{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\n**Cody Jacob George placed second of six candidates, with 489 votes, in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for Graham County Sheriff, which Caleb Stiles won; George will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot [3].**\n\nGeorge served as chief deputy of the Graham County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) under Sheriff Brad Hoxit. Hoxit encouraged George to run for the office, but George declined to back the incumbent, citing ethical concerns over the sheriff's conduct \u2014 concerns that formed part of an unprecedented Graham County sheriff removal hearing that drew statewide attention in 2025.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [1] [Keeping the Faith \u2013 Smoky Mountain News](https://smokymountainnews.com/news/item/41110-keeping-the-faith-first-of-its-kind-sheriff-removal-hearing-plays-out-in-graham-county)\n- [2] [Who Is Running for Sheriff in NC 2026 \u2013 Bolts](https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/candidates-district-attorney-sheriff-north-carolina-2026/)\n- [3] [Stiles, incumbents win primary \u2013 The Graham Star](https://www.grahamstar.com/local-regional-newsletter/stiles-incumbents-win-primary)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"graham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Graham County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Cody","fullname":"Cody Jacob George","lastname":"George","middlename":"Jacob","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Graham County Sheriff","county":"graham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"graham","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"graham","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Graham County Sheriff","county":"graham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"graham","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":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"0fa104856c8baac5"}