Over the weekend, Tammy Grady announced her intentions to run for Sampson County Clerk of Court in the 2026 election.
Grady took to Facebook on Saturday to post, “With 25 years of experience serving the NC Court System in Sampson County, including my roles as Deputy Clerk and Magistrate, I am pleased to announce my candidacy for Clerk of Court in the 2026 election and look forward to the opportunity to continue serving our community with integrity and dedication.”
She added that her official campaign would launch within the coming days.
Grady previously ran as a Democrat against current Clerk of Court Chris Fann in 2018. In a 2018 Sampson Independent article announcing her candidacy then, Grady reported that she began volunteering with the Sampson County Adult Day Care and 4H programs. She went on to work for the N.C. Cooperative Extension and Sampson County Head Start before serving the last 25 years as deputy clerk at the courthouse.
“It’s important that all citizens know the practices of our office and the reason duties are accomplished in a particular way,” Grady said in 2018, adding, “It would be an honor to be elected as Clerk of Superior Court for Sampson County. It has been a pleasure to serve in the Clerk’s Office and I look forward to continuous service to all who enter.”
Fann announced a month ago that he would not seek reelection to the post, citing that he planned to spend more time with family and friends, and work on his golf game.
In an Oct. 13 phone interview, Fann said he had “greatly enjoyed” the time he had spent working with his “dedicated” staff.
“They are a great group of people and I can’t thank them enough for the hard work they have done every minute of my tenure. We have had a great working relationship, too, with our judicial partners, both at the state and local level, and I appreciate that as well.”
Fann said he has learned a lot since taking office in 2018. “And the one thing I think I’ve learned more than anything is that the more you learn, the more there is to learn.”
But one thing he said he knew for certain and that was how much he had enjoyed the job and appreciated the support given to him by constituents during he tenure. “Serving as Clerk of Superior Court has been one of the greatest honors of my life. It has truly, truly been a humbling experience.”
See Saturday’s print edition for more information about Grady and her upcoming campaign.