{"biography":"> **Editorial note \u2014 same-name confusion.** An earlier version of this page described John Clifford Blanton, a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives \u2014 a different person entirely. That biography has been removed. John Southey Blanton, who appears on the ballot as \"Southey Blanton,\" is the candidate profiled here.\n\n## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJohn Southey Blanton is a Democratic candidate for North Carolina Senate District 25 (Alamance and Randolph counties) in the November 3, 2026 general election, facing Republican incumbent Amy Scott Galey [1]. He filed his candidacy on December 19, 2025 [1]. His campaign describes him as a \"proud supporter of public schools\" [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 candidate filing list (Candidate_Listing_2026.csv, dl.ncsbe.gov) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20\n[2] [Southey Blanton for NC Senate](https://southey4senate.com) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-20","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_025","county":"alamance","county_count":7,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc State Senate District 25"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"John","fullname":"John Southey Blanton","lastname":"Blanton","middlename":"Southey","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_senate_025","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 25","county":"alamance","county_count":7,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_senate_025","contest_title":"Nc State Senate District 25","county":"alamance","county_count":7,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_senate","office_title":"State Senator","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"John Blanton is a Republican incumbent representing Kentucky House District 92 since 2017; he is running for re-election in 2026 after advancing unopposed from the canceled primary.","terms":[],"token":"6f3a6a0e78f89b1f"}