{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJason \"Jay\" Kirkland is the sitting chairman of the Swain County Board of Commissioners. He is running as a Republican for a regular seat on the Board of Commissioners in the 2026 election, appearing on the March 3, 2026 primary ballot for one of the county's commissioner seats [1]. Per the Smoky Mountain News, by the November general election Kirkland \"will have served one year in the position\" of chairman, but \"he's seeking another term on the board, but not as its chairman\" \u2014 he is not a candidate for chairman in this cycle [1].\n\n## Background and career\nKirkland works in the logging industry. Commissioner David Loftis, nominating him for chairman, described him as a man who \"logs for a living, raised in Bryson City all of his life, worked hard\" [2].\n\n## Office history\nSwain County commissioners unanimously appointed Kirkland chairman of the Board of Commissioners on October 28, 2025, succeeding Kevin Seagle, who had resigned the chairmanship that August [2][3]. Commissioner Bobby Jenkins nominated Kirkland and Commissioner David Loftis seconded the motion [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Candidates for Swain County Chairman share ideas, platforms \u2013 Smoky Mountain News](https://smokymountainnews.com/news/news-latest/candidates-for-swain-county-chairman-share-ideas-platforms/)\n[2] [Kirkland unanimously appointed as Swain County chairman \u2013 Smoky Mountain News](https://smokymountainnews.com/news/news-latest/kirkland-unanimously-appointed-as-swain-county-chairman/)\n[3] [Swain commission chair gives county his resignation \u2013 Smoky Mountain News](https://smokymountainnews.com/archived/archived-news/swain-commission-chair-gives-county-his-resignation/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","county":"swain","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Swain County Board Of Commissioners Members"},{"contest":"county_commission","county":"swain","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Swain County Board Of Commissioners Members"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Jason","fullname":"Jason Ray Kirkland","lastname":"Kirkland","middlename":"Ray","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Swain County Board Of Commissioners Members","county":"swain","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"swain","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Swain County Board Of Commissioners Members","county":"swain","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"swain","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"swain","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Swain County Board Of Commissioners Members","county":"swain","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"swain","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Jason Ray Kirkland is a Republican candidate for Swain County Commissioner, appearing on the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 primary ballot.","terms":[],"token":"143fd2e86d49acf4"}