Murphy – Incumbency did not guarantee re-election for Cherokee County Commissioners Jan Griggs and Randy Phillips in the March 5 Republican primary election.
Griggs in District 5 lost to contractor Alan Bryant, while Phillips in District 2 lost to Valleytown Fire Chief Justin Hyde.
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The March 5 primary was part of a multi-state “Super Tuesday” Election Day that included 15 states all holding primaries on the same day. The ballot was loaded with local, state and federal offices, including N.C. governor and U.S. president.
It was the second straight election where all local incumbents lost to challengers in contested seats. Two incumbents on the Andrews Board of Aldermen lost seats in the November 2023 election.
Griggs was often paired with Hyde as an ally during the election while Bryant challenged Griggs, so the impact on the balance of power on the board of commissioners may be a wash. Because Griggs and Phillips were often on opposite sides on the board, it is unclear what message voters were sending other than it was a bad day for incumbents.
Bryant and Hyde won by similar margins – Bryant received 53.65 percent of the vote, with 2,998 votes case for him and 2,590 ballots cast for Griggs. Hyde received 52.83 percent of the vote, with 2,926 ballots cast for him and 2,612 ballots cast for Phillips.
Voter turnout was 28.95 percent, with 6,766 voters participating out of 23,374 total registered voters.
Griggs posted on her Facebook page, “I just want to take a minute and thank everyone that supported me over the last four years and especially those who voted for me this election even though we came up a bit short this time. Serving as a commissioner has been an unbelievable experience.
“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments I have made over the last few years. I want to thank my husband Joe, for standing with me through everything. I will serve my remaining eight months with honor, courage and commitment. Thank you again!”
Bryant posted, “Thank you, Cherokee County, for all of your support. I can’t wait to work for YOU!”
Phillips posted on his Facebook wall, “Thank you Cherokee County for the last three years and letting me serve as your commissioner. I have made a lot of great friends, and I would not change anything I’ve done. I looked forward to serving these final eight months.
“I will continue to try to do what right for this county. Good luck to the two new commissioners that will take office in December, Justin Hyde and Alan Bryant. Thank you again, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.”
Hyde has not posted a statement online.
School board
In school board races, incumbents James Ellis, Arnold Mathews and Jeff Tatham were unopposed in the GOP primary and did not appear on the ballot.
Paul Wilson, a retired Martins Creek principal, launched a petition drive to qualify as an unaffiliated candidate for the November general election. That required him to collect 900 valid signatures from verified registered voters in Cherokee County by noon March 5.
Wilson turned in an estimated 1,400 signatures. Officials with the Cherokee County Board of Elections are working to verify the signatures, which is estimated to take two weeks.
Another prospective unaffiliated candidate, former Andrews alderman Gary James, did not submit his petitions by the deadline. He told the Cherokee Scout he simply ran out of time to get it all done.
Other races
Cherokee County voters reflected statewide trends for state and federal offices.
In federal races, Cherokee County picked former President Donald Trump by a wide margin – 86.36 percent of the vote compared to second-place finisher Nikki Haley, who received 11.43 percent of the vote. President Joe Biden received 85 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, with 14.97 percent for “no preference.”
Statewide, Trump won with 73.85 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, while Biden won with 87.32 percent over “no preference.”
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) received 69.9 percent of the vote in Cherokee County against challenger Christian Reagan for the District 11 congressional seat. Edwards won with 68.92 percent of the vote throughout the western North Carolina congressional district.
In state races, Cherokee County Democrats preferred Attorney General Josh Stein over four other candidates with 60.83 percent of the county vote. In the GOP primary for governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson won with 70.6 percent of the vote against state Treasurer Dale Folwell and Bill Graham.
Statewide, Stein won the Democratic primary with 69.65 percent of the vote, with Robinson winning 64.84 percent in the GOP primary.
In regional races, Cherokee County Republicans backed Andy Buckner for the newly created District Court 43 seat 7 against Virginia Hornsby. This was the only regional, state or federal race that Cherokee County bucked the trend. Hornsby won the seat district-wide with 52.76 percent of the vote.
