Casting primary ballots
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 9, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Voters trickle in to Belfast Fire Department Tuesday to try and help elect their candidate.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Rosalind Parrott stands in front of Greenleaf Church to try and get some last minute votes for Eugene Pearsall Tuesday. Parrott, a Pennsylvania native, recently moved to Goldsboro and has decided to continue being in politics like she was before moving.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Raymond Smith gets a high five as people gather outside of Democratic Headquarters on Center Street Tuesday night to watch election results come in.
Only 3,312 out of the 54,696 (6.06 percent) of the eligible Wayne County voters cast ballots in Tuesday's primary that decided two Democratic and one nonpartisan races.
In the single local race for the nonpartisan Wayne County Board of Education District 6 seat incumbent board member Rick Pridgen of Goldsboro and Wade Leatham of Goldsboro garnered enough votes to advance to the Nov. 6 general election.
Raymond Smith of Goldsboro won the Democratic nomination in N.C. House District 21.
In the only other primary, Dr. Kyle Horton of Kure Beach had a 2-to-1 advantage over Grayson Parker of Goldsboro for the Democratic nomination for U.S House District 7 with four counties still to report.
In advance of the primary, 1,095 Wayne County voters cast ballot during one-stop early voting that started April 19 and ended Saturday at 1 p.m.
The results are not official until the May 18 vote canvass.
Also, a multi-partisan team is scheduled to complete a state-mandated sample hand-to-eye audit count at 2 p.m. Thursday.
The contest and precincts to be counted will be randomly selected Wednesday by the N.C. State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement.
The audit count will be completed at the office of the Wayne County Board of Elections, 209 S. William St.
In the school board race, Pridgen had 434 votes (43.31 percent) to 433 (43.21 percent) for Leatham. They will square off against one another in November.
Joe Brown of Dudley received 135 votes (13.47 percent).
As of press time Tuesday night Horton, an internal medicine doctor with a business degree, held a commanding lead of 21,301 (66.97 percent) to 10,507(33.03) over Parker.
Horton will challenge incumbent Republican Rep. David Rouzer in the Nov. 6 general election.
Parker carried Wayne County 1,386 votes (50.57 percent) to 1,355 (49.43 percent) for Horton and Johnston County 693 to 586.
He also carried Sampson County 1,400 votes to 1,302.
As of press time Tuesday night Horton carried Bladen County, 760 to 248; Pender County, 1,343 to 691; Duplin County, 1,817 to 1,782;Columbus County, 2,035 to 1,702; and Brunswick \County, 8,741 to 1,977.
Totals for Brunswick, and New Hanover counties had not been reported by press time.
In the second Democratic primary Smith topped Eugene Pearsall of Faison 1,509 votes (53.17 percent) to 1,329 (46.83 percent) to claim the nomination for N.C. House District 21.
Smith, 54, the at-large member on the Wayne County Board of Education, will face Republican Robert Freeman of Goldsboro in November.
Smith had 1,247 votes (59.47 percent) to 850 (40.53 percent) for Pearsall in Wayne County.
Pearsall carried his home county of Sampson with 479 votes (64.64 percent) to 262 (35.36 percent) for Smith
The seat is currently held by longtime Democratic Rep. Larry Bell of Clinton, who did not seek re-election.
"I am absolutely ecstatic," Smith said. "This really has been a long and arduous journey. However, I am able to kind of breathe a sigh of relief at this point knowing that I will be going forth to represent the Democratic Party in November.
"I am very proud of Wayne County and its efforts to support me as well as Sampson County. I have a lot of work to do in Sampson County with people who don't know me and may not be familiar with me and what I have to offer."
Smith said he is looking forward to getting to know them and for them to know him.
Smith said he will take few days break from the campaign as he lets the win soak in.
He said he also would be working on strategies going forward while remaining focused on the needs of the district.
Smith said he plans to travel around the district to learn more about what is going on and what he can do for the community.