{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nRyan Collins is a candidate for Pender County Board of Commissioners District 2 in North Carolina [1]. He announced his campaign on November 1, 2025, stating that he seeks to \"restore leadership, rebuild trust, and renew integrity\" in county government [6]. Collins describes himself as bringing decades of leadership and management experience and a commitment to conservative principles [5]. His campaign website, collinsforpender.com, promotes a mission to restore strong leadership and service that puts the community above politics [4].\n\nThe Republican primary election for Pender County offices is scheduled for March 3, 2026 [5][7]. Collins has participated in local events to introduce himself to voters, including a candidate forum hosted by the Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce on January 29, 2026 [7]. He has also established an early voting presence at the Hampstead Annex Building during the early voting period leading up to the November 3, 2026 general election [4].\n\nThe campaign has faced scrutiny regarding its fundraising operations. In February 2026, the group Educate Pender PAC highlighted that a fundraiser for Collins was charged with multiple offenses, including violent crimes, weapons charges, and writing bad checks [8]. Collins continues to seek voter support in the upcoming general election on November 3, 2026 [4].\n\n## Career\n\nRyan Collins self-describes as having \"decades of leadership and management experience\" [5]. He operates a business in Hampstead, North Carolina, where he has served as a voting day coordinator during early voting periods for upcoming elections [4].\n\nCollins is a candidate for Pender County Board of Commissioners District 2 in the 2026 election cycle [1]. He officially announced his candidacy on November 1, 2025, stating his intention to \"restore leadership, rebuild trust, and renew integrity\" in county government [6]. His campaign focuses on conservative principles and community unity [5], [9]. Collins participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce on January 29, 2026 [7].\n\nThe Pender County Board of Elections scheduled a primary election for March 3, 2026, which Collins is contesting [3], [5]. The general election is set for November 3, 2026 [4]. As of May 17, 2026, these elections have not yet occurred.\n\nCollins has filed campaign finance reports with Pender County as required by local regulations [2]. His campaign has faced scrutiny from political opponents; an opposing group reported that a fundraiser associated with his campaign was charged with multiple violent crimes and weapons offenses [8].\n\n## Office history\n\nRyan Collins has served as a member of the Pender County Board of Commissioners for District 2 [1]. He announced his candidacy for re-election to this position in November 2025, stating that he seeks to restore leadership and integrity to the county government [6]. Collins identifies himself as a candidate with decades of leadership and management experience who is committed to conservative principles [5].\n\nCollins is currently seeking re-election in the upcoming 2026 Pender County Commissioner District 2 race. He qualified for the March 3, 2026, Republican primary election [5]. The general election for this office is scheduled for November 3, 2026 [4]. As of May 17, 2026, the outcome of these elections remains unknown.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Ryan Collins (Pender County Board of Commissioners District 2 ...](https://ballotpedia.org/Ryan_Collins_(Pender_County_Board_of_Commissioners_District_2,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n[2] [Campaign Finance Reports | Pender County, NC](https://www.pendercountync.gov/1962/Campaign-Finance-Reports)\n[3] [Pender County Board of Elections Announces Primary Election ...](https://www.pendercountync.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=219)\n[4] [Collins for Pender: Local Elections in Pender County](https://collinsforpender.com/)\n[5] [Ryan Collins for Pender County](https://www.facebook.com/61582699473316/posts/vote-ryan-collins-in-the-march-3rd-gop-primary-for-pender-county-commissioner-di/122119788369089982/)\n[6] [Ryan Collins runs for Pender County Commissioner District 2](https://www.facebook.com/61582699473316/posts/it-was-a-wonderful-evening-to-share-some-exciting-news-im-officially-running-for/122102609145089982/)\n[7] [\u201cI'm Ryan Collins and I am running for County Commissioner of ...](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUJvxLdDqrj/)\n[8] [RYAN COLLINS FUNDRAISER CHARGED WITH ...](https://www.facebook.com/educatependerpac/posts/ryan-collins-fundraiser-charged-with-multiple-violent-crimes-weapons-charges-wri/122181339842865252/)\n[9] [I'm running for County Commissioner because Pender ...](https://www.facebook.com/61582699473316/posts/im-running-for-county-commissioner-because-pender-county-deserves-leadership-tha/122106255129089982/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","county":"pender","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Pender County Board Of Commissioners District 02"},{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","county":"pender","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Pender County Board Of Commissioners District 02"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Ryan","fullname":"Ryan Christopher Collins","lastname":"Collins","middlename":"Christopher","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Pender County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"pender","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"pender","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Pender County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"pender","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"pender","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"pender","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Pender County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"pender","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"pender","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Ryan Collins is a candidate for Pender County Board of Commissioners District 2 in North Carolina, running under the 'Collins for Pender' campaign.","terms":[],"token":"f52b98e331f4b48b"}