Note: All voting numbers are unofficial and are from the NC Board of Elections website.
By Peter Vankevich
Hyde County will have two new county commissioners after the swearing-in ceremony that will take place 6 p.m. Dec. 2.
Unaffiliated Jeffrey Berry, who campaigned by saying he leans Republican, won the Fairfield Township seat beating Democrat Thomas Whitaker. He will replace Ben Simmons, who did not seek reelection.
“I thank all of Hyde County for their support and promise to work hard to make Hyde County a great place to live, work and play,” Berry said.
In Lake Landing Township, Democrat Thomas Midgette was victorious, beating back write-in candidate Mark Carawan. Midgette will replace Earl Pugh Jr., who has also served as the commissioners’ long-term chairperson.
Ocracoke’s county commissioner Randal Mathews was unopposed and will continue to serve. There are five county commissioners whose terms are four years. In 2026, the Currituck and Swan Quarter township positions will be up for election. Voters vote for all commissioner seats.
Except for Midgette and Mathews, both Democrats, Hyde County voted solidly Republican at the national, state and local levels.
There are seven county voting precincts and only Ocracoke voted more for Democrats.
Viola Williams, Hyde County Elections director, confirmed that there are 851 registered voters in Ocracoke.
Of those, 220 voted on election day, 323 voted early on Ocracoke and 30 voted at the elections office in Swan Quarter. There were four provisional voters.
North Carolina received a lot of national attention because it was considered to be a swing state. It delivered its 16 electoral college votes to Donald Trump who garnered 279 total electoral votes to 223 for Karmela Harris.
Trump carried the state receiving 2.9 million votes (50.95%) to 2.7 million (47.56%) for Harris. Out of the 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the state will send 10 Republicans to Washington. North Carolina did not have a federal senate race this year.
The Republicans comfortably retained both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the state General Assembly, but it is not clear yet whether they will retain the super majority that allows them to override vetoes by the governor.
Hyde County’s General Assembly reps, Norman Sanderson of State Senate District 2 and Keith Kidwell, House District 79, both Republicans, easily retained their seats.
Amidst the overall Republican landslide, there were some major bright spots for the Democrats.
For governor, Josh Stein easily beat scandal-plagued Mark Robinson (R) with 3 million (54.82%) votes to 2.2 million (40.18%).
Democrats captured five of the 10 Council of State positions. The council consists of elected officials who hold key executive positions in state government and serve as advisors to the governor.
Democrats Rachel Hunt will be the next lieutenant governor; Jeff Jackson, attorney general; Maurice, (Mo) Green, superintendent of public instruction and Elaine Marshall, secretary of state.
Two seats were available for the Hyde County Board of Education and both candidates won their seats: Edward Torres (U) got 1,347 votes, or 57%, and Chanta Gibbs-Rickard (D) got 990 votes, or 42%.
“I’m looking forward to healing our nation and I start by healing our community first,” said Midgette on Wednesday morning. “I’m going to ask the communities what their issues are and if they have any possible solutions.”
Randal Mathews was upbeat about all the commissioners working together.
“We have had a good working relationship over the past few years,” he said referring to incumbents Jan Moore (Swan Quarter) and Shannan Swindell (Currituck), “and I look forward to working with the two new commissioners.”
The first important item of business at the December meeting will be electing a new chairperson to replace outgoing Earl Pugh.
The referendum for an additional sales tax of 0.25% for Hyde County was defeated by 1,694 against (76%) vs 530 voting for it (24%).
