Terry Steven Johnson

Current office and 2026 campaign

Terry Steven Johnson is the incumbent Alamance County Sheriff, seeking a seventh term in the 2026 election ¹². He was first elected in 2002, becoming the first Republican elected to the office in living memory in Alamance County ¹². The March 3, 2026 Republican primary was his first contested primary since taking office; Alamance News later reported he "successfully fended off two rivals" in that primary ⁴. In his previous reelection, the 2022 general election, Johnson won with 58.8 percent of the vote against Democratic candidate Kelly White ¹.

Johnson has said his priorities include making Alamance County safer and improving diversity within the Sheriff's Department "of gender, race and educational background" ³. He has proposed creating a mental health diversion center to redirect people repeatedly arrested for low-level offenses toward psychiatric evaluation rather than punishment, targeting a one-year timeline to establish it ³.

Background and education

Johnson is a native of Snow Camp, North Carolina, born and raised in Alamance County ². His law enforcement career began in 1972 ³. Before being elected sheriff, he spent nearly three decades as an agent with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation ².

Career

As sheriff, Johnson's department has developed working relationships with the DEA, Homeland Security, and ICE, and began using drone technology for search-and-rescue operations in 2018 ¹. He has cited resolving cold cases ranging from grand theft auto to first-degree murder, expanding narcotics enforcement using his SBI drug-interdiction background, and implementing body cameras for patrol officers and jailers through a state grant ².

Sources