Danny Lee Blanton

Current office and 2026 campaign

Danny Lee Blanton is a Republican member of the Cleveland County Board of Education, first elected in 2013, seeking re-election on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot ¹².

Career

Blanton traces his path to the board to a personal investigation into alleged financial mismanagement at Cleveland County Schools between 2009 and 2011; he says his findings exposed improper credit-card usage that led to tighter financial controls and personnel changes, and that this motivated his first run for the board, which he won in 2013 ². He has served three years on the Rutherford-Cleveland County Workforce Board and on the county's DSS Advisory Board, and currently sits on the county's Health and DSS Governing Board and the school board's own Safety and Operations Committee ².

Office history

The Cleveland County Board of Education has nine at-large seats; Blanton has served continuously since his 2013 election and is listed as a sitting member on the district's current board roster ¹.

Legislative record and accomplishments

Blanton has emphasized career-technical education, teacher retention and school safety during his tenure, saying repeated staff turnover harms students: "It's time for our school system to stop having resignations every month." He says school governance should stay non-partisan: "It's about the children, not Democrat, Republican or Unaffiliated." ²

Documented disputes and controversies

In July 2022, Blanton drew public criticism after sharing a Facebook post showing a wooden paddle bearing the words "Make Kids Great Again" next to the American flag. A parent, Keri Miller, publicly objected, citing research on the harms of physical punishment on children and raising concern about a board member's judgment. Blanton said the post reflected his personal opinion rather than a policy proposal: "That was my personal opinion. That was not me saying 'bring that thing back and we wear every kid out. No, absolutely no.'" He said he believed corporal punishment had benefited him as a student. North Carolina law allows school districts to permit corporal punishment with parental notification, but Cleveland County Schools' own policy prohibits it — a distinction Blanton acknowledged knowing ³.

Sources