{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJohn Kenneth Powell Jr. ran as a Republican candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives District 55, which covers central and eastern Union County and all of Anson County. He lost in the 2026 Republican primary to Clancy Baucom.\n\nPowell ran as a Republican willing to reach across the aisle. His stated priorities included protecting girls' sports, defending parental rights, and protecting faith, family, and freedom in North Carolina.\n\n## Background and education\nPowell was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from Myers Park High School in 1977. He earned a B.S.B.A. in marketing from Appalachian State University in 1982.\n\n## Career\nPowell's professional background spans consulting, management, real estate appraisal and brokerage, and photography. He filed his candidacy from Monroe, NC.\n\n## Family\nPowell's father is John Kenneth Powell Sr., a UNC Chapel Hill football All-American who played for the Tar Heels from 1946 to 1949.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Candidate for District 55 NC House goes on the record \u2013 Anson Record](https://ansonrecord.com/top-stories/158327/candidate-for-district-55-nc-house-of-representatives-goes-on-the-record)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_055","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 055"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"John","fullname":"John Kenneth Powell JR","lastname":"Powell","middlename":"Kenneth","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_055","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 055","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_055","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 055","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"JR","terms":[],"token":"16972a6e911efbfd"}