{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nCarl Ray Russell, known as Ray Russell, is the Democratic candidate for Watauga County Board of Commissioners, District 2, in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing Republican Savva Kostis, according to NC State Board of Elections candidate filing records [4]. He won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary over David Luther, 607 votes to 573 (about 51 percent), per NC State Board of Elections precinct-level primary results [5]. Russell has served on the Watauga County Board of Commissioners since an October 2022 appointment and previously represented Watauga and Ashe counties in the NC General Assembly's 93rd House district from 2019 to 2021 [1].\n\nRussell's 2026 campaign has focused on affordable housing, childcare availability, and school facilities -- he has called for enlarging Parkway School and replacing Hardin Park School in District 2 -- and he opposes large data-center development in the county, citing environmental and noise concerns [2].\n\n## Background and education\nRussell was born on March 22, 1957, in Manchester, Tennessee [1]. He earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science and religion from Freed-Hardeman College (1979), a Master of Science in mathematics from Memphis State University (1982), a Master of Science in computer science from Georgia Institute of Technology (1985), and a Doctor of Philosophy in computer science from Georgia Tech (1989) [1].\n\n## Career\nRussell joined the faculty of Appalachian State University in 1991, teaching in the mathematics and later the computer science departments, until his retirement in 2021 [1].\n\nAlongside his academic career, Russell founded Ray's Weather Center (RaysWeather.com), a regional weather website covering western North Carolina [1][3].\n\nIn politics, Russell was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Jonathan Jordan 52 percent to 48 percent, and represented the 93rd House district (Ashe and Watauga counties) from 2019 to 2021 [1]. He lost his 2020 re-election bid to Republican Ray Pickett [1]. On October 4, 2022, he was appointed to the Watauga County Board of Commissioners following the resignation of Chairman John Welch [1].\n\n## Family\nRussell is married to Rhonda Russell [1]. He has lived in Watauga County for about 35 years [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Carl Ray Russell \u2013 Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Ray_Russell)\n[2] ['No place like home': Ray Russell's campaign for District 2 \u2013 The Appalachian](https://theappalachianonline.com/no-place-like-home-ray-russells-campaign-for-district-2/)\n[3] [About Ray's Weather Center \u2013 RaysWeather.com](https://raysweather.com/aboutus)\n[4] [NC State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 Candidate Filing listing](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[5] [NC State Board of Elections \u2014 March 3, 2026 primary precinct-level results](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_pct_20260303.zip) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","county":"watauga","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Watauga County Board Of Commissioners District 02"},{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","county":"watauga","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Watauga County Board Of Commissioners District 02"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Carl","fullname":"Carl Ray Russell","lastname":"Russell","middlename":"Ray","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Watauga County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"watauga","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"watauga","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Watauga County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"watauga","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"watauga","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"watauga","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Watauga County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"watauga","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"watauga","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":"The Charlotte Observer posted a link to the full list of candidates for North Carolina's 2026 elections on Facebook.","terms":[],"token":"5e2f8687c745811e"}