{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJames Richard \"Rick\" Southerland III entered the 2026 Democratic primary for the New Hanover County Board of Education, initially placing fourth out of six candidates and earning one of four general-election slots. He withdrew from the race on March 5, 2026, the day after the primary, under pressure from Democratic Party leaders.\n\n## Career\nThe controversy that ended his candidacy arose when reporting revealed that his roommate and frequent campaign companion, Jaymes Osborne, is a registered federal sex offender convicted of child pornography offenses in Virginia Beach in 2020. After initially stating he would remain in the race, Southerland withdrew following calls for his exit from party leaders, fellow candidates, state legislators, and county commissioners. He acknowledged he should have been more transparent about the living situation. The New Hanover County Democratic Party subsequently nominated a replacement candidate and implemented new vetting procedures.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Under public pressure, New Hanover County school board candidate drops out \u2013 WHQR](https://www.whqr.org/local/2026-03-05/under-public-pressure-new-hanover-county-school-board-candidate-drops-out)\n- [2] [New Hanover County Democratic Party calls on candidate to withdraw \u2013 WECT](https://www.wect.com/2026/03/04/new-hanover-county-democratic-party-calls-candidate-withdraw-over-relationship-with-sex-offender/)\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"New Hanover County Board Of Education"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"James","fullname":"James Richard Southerland III","lastname":"Southerland","middlename":"Richard","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"New Hanover County Board Of Education","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"new_hanover","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"new_hanover","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board","contest_title":"New Hanover County Board Of Education","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"new_hanover","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"III","terms":[],"token":"ccf40b2b6ad9822a"}