By Randy Foster
editor@cherokeescout.com
Murphy – The March 3 primary elections were hard on Cherokee County’s incumbents, with two commissioners and one school board member losing their bids for re-election.
Commissioners Dan Eichenbaum (District 4) and Cal Stiles (District 1) lost their bids for fourth and fifth terms, respectively. After Republican Steve Coleman and Democrat Judith Bodley meet for the District 3 seat in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election, it will change the face of Cherokee County politics in 2027.
At least two new faces will be seated on the Cherokee County Board of Education. Incumbent Jeannie Gaddis lost to David Ricks, while Coleman’s undefended seat was won by former commissioner Randy Phillips.
For sheriff, which went undefended after incumbent Dustin Smith resigned and dropped out of the race in early February, interim sheriff Chris Wood handily won in a two-person race. Wood was appointed to fill the remainder of Smith’s term.
With a voter turnout of 22.79%, the 2026 county commissioner races were just as hard on incumbents as the 2024 races, when then-incumbents Jan Griggs and Phillips lost.
Election results will still need to be certified. The Cherokee County Board of Elections conducted a sample hand/eye count Thursday, while a county canvass will be held Friday.
Board of commissioners
Eichenbaum and Stiles were the most senior members on the board of commissioners. With them out, Chair Alan Bryant and Mark
Stiles will be the most senior members with just two years on the board each by December.
Cal Stiles came in second in a three-candidate field, losing to retired Cherokee County Schools superintendent Jeana Conley, who won with a commanding 52.8% of the vote. Former longtime Andrews alderman and one-time county commissioner Steve Jordan came in third.
Eichenbaum came in third out of three active candidates for the seat, with Sue Lynn Ledford, executive director of Four Square Community Action Inc., winning with 45.42% of the vote and avoiding a runoff. Retail manager Barry Killian came in second with 33.93% of the vote.
Eichenbaum won just 18.4% of the vote. A fourth candidate, Tom O’Leske, dropped out and backed Killian, but O’Leske still received 88 votes, or 2.18% of votes cast.
In District 3, Commissioner Ben Adams didn’t run. Coleman, chair of the Cherokee County Board of Education, won that race with 53.97% of the vote against Mark Stalcup.
District 2 Commissioner Mark Stiles ran unopposed. Stiles was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board in December 2024.
School board
With Coleman’s at-large seat on the school board undefended, Phillips won against Andrews businessman Stephen Dartez with 59.92% of the vote.
Incumbent District 2 school board member Gaddis was narrowly defeated by Cherokee County Code Enforcement Official Ricks. Ricks received 50.62% of the vote and won by just 57 votes.
Incumbent District 3 school board members Jason Murphy and Shannon Raper came in first and second with 44.32% and 31.24% of the vote, respectively. Gary Butler finished third.
Sheriff
Wood won against challenger Sam May for sheriff with 80.55% of the vote. Dustin Smith, who resigned in February at the urging of District Attorney Ashley Welch and dropped out of the election, still received 8.31% of the vote.
Wood was recommended to fill the vacancy left from Smith’s resignation by the Cherokee County Republican Party and appointed by the board of commissioners in February. He will finish his temporary term, then take a four-year term in elected office in December.
Unopposed races
Several Democratic candidates ran unopposed and will face winners in the Republican primaries in the Nov. 3 general election:
u Rex Cable is running for Cherokee County Board of Commissioners District 1 against Jeana Conley.
u Judith Bodley is running for Cherokee County Board of Commissioners District 3 against Coleman.
u Joy Stein is running for Cherokee County Board of Education District 3 against Jason Murphy and Shannon Raper for the two seats in that race.
Unaffiliated candidates
Unaffiliated candidates running for school board at-large seats against Phillips in November are Tom Beasley and Flip Watson.
Unaffiliated candidate Carmen Garland, a former principal of Peachtree Elementary School, will be competing for one of two seats on the ballot against Murphy and Raper in District 3.
Other races
Mirroring statewide results, county voters picked Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley for U.S. senator; and Democrat Jamie Ager and incumbent Republican Chuck Edwards for District 11 U.S. representative.