Incumbents Win School Board Race
SMITHFIELD – Johnston County voters returned three incumbents to their seats on the Board of Education.
Incumbents Lyn Andrews, Kay Carroll, and Ronald Johnson were reelected to their respective seats. April Lee was elected to the fourth open seat.
In unofficial results from Tuesday’s election, Mr. Carroll defeated challenger Jason Shuler in District 3. Carroll received 55,138 votes (54.2%) to Shuler’s 45,999 votes (45.2%). There were 564 write-in votes. Carroll was the top vote getter among the four winners.
In District 6, chairman Lyn Andrews easily won, defeating Rick Walker. Andrews received 53,101 votes (54.1%) compared to 44,431 for Walker (45.3%).
In District 7, incumbent Ronald Johnson outpaced Jeff Sullivan with 50,126 votes (50.4%). Sullivan received 48,448 votes (49.0%). 509 write-in ballots were cast.
In District 4, April Lee, who ran a strong grassroots campaign, handily won the seat. Lee received 54,855 votes (53.4%), upsetting her challenger David Spain who had 47,348 votes (46.1%). There were 428 write-in ballots.
Voters Approve Two School Bonds
Citizens approved two Johnston County school bond referendums on Tuesday.
Voters approved a $120 million general obligation bond for Johnston County Public Schools to pay for new school construction and renovation projects. 63,783 people (56.75%) voted in favor of the bond, while 48,610 voted against its passage (43.25%).
A $30 million general obligation bond for Johnston Community College passed by a vote of 61,078 for (54.26%) to 51,492 against (45.74%), in unofficial results.
Uncontested County Commissioner Races
Four Republican candidates won election to the county commission board. Michelle Pace Davis was unopposed in District 1 and will replace retiring Commissioner Fred Smith who did not seek reelection. She received 84,375 votes.
Incumbent Commissioner Ted Godwin was unopposed in District 2. He received 73,460 votes. Incumbent Commissioner April Stephens was unopposed in District 4 and received 83,395 votes.
Commissioner Bill Stovall received 81,221 votes in District 6.
Judicial Seats
Eight district court judges had their names on Tuesday’s ballot. All were unopposed for their respective District 12 seats. They included Judge Jason Coats (84,062 votes), Judge Jillian Pope (83,502 votes), Judge Craig James (68,485 votes), Judge Terry Rose (83,110 votes), Judge Jimmy Love Jr. (82,319 votes), Judge Mary Howard Wells (82,698 votes), and Judge Brian Lewis (82,398 votes).
NC House
NC House District 26 Representative Donna White (R) carried 55.2 percent of the vote total defeating Democratic opponent Matthew Wood who had 41.7 percent support. Libertarian Kevin Terrett finished in third place with 3.1 percent. In unofficial returns, White had 29,804 ballots, Wood 22,507, and Terrett 1,710.
In the District 28 House race, incumbent Republican Larry Strickland was returned to office carrying 69 percent of the total vote count over Democratic opponent Tawanda Shepard. In unofficial results, Rep. Strickland received 28,763 votes. Shepard received 12,947 votes.
NC Senate
Incumbent NC Senator Benton Sawrey overwhelmingly defeated his two opponents at the polls on Tuesday.
In the race for the District 10 seat, Senator Sawrey, a Republican carried 58.9% of the total votes cast (70,427), over Democratic opponent Felicia Baxter’s 37.6 percent (44,999 votes), and Libertarian Christopher Session with 3.5 percent (4,295 votes).
Other Results
Johnston County voters backed Donald Trump for US President. The Republican Donald Trump – JD Vance ticket received 74,490 votes in Johnston County compared to 47,728 votes for the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz Democratic ticket.
Josh Stein won the statewide race for NC Governor however his opponent Mark Robinson narrowly received the most votes for governor among Johnston County voters. Robinson received 57,475 votes in the county, slightly more than Stein who had 57,182 in unofficial results. Statewide, Stein, a Democrat, won the race for NC Governor with 55 percent support.
Incumbent Charles Hill was reelected as Johnston County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor.
Another liberal governor. …
With Trump as President, a Democrat State Executive Branch, and a liberal county school board, the next 4 years are going to be quite interesting.
UNBELIEVABLE how the same old corrupt people keep getting elected to rape & pillage this county!!
We all won because we don’t have to hear ads on tv, junk mail in our mail boxes and those stupid road side signs. Clean them up TODAY!!!
From Mo winning the superintendent seat, down to our school board, our poor children are in for a really rough and confusing 4 years. Parents, watch the curriculum like hawks.
So true! This election makes me even happier to be homeschooling my children!
The Republican dominated General Assembly creates all the laws and the state standards are online for all to see. They always have been. What would really help our schools is if they actually invested in them. Instead, they let our education drop to the bottom of the nation.
We could give the schools all the money in the world and they would still say they don’t have enough! It’s not about the funding but using the money appropriately to actually support the teachers and staff not the overpaid, under working people at the district level. We need to cut the excess at the district and give more to the actual people who do the job in the schools.
Yes, because all but one of the school board are republicans. J
I call bulls**t on this one.
After all the complaining about the unchecked growth in the county and the circus that is our board of education, you voted to re-elect the same people?!?!? #stupidIsAsStupidDoes
I absolutely didn’t. All of the ones I voted for were defeated. Sooo how soon before crap rocks off again with our school board? Ugh!
You all should be ecstatic, mark Robertson won Johnston county???