2026 North Carolina General Election

2026 North Carolina Primary Election

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Press Release October 12, 2025 | Sheriff's Office | Dare County, NC

Jeff currently works as the chief deputy of the Dare County Sheriff's Office.

Jeff Deringer (Dare County Sheriff, North Carolina, candidate 2026)

Jeff's campaign for Dare County Sheriff is his first run for public office.

Early filings point to contested 2026 primaries for Dare and Hyde ...

Plans to implement "pre-staging of equipment and personnel" to respond to emergencies on Hatteras Island.

Plans to "increase the operations and expand the drug task force."

- Plans to implement "pre-staging of equipment and personnel" to respond to emergencies on Hatteras Island.
- Plans to "increase the operations and expand the drug task force."

Public Safety

As of January 2, 2026, Jeff Deringer did not have a website or any information online.

Jail Management

Supports community policing, making sheriff's deputies "approachable and listen" to the community.

- Supports community policing, making sheriff's deputies "approachable and listen" to the community.

Criminal Justice

Jeff Deringer

Facebook

Jeff is the chief deputy at the Dare County Sheriff's Office.

Jeff Deringer is currently the chief deputy of the Dare County Sheriff's Office. 

Jeff is the chief deputy for the Dare County Sheriff's Office.

Jeff Deringer is currently the chief deputy of the Dare County Sheriff's Office.

Jeff Deringer's campaign for Dare County Sheriff is his first time running for public office.

Jeff is the Chief Deputy at the Dare County Sheriff's Office. He works at the Dare County Sheriff's Office.

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

Jimmy Pierce is from Windsor, North Carolina. He completed Basic Law Enforcement Training at Pitt Community College. He is a husband, father, and grandfather.

Jimmy Pierce is from originally from Windsor. He attended Pitt Community College. Jimmy volunteers as an instructor for the First Flight High and Middle School hunter safety trap team and as a member of the Dare County Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Jimmy is a senior police officer with the Nags Head Police Department. He previously served as a special agent with the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division. Before that, he worked as a patrol deputy and criminal investigator with the Hertford County Sheriff's Office. He began his law enforcement career with the Aulander Police Department. 

Jimmy currently works as a senior police officer at the Nags Head Police Department. He previously worked as a special agent for the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division, a deputy for the Dare County Sheriff's Office, a deputy for the Hertford County Sheriff's Office, and as an officer for the Aulander Police Department.

Jimmy is currently a senior police officer with the Nags Head Police Department. He previously served as a special agent with the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division and as a deputy with the Dare County Sheriff's Office. He has over 40 years of law enforcement experience.

Jimmy Pierce (Dare County Sheriff, North Carolina, candidate 2026)

Jimmy's campaign for Dare County Sheriff is his first run for public office.

Plans to "take a firm stand on violent crime, property crime, and the drug epidemic."

- Plans to "take a firm stand on violent crime, property crime, and the drug epidemic."

As of January 2, 2026, Jimmy Pierce’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Jimmy Pierce

Jimmy Pierce is from Windsor, North Carolina. He attended Pitt Community College. He has an advanced certificate in law enforcement from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Training and Education Standards Division. He lives in Dare County with his wife, his children, and his grandchildren. He is a lifelong Christian.

Jimmy is a Senior Police Officer. He works at the Nags Head Police Department, where he has been since 2014. He previously worked as a Special Agent with the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division for 21 years, as a patrol deputy at the Dare County and Hertford County Sheriff’s Offices, as a police officer with the Aulander Police Department, and as an emergency medical technician with the Bertie County Rescue Squad.

Jimmy is from Windsor, Bertie County, North Carolina. He attended Pitt Community College. He has a Basic Law Enforcement Training certificate from Pitt Community College and an advanced law enforcement certificate from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Training and Education Standards Division. He lives with his wife and family in Dare County. He attends a local church.

Jimmy Pierce's campaign for Dare County sheriff.

Jimmy is a senior police officer with the Nags Head Police Department. He previously served as a special agent with the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division for 30 years. He also worked as a patrol deputy, narcotics and criminal investigator, and field training officer with the Dare County Sheriff's Office. Earlier in his career, he served as a patrol deputy with the Aulander Police Department and as a certified emergency medical technician with the Bertie County Rescue Squad. 

Jimmy is currently a senior police officer with the Nags Head Police Department. He previously served as a special agent with the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division and as a patrol deputy with the Dare County Sheriff's Office. He has over 40 years of law enforcement experience.

Jimmy is a senior police officer. He works at the Nags Head Police Department, where he has been since 2014. He previously worked as a special agent with the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division from 1993 to 2014, as a patrol deputy with the Dare County Sheriff’s Office from 1988 to 1993, as a patrol deputy with the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office in 1987 and 1988, and as a police officer with the Aulander Police Department beginning in 1985.

Jimmy Pierce's campaign for Dare County sheriff is his first entry into politics.

Rodney Rawls is from Dare County, North Carolina. He graduated from Manteo High School. He also graduated from the West Point Leadership Program at Methodist University.

Rodney is a master patrol sergeant at the Kill Devil Hills Police Department. He joined the department as an officer in 2004. He also worked as an emergency medical technician (EMT) with Dare County EMS from 2013 to 2025. Rodney previously served as a junior firefighter for Kill Devil Hills Fire Department, starting at age 13. 

Police officer, volunteer firefighter, EMT: One N.C. man is a triple threat

Rodney is currently a master patrol sergeant with the Kill Devil Hills Police Department.

Advocates for building strong relationships between the sheriff’s office and the local community through increased "community engagement".

- Advocates for building strong relationships between the sheriff’s office and the local community through increased "community engagement".

As of January 2, 2026, Rodney Rawls’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Instagram

Rodney Rawls

Rodney is a Master Patrol Sergeant. He works at the Kill Devil Hills Police Department, where he has been since 2004. He previously worked at Dare County EMS from 2013 to 2025.

Rodney is a Master Patrol Sergeant. He works at the Kill Devil Hills Police Department, where he has been since 2004. He previously worked as an emergency medical technician for Dare County EMS from 2013 to 2025.

Rodney Rawls’s campaign for Dare County Sheriff is his first entry into politics.

Rodney is from Dare County, North Carolina. He attended Manteo High School. He completed the West Point Leadership Program at Methodist University in 2017. He lives with his daughter.

Rodney is a Master Patrol Sergeant. He works at the Kill Devil Hills Police Department, where he has been since 2004.

Rodney Rawls's campaign for Dare County Sheriff is his first entry into politics.

Rodney is a master patrol sergeant with the Kill Devil Hills Police Department. He joined the department as an officer in 2004. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter and Dare County EMT. From 2013 to 2025, he worked for Dare County EMS. 

Rodney previously ran for Dare County sheriff in 2026 but did not win.

Candidate website

Teddy Daniels attended West Virginia University. He has a wife and children.

Teddy is a retired U.S. Army servicemember. He served in the U.S. Army, deploying to the most hostile regions of Afghanistan and earning a Purple Heart.

Overcoming Adversity: Teddy Daniels' Journey from Soldier to Sheriff

Watch List: Top Local Races in North Carolina - Albemarle Observer

Dare sheriff race 2026: One prospective candidate is from Dare ...

Chris Kelly Opinion: Rittenhouse finds no room at the Inn

Teddy is a retired U.S. Army servicemember. He also served in law enforcement.

Claims he will work on "ending corruption [and] keeping the peace."

- Claims he will work on "ending corruption [and] keeping the peace."

As of January 2, 2026, Teddy Daniels’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Teddy Daniels

Teddy is a retired U.S. Army soldier. He served in the U.S. Army, where he was deployed to the most hostile regions of Afghanistan.

Teddy Daniels previously ran for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor in 2022 and did not win.

Teddy is a retired U.S. Army soldier. He served in the Army, where he was deployed to the most hostile regions of Afghanistan and received a Purple Heart. He previously ran in the 2022 Republican primary for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor.

Teddy Daniels previously ran for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor in the 2022 Republican primary and did not win.

Teddy Daniels is a retired Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He currently lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Teddy is a retired Army veteran and a Purple Heart recipient. 

Teddy previously ran for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor in 2022 but did not win. 

Twitter

- The sheriff is responsible for enforcing the law, managing security in jails and courtrooms. They also oversee daily conditions of the jail and inmates in custody and serve legal documents such as warrants and eviction notices. Their ultimate responsibility is to protect the community. 

Responsible for enforcing the law and overseeing jails. 

Dare Sheriff, Republican Primary

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Public Safety

Jail Management

Criminal Justice