Alamance County’s Republican incumbents won victories in primary elections that ended today.
Sheriff Terry Johnson led his Republican challenger, former Highway Patrol commander Billy Clayton, by about 57 percent to 42 percent, with all 39 precincts reporting shortly before 10:00 p.m.
Whether Johnson will be home-free in November remains to be seen. An unaffiliated candidate, Shannon Long, was to turn in names on his petition to be on the November ballot today. Election officials will comb through the names to see if he has enough (something over 5,000) to qualify for the November ballot. The Democrats did not file a candidate for sheriff.
Meanwhile incumbent Kristie Miller Culler (with 10,033 votes) was way ahead of her challenger, magistrate Steve McGilvray, 73.4 percent to 26.6 percent; McGilvray had 3,636 votes. In essence, Culler has been elected inasmuch as Democrats did not field a candidate for clerk of court.
In the race for two county commissioner seats, incumbents Kelly Allen, the board’s current chairman, was leading with 7,863 votes (30.59 percent of the vote), with vice chairman Steve Carter running second with 7,337 votes (28.55 percent of the vote).
First time candidate Jeff Throneburg was third, but well back, with 5,148 votes (20.03 percent) and Henry Vines had 3,949 votes (15.36 percent). Peter Boykin received 1,406 votes (5.47 percent).
On the Democratic side for county commissioner seats, Ramona Allen was first with 8,133 votes (46.97 percent) and Mebane city councilman Sean C. Ewing was second with 7,030 votes (40.60 percent). Warren L. Parks, Jr. had 2,151 votes (12.42 percent).
