{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMichael Royce Bennett, known publicly as Royce Bennett, is an incumbent Onslow County Commissioner running for re-election as a Republican in 2026. He has served on the Onslow County Board of Commissioners since December 2016 and resides in Jacksonville, NC.\n\nBennett's campaign emphasizes transparency and integrity in county government and empowering residents through informed decision-making.\n\n## Background and education\nBennett holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from North Carolina Wesleyan College.\n\n## Career\nPrior to his elected service, Bennett worked as a police officer and administrator in the Rocky Mount and Morehead City police departments for more than 12 years. He subsequently became a Realtor and Broker Associate with Century 21 Champion Real Estate and has been an independent businessman in Onslow County for more than 27 years.\n\nBennett serves on the Metro-Area Transportation Board, the Onslow Water and Sewer Authority (Vice Chairman), the Jacksonville-Onslow Economic Development Partnership, and the Onslow Strong Disaster Recovery Alliance (Vice Chairman).\n\n## Family\nBennett and his wife Karen have been married for more than 38 years.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Vote4Royce \u2013 campaign website](https://vote4royce.com/)\n- [2] [Get To Know Your Candidates! 2026 \u2013 Topsail Times](https://www.topsailtimes.net/post/get-to-know-your-candidates-2026)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","county":"onslow","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Onslow County Board Of Commissioners"},{"contest":"county_commission","county":"onslow","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Onslow County Board Of Commissioners"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Michael","fullname":"Michael Royce Bennett","lastname":"Bennett","middlename":"Royce","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Onslow County Board Of Commissioners","county":"onslow","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"onslow","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Onslow County Board Of Commissioners","county":"onslow","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"onslow","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"onslow","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Onslow County Board Of Commissioners","county":"onslow","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"onslow","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Royce Bennett serves as a Commissioner and Chairman on the Onslow County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina.","terms":[],"token":"bfc72fccf828c60e"}