The candidate filing period for the March primary election has ended, with stiff competition for several top offices both locally and statewide.
In New Hanover County, three county commissioner seats are up for re-election, with all three incumbents looking to defend their seats. While current vice chair Jonathan Barfield, Jr. is only up against two other Democrats, guaranteeing all three have a spot in the November general election, the Republican side of the ticket is full.
Within the first few days of the filing period, which began December 1, there were already three Republican candidates: incumbent Beth Dawson, who was recently elected chair of the board for 2016, financial advisor and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority Board Chair Patricia Kusek and real estate appraiser Campbell Dodd. Last week, Commissioner Woody White announced his bid for re-election, ensuring a battle for the three spots allotted each party in the 2016 general election.
On Monday, the final day of filing, three more Republicans put their names on the ballot, bringing the total number of GOP candidates to seven. John Robert Babb, a military veteran who spent his career in law enforcement and currently serves on the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, and James Guildford Brumit signed up to run for county board. A former New Hanover County Board of Education Member, Derrick Hickey, a medical doctor, also declared himself a candidate. He previously ran for commissioner in 2014 but was narrowly defeated by Democrat Rob Zapple.
The New Hanover County Board of Education also has three open seats and is equally crowded. Four candidates, incumbents Jeannette Nichols and Lisa Estep along with Frank Meares and David Lee Wortman, are running on the GOP side. There are five Democrats vying for a spot on the November ballot: Sandra Lee, Kevin Spears, Chris Meek, James Jamison, Jr. and Emma Saunders.
Tammy Covil declared last month she would run for the North Carolina District 20 House of Representatives seat being vacated by fellow Republican Rick Catlin, ensuring at least one new face on the school board next year.
Across the state, there are several candidates on both sides for governor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and United States Senate. Though incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Forest has no Republican competition, there are two candidates on the Democratic side of the ticket.
Below are candidates for some of the contested offices in the March primary (listed in alphabetical order by name last name on ballot). Click here for a list of all candidates in all races for New Hanover County.
New Hanover County Board of Commissioners
Republicans
- John Babb
- Jim Brumit
- Beth Dawson (incumbent)
- Campbell Dodd
- Derrick Hickey
- Patricia Kusek
- Woody White (incumbent)
Democrats
- Jonathan Barfield, Jr. (incumbent)
- Nelson G. Beaulieu
- Julia Boseman
New Hanover County Board of Education
Republicans
- Lisa Estep (incumbent)
- Frank Christopher Meares
- Jeannette S. Nichols (incumbent)
- David Lee Wortman
Democrats
- James Jamison, Jr.
- Sandra Leigh
- Chris Meek
- Emma Saunders
- Kevin Spears
Governor
Republicans
- C. Robert Brawley
- Pat McCrory (incumbent)
- Charles Kenneth Moss
Democrats
- Roy Cooper
- Ken Spaulding
Libertarian
- Lon Cecil
Lt. Governor
Republicans
- Dan Forest (incumbent)
Democrats
- Linda Coleman
- Holly Jones
- Ronald L. Newton
- Robert Earl Wilson
Libertarian
- J.J. Summerell
N.C. House District 20
Republicans
- Tammy Covil
- Holly Grange
U.S. House District 3
Republicans
- Walter B. Jones (incumbent)
- Taylor Griffin
- Phil Law
Democrats
- David Hurst
U.S. House District 7
Republicans
- Mark D. Otto
- David Rouzer (incumbent)
U.S. Senate
Republicans
- Richard Burr (incumbent)
- Larry Holmquist
- Paul Wright
Democrats
- Kevin D. Griffin
- Ernest T. Reeves
- Chris Rey
- Deborah K. Ross
Libertarian
- Sean Haugh
