The upcoming election primary is packed, with races on both sides of the ticket for Sampson County Clerk of Superior Court and a non-partisan county school board race highlighting the ballot. Democratic primaries for sheriff, the Sampson County Board of Commissioners’ fifth district, as well as both N.C. House seats and U.S. House post encompassing Sampson are also on tap.
Early voting for the May 8 primary will kick off first thing Thursday morning at the Sampson County Board of Elections Office, located at 120 County Complex Road, Suite 110, Clinton. Hours will extend on weekdays through May 4, with special hours held for last-minute voters on Saturday, May 5.
The hours for early voting will be 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday, April 19, through Friday, April 20; Monday, April 23, through Friday, April 27; and Monday, April 30, through Friday, May 4.
Those early voting hours will conclude with a three-hour window from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, May 5. Any Sampson County citizen who was registered to vote by April 13 may vote early, Board of Elections director Ashley Tew noted.
The ballot
There are seven people vying for Sampson’s Clerk of Court post, including four Republicans and three Democrats, making for a busy primary.
Republicans Barbara Moore, Chris Fann, Chris Driver and current Clerk Dwight S. Williams Jr. are all vying for the post. Williams was appointed to the post following former Clerk of Court Norman Wayne Naylor’s retirement and is filling his unexpired term, which runs out in November.
Democrats Jerry Bradshaw, Brent Baggett and Tammy Grady are challenging each other for their party’s nomination.
In the sheriff’s race, Democrats Freddie Butler and Kemely Pickett will face off against each other, with the winner attempting to unseat Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, who is seeking election to his fifth term.
On the Sampson Board of Commissioners, the District 5 seat is up for grabs, with Albert Kirby stepping down from his post earlier this year following his appointment to a judicial post. Democrat Thaddeus L. Godwin Sr. was sworn in as District 5 appointee in February, filing to seek election to the post two days before his official installation on the board to fill Kirby’s unexpired term.
He will face off against fellow Democrat Willie R. Moore in the District 5 primary, the only race being contested in the May 8 primary.
Republican commissioner Clark H. Wooten (District 1) is unopposed and Sue Lee (District 3) will have opposition on the November ballot in Willie Bowden Sr. The two met in the District 3 race four years ago.
The Sampson County Schools Board of Education and Clinton City Schools Board of Education are non-partisan races. The county race is hotly-contested, the city’s is not.
On the county side, the terms of four board members are expiring, including Mary B. Brown, Telfair Simpson, Dwain Sinclair and Kimberly Schmidlin. Only Schmidlin is seeking to retain her post, along with a slew of newcomers, including Daryll Warren, Sonya Powell, Janice Williams, Bradley Jackson, Shea Autry and Robert Burley Jr.
On the city side, Carol Worley and Georgina Zeng are poised to retain their posts, while former CCS Superintendent Dr. Stuart Blount is expected to take the third and final spot, filing at the last minute on the final day of February. They are the only three candidates to fill the three available spots, with Randy Barefoot not seek reelection.
In the N.C. House of Representatives, N.C. Rep. Dr. Larry M. Bell previously announced he would not seek his 10th term to the District 21 seat, saying it was time for a younger person to bring their insight and leadership to the Legislature. Rep. William Brisson, who underwent a midterm party swap from Democrat to Republican back in the fall, has filed for reelection to his seventh term representing District 22.
Both seats will be contested in the May primary.
Democrats Raymond Smith Jr. and Eugene Pearsall will meet in the May primary for the District 21 seat, which includes portions of Sampson, Duplin and Wayne, with Republican challenger Robert Freeman Sr. awaiting the winner.
Martin (Tony) Denning will run on the Democratic ticket for District 22, which consists of most of Sampson and Bladen counties and a small portion of Johnston. Denning will face fellow Democrat Lawrence Aycock, with the winner meeting Brisson in November.
Sen. Brent Jackson, representing N.C. Senate’s 10th district, is seeking his fifth term. The Clinton-born farmer currently resides in Autryville. As a legislator, he represents Sampson, Duplin and the southeastern part of Johnston County. He has no opposition in the primary, but has a Democrat challenger, Vernon Moore, in November.
Democrats Kyle Horton and Grayson Parker are vying for the Democratic nod for the U.S. House of Representatives’ District 7 seat. The winner will attempt to knock off Republican Congressman David Rouzer, first elected in 2014.
District Attorney Ernie Lee, a Democrat who represents the Fourth Judicial District of Duplin, Jones, Onslow and Sampson counties, is unopposed.
Those with questions about early voting, or the election in general, can call the Sampson County Board of Elections, at 910-592-5796.