference | Bladen Journal](https://www.bladenjournal.com/news/71616/sheriff-mcvicker-attends-nc-sheriffs-association-annual-business-conference)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"bladen","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Bladen County Sheriff"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"bladen","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Bladen County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"James","fullname":"James Atlas Mcvicker","lastname":"Mcvicker","middlename":"Atlas","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Bladen County Sheriff","county":"bladen","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"bladen","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Bladen County Sheriff","county":"bladen","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"bladen","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"bladen","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Bladen County Sheriff","county":"bladen","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"bladen","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":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Republican Sheriff James McVicker of Bladen County is running for re\u2011election in 2026 after multiple terms and controversy over campaign payments.","terms":[],"token":"0c096ce7b33e67b9"}