{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n**Cooper did not win re-election to the Halifax County Schools Board of Education: in the nonpartisan election held March 3, 2026, he finished 4th of 7 candidates with 1,904 votes, one spot short of the three seats, which were won outright by Elizabeth \"Lizzie\" Silver (2,332), Curtis W. Young (2,162), and Michael Hawkins Sr. (1,965); the contest was decided in this single election, with no subsequent November runoff [6].** Cooper had been a candidate for the Halifax County Schools Board of Education in the 2026 election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections 2026 candidate filing list [3].\n\n## Background and education\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Cooper is a registered Democratic voter in Halifax County, registered since 1984 (42 years); the voter file lists his year of birth as 1947 (NC bulk voter export publishes only year of birth) [1]. The voter history file shows 11 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary [2].\n\n## Career\nCooper is a sitting member of the Halifax County Board of Education. Halifax County Schools publicly thanked him, alongside fellow board member Dr. Joyce Lashley, for his \"time, wisdom, and unwavering commitment\" to the district [4]. He discussed his board service in an episode of the \"Wright Experience\" podcast [5].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections -- Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (ncvhis_Statewide), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n[3] [2026 Candidate Filing List, North Carolina State Board of Elections](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)\n[4] [Halifax County Schools -- Facebook post thanking Claude Cooper and Joyce Lashley for board service](https://www.facebook.com/HalifaxCountySchoolsNC/photos/we-extend-our-sincere-gratitude-to-two-dedicated-members-of-the-halifax-county-b/1596268969172997/)\n[5] [The Wright Experience, Episode 85: Mr. Claude Cooper, Board Member Halifax County Schools, NC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Pb0Y1JGyM)\n[6] [North Carolina State Board of Elections -- 2026 certified election results, Halifax County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/HALIFAX_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) -- accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","county":"halifax","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Halifax County Schools Board Of Education"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Claude","fullname":"Claude E Cooper","lastname":"Cooper","middlename":"E","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"Halifax County Schools Board Of Education","county":"halifax","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"halifax","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"halifax","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"Halifax County Schools Board Of Education","county":"halifax","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"halifax","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Per the NC voter file: DEM voter in Halifax County since 1984.","terms":[],"token":"42c83655a57dac39"}