{"biography":"Thaddeus Lorenzo Godwin is the incumbent District\u202f5 commissioner on the Sampson County Board of Commissioners and is seeking re\u2011election in the 2026 race for District\u202f05 as a Democrat. He is listed as the District\u202f5 commissioner in local news coverage of county events [11].\n\nPublicly available biographical details about his education and early career are limited, and the sources focus on his recent activities as a county official.\n\nGodwin has been active in county\u2011wide outreach. In March\u202f2026 he attended Governor Josh\u202fStein\u2019s rural listening tour at the Agri\u2011Expo Center in Clinton, representing Sampson County\u2019s District\u202f5. Although he was not on the speaking panel, his presence was noted alongside other county officials [11].\n\nHe also participated in a special \u201cinformation\u2011only\u201d workshop convened by the Sampson County Board of Commissioners that reviewed operations of the Health Department, the Department of Social Services, and Sampson Regional Medical Center. The session provided an overview of services such as public health, family planning, and foster\u2011care programs, and Godwin was photographed listening alongside fellow commissioner Lethia\u202fLee [12].\n\nThrough these engagements, Godwin has been involved in discussions on broadband expansion, water and sewer infrastructure, and health\u2011care access\u2014key issues highlighted during the governor\u2019s tour and the county workshop. His role on the board includes helping set policy, reviewing budgets, and overseeing county services that affect residents of District\u202f05.\n\n## Sources\n- [11] [Governor visits Sampson County | Sampson Independent](https://www.clintonnc.com/news/112546/governor-visits-sampson-county)\n- [12] [Commissioners get schooled | Sampson Independent](https://www.clintonnc.com/news/104956/commissioners-get-schooled)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_05","county":"sampson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Sampson County Board Of Commissioners District 05"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Thaddeus","fullname":"Thaddeus Lorenzo Godwin","lastname":"Godwin","middlename":"Lorenzo","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_05","contest_title":"Sampson County Board Of Commissioners District 05","county":"sampson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"sampson","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"sampson","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_05","contest_title":"Sampson County Board Of Commissioners District 05","county":"sampson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"sampson","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Thaddeus Lorenzo Godwin is the incumbent District\u202f5 Sampson County commissioner running for re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"33d51d301682d5f8"}