{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nBrandon Barbrey is a candidate for Wilson County Sheriff in North Carolina [1]. He launched his campaign for the position with a kickoff event [7]. During the Democratic primary process, sheriff candidates shared their platforms at a forum [8].\n\nBarbrey filed a challenge against fellow candidate Bobby Knight\u2019s candidacy before the Wilson County Board of Elections [1]. The board initially deemed Knight ineligible to run [9]. However, the State Board of Elections delayed hearing Knight\u2019s appeal [12] and later discussed the sheriff filing in a Monday meeting [11]. An elections director rejected an order to backdate the decision regarding Knight\u2019s candidacy [6].\n\nFollowing these developments, Barbrey and another candidate, Kevin Raper, advanced to a showdown with Knight for the sheriff position [3]. The State Board of Elections held a preliminary hearing to address the challenges from Barbrey and Raper against Knight [1]. Ultimately, the challengers dropped their appeals regarding Knight\u2019s candidacy [5].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nIn May 2025, Brandon Barbrey joined fellow candidate Kevin Raper in challenging the candidacy of Bobby Knight for Wilson County sheriff [1]. The challengers filed objections with the Wilson County Board of Elections, arguing that Knight was ineligible to run [2]. During a preliminary hearing, Barbrey and Raper presented their case against Knight\u2019s qualification to hold office [1].\n\nThe Wilson County Board of Elections initially ruled in favor of the challengers, deeming Knight ineligible to appear on the ballot [9]. However, the county elections director later rejected an order to backdate this disqualification, prompting Barbrey to indicate he would continue to challenge Knight\u2019s presence in the race [6].\n\nKnight filed an appeal with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, which scheduled a hearing to discuss the filing eligibility [10]. The state board delayed this hearing for further review [12], while also discussing the sheriff filing in a separate Monday meeting [11]. A letter published in the *Wilson Times* criticized the local elections board\u2019s handling of the challenge, stating that the board had erred in its initial decision [4].\n\nFollowing the state board's proceedings, Barbrey and Raper dropped their appeals regarding Knight\u2019s candidacy [5]. The two candidates subsequently advanced to a runoff showdown for the sheriff position [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [The Wilson County Board of Elections will hold a preliminary hearing Tuesday morning to hear challenges from Wilson County sheriff candidates Brandon Barbrey and Kevin Raper against fellow candidate Bobby Knight.](https://www.facebook.com/wilsontimes/posts/the-wilson-county-board-of-elections-will-hold-a-preliminary-hearing-tuesday-mor/1521705679961281/)\n[2] [Barbrey, Raper challenging Knight\u2019s candidacy for sheriff](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/barbrey-raper-challenging-knights-candidacy-fdd40294)\n[3] [Knight, Barbrey advance to Wilson sheriff showdown](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/knight-barbrey-will-showdown-for-sheriff-2ec889b4)\n[4] [Elections board errs in sheriff candidate challenge](https://www.wilsontimes.com/letters/elections-board-errs-in-sheriff-candidate-challenge-68a0fe82)\n[5] [Challengers drop appeals on Knight's candidacy for sheriff](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/challenges-dropped-on-knights-candidacy-for-sheriff-f65d296c)\n[6] [Elections director rejects backdate order; Barbrey to challenge Knight...](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/elections-director-denies-state-board-orders-knights-candidacy-to-be-challenged-0f124e0e)\n[7] [Barbrey launches campaign for sheriff](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/barbrey-hosts-campaign-kickoff-02fa55cc)\n[8] [Sheriff candidates share platforms at Democratic forum](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/sheriff-candidates-air-ideas-at-forum-756892c7)\n[9] [Elections board deems Knight ineligible to run](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/elections-board-deems-knight-ineligible-f023e39e)\n[10] [State Board of Elections to hear Knight\u2019s appeal Tuesday morning](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/knight-files-appeal-to-state-board-of-elections-55ac40c9)\n[11] [State Board of Elections to discuss sheriff filing in Monday meeting](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/state-board-of-elections-to-discuss-sheriff-filing-in-monday-meeting-f92732c7)\n[12] [State elections board delays Knight\u2019s appeal hearing](https://www.wilsontimes.com/news/knights-appeal-pushed-back-by-ncsbe-e6db4de0)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Wilson County Sheriff"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Wilson County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Brandon","fullname":"Brandon Lee Barbrey","lastname":"Barbrey","middlename":"Lee","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Wilson County Sheriff","county":"wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"wilson","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Wilson County Sheriff","county":"wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"wilson","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"wilson","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Wilson County Sheriff","county":"wilson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"wilson","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Brandon Barbrey is a Wilson County sheriff candidate who challenged Bobby Knight's eligibility and advanced to the general election.","terms":[],"token":"d154be314a3d46cf"}