{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nLynn Reid Gaines (Democrat) ran for the Chatham County Board of Commissioners District 5 seat in the 2026 Democratic primary.\n\nGaines organized his 2026 campaign around four priorities: thoughtful and responsible growth management; affordable housing for teachers, first responders, and service workers; environmental stewardship to protect farmlands and rivers; and fully funding public schools, including teacher salary supplements.\n\n## Background and education\nA lifelong Chatham County native, Gaines grew up in Bonlee and graduated from Chatham Central High School in 1975.\n\n## Career\nGaines served 16 years on the Goldston Town Board, navigating local governance challenges including the town's sewer project. He has since retired from that role and works as a driving school instructor traveling throughout Chatham County.\n\n## Family\nMarried to Sue for more than 48 years; the couple has granddaughters representing the third generation of the Gaines family attending Bonlee Elementary School.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Lynn Gaines for Chatham County Commissioner \u2013 Campaign Website](https://lynngaines.com/)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_05","county":"chatham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Chatham County Board Of Commissioners District 05"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Lynn","fullname":"Lynn Reid Gaines","lastname":"Gaines","middlename":"Reid","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_05","contest_title":"Chatham County Board Of Commissioners District 05","county":"chatham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"chatham","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"chatham","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_05","contest_title":"Chatham County Board Of Commissioners District 05","county":"chatham","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"chatham","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":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"70aeb3fca6d5a8d7"}