Tight races characterize local elections
By Andy Britt
NL Staff Writer
12 November 2008 — McGee’s Crossroads resident David Rouzer claimed the District 12 seat in the North Carolina senate vacated by Clayton’s Fred Smith in the November 4 general election, holding off former Johnston County School Board Chairman Kay Carroll by just over 3,000 votes. The senate district spans all of Johnston County and 11 precincts in western Wayne County.
In Johnston, the race was even closer, as Rouzer topped Carroll by less than 200 votes.
Rouzer, a business consultant, who served as one of Senator Jesse Helms senior policy advisors, campaigned on the promise of bringing financial reform to Raleigh.
Republican Leo Daughtry retained his seat in the state House of Representatives after edging Pine Level Democratic candidate Jimmy Garner, a Pine Level town commissioner and employee of the state.
Daughtry, an attorney and business owner based in Smithfield, served two terms in the N.C. Senate from 1989 to 1993, and he been a District 26 state representative since 1993.
Meanwhile, James H. Langdon, a Republican also from McGee’s Crossroads, ran unopposed in District 28, and will serve another two-year term in the N.C. House.
Clayton’s Jeff Carver, a commercial loan manager at First Citizens Bank, was reelected to the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. Mr. Carver easily won his District 1 race over James Brantley, a high school teacher making his first run at public office. Also reelected to the county commissioners representing District 4 was DeVan Barbour of Benson. Mr. Barbour beat out his Democratic counterpart Glenn McLamb, now a two-time county commissioner also-ran.
Tony Braswell of Pine Level retained his seat on the county board of commissioners by defeating political newcomer Lloyd Barnes Jr. of Wilson’s Mills.
Braswell served two terms as a Pine Level commissioner and two terms as the town’s mayor before being elected a county commissioner in 2004.
Selmas’ W. Ray Woodall ran unopposed and retained his county commissioners’ seat.
In the county school board race, four of eight candidates won their races. Kenly’s Mike Wooten, a Smithfield banker who will soon call Princeton home; Donna White, an incumbent; Clayton’s Keith Branch, an insurance agent; and Dr. Peggy Smith, a retired education administrator from McGee’s Crossroads; were the top vote getters.
Those left out were Greg Evans, Lynn Neiverth, W. Landis Bullock, and Amy E. Devereaux.
Popular U.S. Congressman Bob Etheridge of Lillington secured his sixth term again easily defeating Selma challenger Dan Mansell.
Here are the results as provided by the Johnston County Board of Elections, with incumbents marked by a star:
President
Barack Obama/Joe Biden (D) – 26,477
John McCain/Sarah Palin (R) – 43,156
U.S. Senate
*Elizabeth Dole (R)– 38,188
Kay Hagan (D) – 29,167
Christopher Cole (L) – 2,064
U.S. House of Representatives
*Bob Etheridge (D) – 39,254
Dan Mansell (R) – 28,720
Will Adkins (L) – 1,199
Governor
Pat McCrory (R) – 38,716
Beverly Perdue (D) – 29,049
Michael C. Munger (L) – 1,690
Lt. Governor
Walter H. Dalton (D) – 28,715
Robert Pittenger (R) – 37,855
Phillip Rhodes (L) – 1,800
Attorney General
Bob Crumley (R) – 28, 084
*Roy Cooper (D) – 40,362
Auditor
Beth A. Wood (D) – 28,830
*Leslie Merritt (R) – 38,164
Commissioner of Agriculture
*Steve Troxler (R) – 44,572
Ronnie Ansley (D) – 23,281
Commissioner of Insurance
Wayne Goodwin (D) – 27,941
John Odom (R) – 36,926
Mark McMains (L) – 2,169
Commissioner of Labor
*Cherie Berry (R) – 41,857
Mary Fant Donnan (D) – 25,306
Secretary of State
*Elaine F. Marshall (D) – 35,014
Jack Sawyer (R) – 32,533
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Richard Morgan (R) – 37,117
*June St. Clair Atkinson (D) – 29,818
Treasurer
Janet Cowell (D) – 28,859
*Bill Daughtridge (R) – 38,219
N.C. Senate District 12
David Rouzer (R) – 43,880
Kay Carroll (D) – 40,569
(these totals include numbers from Wayne County)
N.C. House of Representatives, District 26
Jimmy Garner (D) – 17,756
*Leo Daughtry (R) – 21,417
N.C. House of Representatives, District 28
*James H. Langdon Jr. (R) – 21,890
County Commissioner, District 1
James W. Brantley (D) – 28,807
*Jeffrey P. Carver (R) – 37,366
County Commissioner, District 2
*W. Ray Woodall (R) – 41,707
County Commissioner, District 4
Glenn McLamb (D) – 29,257
*DeVan Barbour (R) – 36,512
County Commissioner, District 6
*Tony Braswell (R) – 39,959
Lloyd Barnes Jr. (D) – 25,653
Board of Education (4 seats, top 4 vote-getters win)
*Donna M. White – 28,298
Keith Branch – 28,190
W. Landis Bullock – 18,658
Amy Elizabeth Devereaux – 18,095
Greg Evans – 25,362
Lynn Neiverth – 13,748
Peggy D. Smith – 27,896
Mike Wooten – 28,725
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