{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJulie Extine Painter is a Democratic candidate for Jackson County Board of Commissioners District 1 in western North Carolina, running in the 2026 primary. She received 35.2% of the vote in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary, finishing second behind winner Casey Walawender.\n\nPainter's priorities include investing in schools, supporting working families, thoughtful infrastructure planning, and protecting shared community resources.\n\n## Career\nPainter is a small business owner in Jackson County. She previously served on the county Planning Board and currently serves on the board of directors of a local community development financial institution (CDFI), helping expand small business access to capital and supporting responsible growth in Western North Carolina.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Julie Extine Painter \u2013 Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Julie_Extine_Painter_(Jackson_County_Board_of_Commissioners_District_1,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_01","county":"jackson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Jackson County Board Of Commissioners District 01"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Julie","fullname":"Julie Extine Painter","lastname":"Painter","middlename":"Extine","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_01","contest_title":"Jackson County Board Of Commissioners District 01","county":"jackson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"jackson","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"jackson","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_01","contest_title":"Jackson County Board Of Commissioners District 01","county":"jackson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"jackson","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"e6a04c87368eeac0"}