Democratic contenders for state Senate District 5 prepare for June 24 runoff
By Matthew Whittle
Published in News on June 15, 2008 2:01 AM
By MATTHEW WHITTLE
Assistant News Editor
With only a week to go before the second primary on June 24, state Senate District 5 Democratic contenders Don Davis and Kathy Taft are busy campaigning throughout Wayne, Greene and Pitt counties.
"Things are going good," said Davis, the mayor of Snow Hill. "I've been in all three counties, and we're working hard in all three counties."
For Ms. Taft, a member of the state Board of Education from Greenville, the approach is much the same as she tries to gain ground in both Wayne and Greene where she lost to Davis in the first primary on May 6. She did, however, capture Pitt.
"I'm feeling good about it," she said. "We're spending a lot of time in Wayne and Greene counties, meeting people and letting them know who I am, what I stand for and what the biggest difference between us is -- experience.
"I have the experience, I know the people, and I know how to get things done."
For Davis, though, the challenge is making sure people know they still need to get out and vote. After all, in the six-way first primary he reached 35.78 percent of the vote (compared to Taft's 24.06 percent) -- just shy of the 40 percent needed to avoid the runoff.
"The biggest thing is really just working to educate people as to what is taking place," he said. "We're just continuing to reach out."
And so far, voters seem to be aware of the fact that there will be a second primary from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, with 376 Wayne County residents casting early ballots.
Early voting will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and then from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the county elections office on William Street.