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By Peter Vankevich
Those living in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District will have to wait until September before getting a representative in Washington as a result of yesterday’s special primary election to replace Walter Jones (R), who died in February.
Former mayor of Greenville Allen Thomas will be the Democrat nominee after winning yesterday’s primary with 50 percent (12,883) of the vote. Coming in second was Richard Bew, with 25 percent (6,502), and Dana Law got 12. 5 percent (3,256). The remaining four candidates got a combined 12.5 percent of the vote.
Greg Murphy, a state representative and urologist from Greenville, topped the 17-candidate Republican field with 22.5 percent (9,505) of the vote. Joan Perry, a pediatrician from Kinston and first-time candidate, was second with 15.4 percent (6,510).
Since the Republican winner did not receive more than 30 percent of the vote, a runoff election between Murphy and Perry will be held on July 9, pushing the general election to Sept. 10.
Libertarian Tim Harris of New Bern beat Shannon Bray with 56 percent of the votes (75) to Bray’s 44 percent (58).
Unopposed Constitution Party candidate Greg Holt will be on the ballot in the general election Sept. 10.
A total of 707 voted in Hyde County, including 145 on Ocracoke.
For the Dems, Richard Bew beat Allen Thomas, 59 to 42 on the island. Ocracoke’s Republicans spread their total of 34 votes between 10 candidates with Phil Shepard and Joan Perry getting the highest with six votes each.
Slightly less than 15 percent of the district’s registered voters cast ballots.
Only two candidates, Bew and Thomas, made an Ocracoke campaign stop. Thomas said he plans on more visits to meet with islanders leading up to the general election.
