Beaufort County backs Republicans in majority of races
Published 6:21 pm Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Beaufort County voters, as they did in national and statewide contests, went mostly Republican in the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners election in which four seats on the seven-member board were available this election cycle.
Republican candidates carried 13 of the county’s 21 precincts — Tranter’s Creek, Pinetown, Pantego, Beaver Dam, Surry-Bath, Aurora, Edward, Gilead, North Creek, Hunters Bridge, Woodard’s Pond, River Road and Washington Park. Democratic candidates carried eight precincts — Belhaven, Blounts Creek, Chocowinity, Old Ford, Washington 1, Washington 2, Washington 3 (P.S. Jones) and Washington 4.
Of those four seats being contested, only one was won by a Democrat — incumbent Jerry Langley. Republican incumbents Hood Richardson and Gary Brinn were re-elected. Newcomer Jerry Evans will join the board as its newest Republican member.
Richardson was the top vote-getter in each of the 13 counties carried by Republicans. Langley collected the most votes in Blounts Creek, Chocowinity, Old Ford, Washington 1, Washington 2, Washington 3 (P.S. Jones) and Washington 4. Greg Satterthwaite carried the Belhaven precinct.
In the Board of Commissioners contest, Langley had the most votes in the early voting period and was third in votes by way of absentee ballots. Richardson had the most votes by way of absentee ballots and was second in ballots marked in the early voting period.
Republican Donald Trump carried all of Beaufort County’s 21 precincts except three — Washington 1, Washington 2 and Washington 3 (P.S. Jones).
Republican incumbent Bill Cook carried all precincts except one in the contest for the District 1 seat in the North Carolina Senate, collecting 52,687 votes to Democrat Brownie Futrell’s 36,350 votes. Cook carried the following counties: Beaufort, Hyde, Dare, Currituck, Camden, Perquimans and Gates. Futrell carried Pasquotank County.
In Beaufort County, where Cook and Futrell live, Cook carried Tranter’s Creek, Old Ford, Pinetown, Beaver Dam, River Road, North Creek, Pantego, Chocowinity, Gilead, Edward, Surry-Bath, Woodard’s Pond, Hunters Bridge, Washington Park and Aurora.
Futrell carried Washington 1, Washington 2, Washington 3 (P.S. Jones), Washington 4, Belhaven and Blounts Creek precincts.
In the contest for the 6th District seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives, Republican Beverly Boswell carried all precincts except for Belhaven, where voters favored Democrat Warren Judge, who died Saturday. On Monday, Democratic officials named Tess Judge, his wife, as the replacement candidate. In the district, Boswell collected 1,559 more votes than Judge, 21,805 to 20,246.
Although Democrat Marva Fisher Baldwin carried Beaufort County in the contest for the 3rd District seat in the state House, incumbent Republican Michael Speciale carried the district, which includes parts of Beaufort and Craven counties and all of Pamlico County. Speciale received 23,125 votes to Baldwin’s 12,531 votes in the district.
In Beaufort County, Baldwin collected 3,937 votes to Speciale’s 3,733 votes. Of the eight precincts in District 3, Baldwin carried Washington 1, Washington 2 and Washington 3 (P.S. Jones) precincts. Speciale carried Washington 4, Chocowinity, Blounts Creek, Edward and Aurora precincts.
Beaufort County voters cast 23,919 ballots, a turnout of 71.78 percent. The county has 33,322 registered voters.
All vote totals are unofficial until canvassed and certified by the Beaufort County Board of Elections on Nov. 18. On that day, votes on approved provisional ballots would be added to the precinct, early voting and absentee ballot vote totals.
By the numbers
- Early voting and absentee ballots accounted for 14,966 of the 23,919 ballots cast during the election.
- 62.57 percent of the voters in Beaufort County participated in the election by voting early or by absentee ballot.
- 11,915 voters cast ballots at the Beaufort County Board of Elections during the early voting period.
- 1,051 voters participating in early voting at the Chocowinity satellite site.
- 891 voters cast ballots at the Belhaven satellite site during early voting.
- 588 voters marked ballots during early voting at the Aurora satellite site.
- 521 absentee ballots were cast before Election Day.