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Issue Archives Keyword search for previousissue stories here... 15 May 2008
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Snow Hill Mayor wins rematch to claim Democratic nomination
26 June 2008 – By Vince Williams, staff writer
Snow Hill mayor Don Davis will advance to face Republican Louis Pate Jr. in November to determine who will represent the 5th District in the North Carolina Senate.
Davis, who has been Snow Hill’s mayor since 2001, won 63 percent of the vote to Taft’s 38 percent according to unofficial tallies on the Board of Elections website. Election results are not official until certified by the state.
Davis won handily in Greene County and neighboring Wayne County, pulling in nearly 74 and 77 percent of the votes cast, respectively.
Taft, a member of the state Board of Education, had requested the runoff after the primary election when none of the six candidates managed to secure 40 percent of the votes cast. Davis had 36 percent of the votes in that contest and Taft garnered 24 percent.
According to North Carolina election law, if no candidate obtains more than 40 percent of the votes cast, the second place candidate may ask for a one-on-one runoff election.
The Senate District 5 seat became available when incumbent Senator John H. Kerr III, D-Wayne, announced he would retire at the end of the year.
The district includes all of Greene County, southern Pitt County including Greenville, and southeast Wayne County including Mount Olive, Goldsboro and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Davis was the clear favorite in Wayne County, garnering 2,396 votes to Taft’s 719. Results in Greene County were similar with Davis bringing in 1,775 votes to Taft’s 634.
Taft, who lives in Greenville, was victorious in Pitt County. She brought in 1,899 votes in her home county and Davis managed 1,308.
Davis did not return phone calls seeking comment Tuesday evening.
Taft said even though she didn’t win the primary runoff, she still had much work to be done.
“I’m going to do two things. I’m going to continue my service on the state Board of Education, which I love, and we have lots of work to do,” she said, adding that perhaps that board is “where I’m meant to be.”
She said she also plans to keep busy stumping for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bev Perdue.
“The second thing I’m going to do, I’m going to work really, really hard to get Beverly Perdue elected because I know where she stands on education,” Taft said. “That will keep me busy doing things I love.”
Taft also spoke highly of her opponent. “I’ve already spoken to Don Davis,” she said. “We spoke, and I told him I expected great things of him.”
“It’s been a long, long election to go through a primary with six candidates and then a runoff,” Taft said.
Davis will take on Louis Pate Jr. of Mount Olive in the November election.
Parks tops Dixon in Duplin Co. runoff, now unopposed for Commissioner Snow Hill Mayor wins rematch Carver High School reunion July 3-6 Mount Olive to hire full time rec director Rape suspect nabbed after victim escapes Town officials plan for heat wave
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Issue of 26 June 2008 Our Other Newspapers... Wayne Wilson News Leader Princeton News Leader
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