Kristel Dalton Swayze

Current office and 2026 campaign

Kristel Dalton Swayze is a Republican candidate for the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina's 2026 election ¹². She was one of eight Republicans in the March 3, 2026 primary for three at-large seats on the board, advancing to the November 3, 2026 general election alongside fellow Republicans James Bailey (the primary's top vote-getter) and incumbent Ian Patrick ⁷⁹. In the general election the three Republicans face Democratic candidates Phil Henry, Ingrid Nurse, and Dan Redding ⁹.

Background and education

Swayze grew up in Cabarrus County and attended Shady Brook Elementary School, Kannapolis Middle School, and A.L. Brown High School before earning a degree in sociology (and history, per her campaign site) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ²⁷⁸.

Career

Swayze began her career at Blue Cross Blue Shield in its Individual Policy Program, then in 2002 started her own business, KS Image Solutions, an advertising agency she has run from home and grown over more than two decades, including through the 2008 recession and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic ²⁷⁸. She has been active in the community through Rotary, school PTOs, the Cabarrus County Schools COVID Task Force, youth organizations, and the Cabarrus Arts Council board of directors, where she has worked alongside former executive director Noelle Rhodes Scott ²⁷.

Office history

This is Swayze's first campaign for elected office ⁸. She advanced from an eight-candidate Republican primary field on March 3, 2026, finishing among the top three alongside James Bailey, the primary's top vote-getter, and incumbent commissioner Ian Patrick ⁹.

Legislative record and accomplishments

As a first-time candidate, Swayze has no legislative record. Her campaign platform calls for long-range capital planning for schools rather than reactive responses to overcrowding -- "Students deserve safe, functional places to learn. Teachers deserve to feel supported" -- and workforce-development efforts to help residents "make a livable wage with a job in Cabarrus County," citing the 2003 Pillowtex and 2009 Philip Morris plant closures ³⁷. She criticizes the current board over what she calls "political theatre" and two lawsuits she says have cost taxpayers more than $512,000, pledging decisions based on "what is right, fair and unbiased for all taxpayers" ³⁷. She is endorsed by former Cabarrus Arts Council executive director Noelle Rhodes Scott, former Concord mayor Scott Padgett, and current Concord mayor Steve Morris ⁴, as well as local supporter Diane Honeycutt ⁵⁶.

Business interests and wealth source

Swayze owns KS Image Solutions, an advertising business she founded from home in 2002 ²⁷⁸.

Sources