{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMatthew Aaron Meredith, known as Aaron Meredith, is a candidate for Harnett County Sheriff in the November 2026 election. He announced his candidacy following the retirement of incumbent Sheriff Wayne Coats. His campaign is headquartered in Lillington, NC, and operates under the tagline \"Traditional Values. New Ideas.\"\n\n## Career\nMeredith has served with the Harnett County Sheriff's Office for more than 27 years, holding the rank of Major and serving as Sheriff Coats's top aide. In 2013 he spearheaded the office's Shop With A Sheriff program, which provides children the opportunity to select Christmas gifts and recognizes youth who have distinguished themselves through volunteer work or community kindness.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Meredith for Sheriff \u2013 Official Campaign Website](https://meredith4sheriff.com/)\n- [2] [Maj. Aaron Meredith Announces Bid for Sheriff's Seat \u2013 My Daily Record](https://www.mydailyrecord.com/news/maj-aaron-meredith-announces-bid-for-sheriff-s-seat/article_72e2d0f8-ed05-4aa6-a8dc-f787bc706691.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"harnett","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Harnett County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Matthew","fullname":"Matthew Aaron Meredith","lastname":"Meredith","middlename":"Aaron","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Harnett County Sheriff","county":"harnett","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"harnett","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"harnett","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Harnett County Sheriff","county":"harnett","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"harnett","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Matthew Aaron Meredith is identified as a Major in Harnett County Sheriff's Office and candidate for Sheriff, distinct from Matt Meredith who served on Daviess County Council.","terms":[],"token":"5bb741cb4a758152"}