{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMaze O'Neal \"Neal\" Jackson is the Republican candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives District 78 in the 2026 election. He has served as the district's state representative since January 1, 2023, after winning the 2022 primary and general elections [1]. He filed for re-election in the 2026 cycle and is running unopposed in the November 3, 2026 general election after the Democratic filer, Matt Borja, withdrew from the race [3].\n\n## Background and education\nBorn in Pinehurst, North Carolina, Jackson is married to Tracy and is the father of five children. He is a Baptist pastor at Beulah Baptist Church, a role he has held since 2009, and he also identifies as a business owner [1][2].\n\n## Office history\nJackson entered elective politics by winning the May 2022 Republican primary for the 78th district, defeating David Ashley and Cory Bortree. In the November 2022 general election he defeated Democrat Erik Davis, capturing 76.55% of the vote and securing the seat [1]. He was sworn in at the start of the 2023 legislative session.\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nFor the 2023-2024 session, Jackson's committee assignments include Banking; Education-Universities; Finance; Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House; and State Personnel [1]. Vote Smart lists additional assignments including Agriculture and Environment, Vice Chair of Energy and Public Utilities, Chair of the Finance Committee, and membership on the Higher Education and Revenue Law Study committees [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Neal Jackson (North Carolina politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Jackson_(North_Carolina_politician))\n[2] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/202734/neal-jackson)\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Listing (NC House District 078, Moore/Randolph counties) \u2014 https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv, accessed 2026-07-20","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_078","county":"chatham","county_count":7,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 078"},{"contest":"state_house_078","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 078"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Maze","fullname":"Maze O'Neal Jackson","lastname":"Jackson","middlename":"O'Neal","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_078","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 078","county":"chatham","county_count":7,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"state_house_078","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 078","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_078","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 078","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":[]}],"summary":"Neal Jackson is the incumbent Republican state representative for North Carolina House District\u202f78, running for re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"26f6c0bdee683412"}