Primary winner, November challenger forecast road ahead
Election 2022
Robbinsville – With the May primaries finally in the rearview mirror, local candidates are shifting their focus to the general election.
It took a second primary for the Graham County GOP to learn who would represent its party in the race for sheriff.
Ultimately, Russell Moody earned the Republican nod over the incumbent, mid-term replacement Jerry Crisp, prevailing 467-403.
The only step left is for the Graham County Board of Elections to tabulate provisionals – which will take place tonight – before certifying (canvassing) the second primary numbers at 11 a.m. Friday.
“I called a lot of people to get their thoughts, but a lot of people called me and encouraged me (to file for the second primary),” Moody said Friday in a phone interview with The Graham Star. “I didn’t want to let my supporters down. I did it for them and plus, I care about the community. I’ve always liked to help people and have grown up here, so I know what problems we have.”
Moody requested the second primary after finishing just three votes shy of Crisp in the May primary, 414-411. Before serving as Graham County sheriff from 2006-10, Moody was a paramedic – but had never worked directly in law enforcement.
His tenure as county sheriff was marred by a May 17, 2010, fire at the then-sheriff’s headquarters on South Main Street, which was later determined to be arson by the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
The blaze led to temporary headquarters being moved to the former Wachovia Bank on Rodney Orr Bypass, where the sheriff’s office still operates to this day.
“We all learn and grow, every day. We all make mistakes; nobody is perfect,” said Moody of his previous service. “But I’ve learned a lot over the last 12 years. I think I’m a little wiser and more mature about things. The Lord’s been good to me and I’m glad he saw fit to maybe give me a second chance.
“I was always hard on drugs. Let me be clear: anybody that says they can stop drugs from coming into the community is lying to you. They can’t. Nobody can. But you can definitely make it hard on them and slow it down. I used every resource at my fingertips to do that and of course, made a lot of people mad. I even had 3 to 4 death threats.”
The turnout for such a prominent county election was low, even by second-primary standards. Just 870 votes (18.22 percent of registered Republican and unaffiliated voters in Graham County) were cast between one-stop, absentees, provisionals and on Election Day.
Moody handily won the West and Stecoah precincts – securing 172 and 86 respective votes at the two locations – while Crisp edged Moody in both the East (187-183) and Tapoco (29-26) precincts. When contacted by The Graham Star after learning of his loss July 26, Crisp said he “didn’t have any issues with him (Moody)” and stated an intention to retire when he left office later this year.
Now, both parties will have an option when the November ticket is opened.
The only opposition for Moody is unaffiliated Brad Hoxit.
“Brad and I have always been friends. I’ve known him since I was on the ambulance service,” Moody said. “He was always a good hand to have around for help when I needed it. I have nothing bad to say about Brad.
“I’m very thankful that I made it through on the Republican ticket.”
Hoxit is a retired state trooper who began serving in Graham County in 1996.
“During my years of serving Graham County, I have noticed several changes that need to be implemented, because our county deserves better,” Hoxit told The Graham Star on Monday. “The sheriff’s department must be able to work with other agencies and to have their support to combat issues, such as the growing drug epidemic here where we live.
“Our kids deserve better, our elderly deserve better and our county – as a whole – deserves better. Our county matters.”
It is important to note that no Democrats filed for the sheriff race.
The winner in November will take office Monday, Dec. 5. Crisp will remain sheriff in the meantime, after being appointed mid-term in July 2020 when then-sheriff Joseph Jones resigned.
“I am absolutely looking forward to facing Russell in November,” Hoxit added. “There are a lot of different things that we are excited about doing with the campaign. We will be getting out and speaking/meeting each and every person we can, doing some different things in each community.
“We have an extraordinary amount of support and look forward to unifying our Republican, Democrat and Unaffiliated friends for the good of our county. It has to be a partnership with each person and each community within our county, if we expect to succeed.
“I am a Christian conservative who wants to earn the title of Graham County Sheriff. I fell in love with this county and the people who make this county so great.”
Other races
A slew of other local races will also be left in the hands of voters on the general ballot, with the contest for both the county’s board of commissioners and board of education at the forefront.
In another race that came down to the final ballot tallied, Natasha Williams (697) picked up a one-vote victory over Andy Lynn for the third and final Republican nod on the November ballot.
However, a second primary between Williams and Lynn was not held, since none of the candidates reached a 30-percent threshold that is required by N.C. G.S. 163-111 (a) (2).. Had the two candidates tied, a coin-flip tiebreaker would have determined who advanced.
Incumbents Jacob Nelms (769) and Lynn Cody (713) also moved on to the general ticket. Dale Wiggins, who has served several terms on the board of commissioners over the years, came in fifth in the race. He and Crisp were the only two local incumbent who lost in the primaries.
Opposing will be Democrats Scott Hooper, Jeff Millsaps and Kent Williams, as well as unaffiliated Harv Bollinger.
The school-board race will feature Republican incumbent Clark Carringer, who easily won the May primary with 1,258 votes. Republican Debra “Hank” Dinschel finished second with 527 votes. The two will challenge Democrats Shane Garland (incumbent) and Maria Shook.
Gerald Phillips (incumbent) is being challenged by John David Lovin for the non-partisan Graham County Soil & Water seat. Races for the county’s clerk of court (Tammy Holloway, Democrat) and register of deeds (Kim Lequire, Republican) are unopposed.
Dates to remember
Absentee-by-mail for the general election will begin Friday, Sept. 9.
Early (one-stop) voting gets underway Thursday, Oct. 20, with the general election itself taking place Tuesday, Nov. 8.
The Graham Star has planned another candidate forum at the Graham County Courthouse, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 15.
All candidates for the November election will be invited to attend.