{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nBilly Charles Parker Jr. is the Republican nominee for Rockingham County Sheriff in the November 3, 2026 general election [1][2]. Parker won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary, defeating former N.C. State Highway Patrol First Sergeant Darren Wright and former Highway Patrol sergeant Brian Harbour; WFMY News 2 reported Parker took 43.24% of the primary vote to Wright's 35.05% and Harbour's 21.72% [3]. WFMY reported he is expected to face Democratic nominee Franklin Moore in the November general election [3][1].\n\nParker's campaign has emphasized a hard-line stance on drug and human trafficking, including a proposed dedicated anti-trafficking team and multi-agency drug unit and expanded partnerships to combat fentanyl, along with continuing community-engagement programs such as a Sheriff's Citizens' Academy, school resource officers, and child-protection task force partnerships [3][5].\n\n## Background and education\nParker was born and raised in Rockingham County and graduated from Madison-Mayodan High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1985, completed the Air Force Security Police Training Academy, and served as a Security Police Sergeant until his honorable discharge in 1989 [5]. He holds an associate's degree in Law Enforcement Technology [5].\n\n## Career\nParker completed Basic Law Enforcement Training and joined the Reidsville Police Department in 1990 [5]. In 1994 he began a career with the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office that included stints as a Deputy Sheriff, Field Training Officer, vice-narcotics officer, and Special Response Team member and commander, rising to Lieutenant, Patrol Captain, and finally Captain of Criminal Investigations before retiring in 2014 [5]. His own candidate profile with the Reidsville Area Chamber of Commerce summarizes his background as \"26 years experience in law enforcement and 4 years in the military police,\" retiring \"as a Capt. of Investigations,\" followed by nine years as an investigator with the Rockingham/Caswell County District Attorney's Office, the role he still holds [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Billy Parker (Rockingham County Sheriff, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Billy_Parker_(Rockingham_County_Sheriff,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n[2] [Sample Ballot \u2013 Republican Party Primary, Rockingham County, North Carolina, March 3, 2026](https://files.municipalone.com/rockinghamcounty-nc/SampleBallot-R-Stoneville1390100834123025AM.pdf)\n[3] [Billy Parker wins Republican primary for Rockingham County Sheriff - wfmynews2.com](https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/politics/elections/billy-parker-wins-republican-primary-rockingham-county-sheriff/83-2890a882-c60d-4dba-bf9d-86c9bcfd6579)\n[4] [Billy Parker Jr. for Sheriff of Rockingham County - Reidsville Area Chamber of Commerce](https://business.reidsvillechamber.org/list/member/billy-parker-jr-for-sheriff-of-rockingham-county-3809)\n[5] [Billy Parker, Candidate for Rockingham County Sheriff \u2013 Rockingham Update (Facebook)](https://www.facebook.com/RockinghamUpdate/posts/-billy-parker-candidate-for-rockingham-county-sheriff-/1191907592937539/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"rockingham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Rockingham County Sheriff"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"rockingham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Rockingham County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Billy","fullname":"Billy Charles Parker JR","lastname":"Parker","middlename":"Charles","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Rockingham County Sheriff","county":"rockingham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"rockingham","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Rockingham County Sheriff","county":"rockingham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"rockingham","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"rockingham","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Rockingham County Sheriff","county":"rockingham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"rockingham","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":"Billy Charles Parker\u202fJr., a veteran law\u2011enforcement officer and district attorney investigator, is the Republican nominee for Rockingham County Sheriff in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"10e319346eda0f8e"}