{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMichael Chad Pennell, who goes by Chad Pennell, is the incumbent Sheriff of Alexander County, North Carolina. He is running for re-election to that office in 2026. Pennell was first elected Sheriff of Alexander County in November 2022, defeating a longtime incumbent, and was sworn in on December 5, 2022.\n\n## Background and education\nPennell is a lifelong Alexander County resident. He holds a high school diploma from Alexander County High School and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice and Protective Services from Wilkes Community College. He is also a United States Army veteran.\n\n## Career\nPennell spent 30 years with the Alexander County Sheriff's Office before retiring, then ran for Sheriff and won. At the time of his 2026 re-election campaign he had accumulated approximately 33 years of total law enforcement experience.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Sheriff Chad Pennell \u2013 North Carolina Sheriffs' Association](https://ncsheriffs.org/people/chad-pennell)\n- [2] [Longtime sheriff defeated in Alexander County; Republican Chad Pennell wins race \u2013 Hickory Record](https://hickoryrecord.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/longtime-sheriff-defeated-in-alexander-county-republican-chad-pennell-wins-race/article_af29760a-5fd0-11ed-b204-532b08d264a6.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"alexander","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Alexander County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Michael","fullname":"Michael Chad Pennell","lastname":"Pennell","middlename":"Chad","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Alexander County Sheriff","county":"alexander","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"alexander","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"alexander","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Alexander County Sheriff","county":"alexander","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"alexander","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Chad Pennell is the Alexander County Sheriff in North Carolina, running for re-election in 2026 unopposed.","terms":[],"token":"c52e96ca9490deba"}