Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
Democrat Rev. Greg Drumwright defeated Republican incumbent Mike Perdue in the Guilford County Board of Commissioners At-Large race, winning 66.53 percent of the vote to Perdue’s 33.47 percent in one of several upsets on Election Night.
A total of 218,058 ballots were cast among Guilford County’s 396,577 registered voters, or about 55 percent. Complete but unofficial results were not available until well after midnight as precincts finished reporting.
“These results are because of the dream team in the room,” Drumwright said at a watch party at his church, The Citadel Church, where he thanked his supporters, campaign team, and a significant number of college students in attendance.
Drumwright also pointed to the long fight over voting access at N.C. A&T State University, where students organized and marched to the polls.
“The North Carolina, Republican-controlled state legislature led the country in writing the playbook, after 2016, on voter suppression, we [North Carolina] wrote the playbook. We handed it to Texas; we handed it to Tennessee, and it started with the only college and university in America’s campus to be split in half into two separate voter precincts and that was North Carolina A&T State University’s distinction. And we were marching to the polls,” Drumwright continued,
“This church organized students from all over this county and we marched to the polls in 2018. It was a four-mile march. We called it “Students in Solidarity,” and because A&T students could not understand where to vote on their campus. I’m only saying that tonight because here we are eight years later, and the Republican led North Carolina legislature wrote the playbook on voter suppression, but our voters are the first out of the gate tonight to prove that the surgically precise voter suppression effort could be undone and that change was within our reach all along,” Drumwright added, pointing to the number of Democrats who won in this year’s election locally and across the state.
A&T students spent the past year advocating for an early voting site on campus. After the Guilford County Board of Elections rejected the request and the State Board of Elections upheld that decision, students continued organizing registration events, marches and rides to the polls.
“This has been a yearlong fight,” said Tatiyana James, senior Criminal Justice major, and president of the N.C. A&T Collegiate branch of the N.C. NAACP. “I believe that we just made history with the student voter turnout. The Board of Elections didn’t think we would turn out after they didn’t give us an early voting site, but we marched, we shuttled students, and we made it happen.”
Students also gathered at A&T’s Student Center for an Election Night watch party themed, “From the Bridge to the Ballot.” Khadijah Barry, a senior Political Science and Liberal Studies major and president of the university’s Legal Daze chapter, said students’ turnout reflected the efforts of generations who fought for the right to vote.
“Not that many years ago, students marched because they had no other option. They had to advocate for themselves,” she said, reflecting on the marches from the 60s. “I’m very proud of the students in the area – A&T, UNCG, Bennett—literally all the college students from across the state of North Carolina, showed up and showed out. It feels so good to see all of our hard work come to fruition.”
Student leaders said they plan to continue holding elected officials accountable.
In the commissioners’ District 2 race, Democrat Scott Jones unseated Republican Alan Perdue, winning 51.40 percent of the vote to Perdue’s 48.60 percent.
Democrat Derek Mobley won the District 3 seat with 54.35 percent. Republican incumbent Pat Tillman received 43.22 percent, and Green Party candidate Jeanine Couto received 2.43 percent.
Democrat Carlvena Foster in District 1 and Democrat Lisa McMillan in District 7 ran unopposed.
In the North Carolina House, the most dramatic shakeups unfolded in the county’s suburban battlegrounds. In District 62, Democrat Shelly Headen secured a razor-thin upset over Republican incumbent Rep. John Blust, edging him out by just over two hundred votes.
Meanwhile, in District 59, Democrat Elma Hairston successfully flipped another competitive seat by unseating Republican incumbent Rep. Alan Branson.
In High Point’s District 60, Democratic incumbent Rep. Amanda Cook defended her seat, defeating Republican challenger Joseph Perrotta.
The victories complemented an otherwise quiet night for Greensboro’s long-standing Democratic representatives: Rep. Tracy Clark in District 57 and Rep. Mary Price “Pricey” Harrison in District 61 were each returned to Raleigh after facing no general election opponents.
Across the upper chamber, Guilford County’s State Senate representation saw longtime Democratic incumbents Sen. Michael Garrett in District 27 and Sen. Gladys Robinson in District 28 ran unopposed.
In District 26—spanning northern Guilford into Rockingham County—Republican Sam Page defeated Democrat Steve Luking, 54 to 46 percent, following a primary season where Page unseated Senate leader Phil Berger.
Democrat Ebony Burnett won the District 4 seat with 61.76 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Tracy Gaskins, who received 38.24 percent.
Democrat Khem Irby retained the District 6 seat with 65.20 percent, defeating Republican challenger Maritza Gomez, who received 34.80 percent. Democrat Alan Sherouse, Republican Crissy Pratt and Democrat Deena Hayes-Greene ran unopposed for the At-Large, District 2 and District 8 seats, respectively.
In other races, Democrat David Churchill ran unopposed and won for Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court.
Democratic incumbent Danny Rogers retained the sheriff’s seat with 66.65 percent of the vote. Republican challenger Phil Byrd received 33.35 percent.
In the Guilford Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor race, Grace Summers received 31.82 percent and Andrew J. (Andy) Courts Jr. received 19.94 percent as the top two vote getters. Tahir Bashir followed with 19.15 percent, Jeffrey R. Egerton with 15.34 percent and Ryan Blankenship with 12.84 percent.
Democrat Moshera Mills won the N.C. District Court Judge District 24, Seat 6 race with 67.48 percent, defeating Republican Erik R. Hamner, who received 32.52 percent.
Several other judicial candidates ran unopposed: Democrat Lisa Johnson Tonkins for N.C. Superior Court, District 24A, Seat 1; Democrat William (Bill) Wood for N.C. Superior Court, District 24D, Seat 1; Democrat Marc Tyrey for N.C. District Court, District 24, Seat 1; Democrat Larry Archie for N.C. District Court, District 24, Seat 2; and Democrat Avery Crump for District Attorney, District 24.
Voters approved four of the five bond measures on the ballot: $11.5 million for Parks and Recreation, $15.9 million for Firefighting Facilities, $7 million for Greensboro Transportation and $5 million for Greensboro Housing. They also approved the Guilford County Local Sales and Use Tax Referendum, with 62.85 percent voting in favor.
The $2.1 million Greensboro Municipal Building bond measure failed, with 58.28 percent voting against it.
N.C. voters also approved all three state Constitution Amendments: requiring voter photo ID, a maximum income tax rate of 3.4 percent and a property tax levy limit.
