By Gregory Childress
gchildress@heraldsun.com; 419-6645
Look for the Chatham County primary season to have a much different political look than it has in recent years.
When the filings ended Friday at noon, Republicans in the traditional Democratic stronghold had set themselves up for an active primary season. None of the Democratic incumbents are being challenged so there will be no primaries in those races on May 4.
“We usually have more Democrats,” said Dawn Stumpf, director of the Chatham County Board of Elections. “It appears this time we’re going to have a more active Republican run.”
Karl G. Kachergis, chairman of the Chatham County Democratic Party, said he is especially surprised that the two commissioner races will be without primary races.
“It’s strange to me,” Kachergis said. “As a chairman of a party, however, I’m glad our two candidates can save their resources for the November election.”
Kachergis said the surge in Republican participation is likely due to the party’s recent success in high profile races such as the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts, where Republican Scott Brown won the seat long held by Democrat Ted Kennedy, who died in August 2009.
“It looks like to me that they [Republicans] feel they have a better chance than they had in the past,” Kachergis said. “I know they plan to bring it.”
Still, Kachergis said, noting that registered Democrats in Chatham make up 50 percent of the county’s voting population or about 20,000 voters, Republicans face an uphill struggle. Republicans are 25 percent of voters, the equivalent of 10,000 voters, and another 10,000 voters are unaffiliated. There are about 40 registered Libertarians in the county.
Attempts to reach Chatham County Republican Party Chairman Brian Bock were unsuccessful.
In the County Commissioner District 3 race, Democratic incumbent George Lucier is uncontested. Republicans Brian Bock and Cadle W. Cooper will face off in the May primary for a chance to run against Lucier in November.
District 5 County Commissioner incumbent Carl E. Thompson is also facing a double-challenge from Republicans Kim Beal and Walter Perry. The Republican winner of the May primary will face Thompson in November.
Tom Vanderbeck, the incumbent Democrat in County Commissioner District 4, is being challenged by Republican Pamela Stewart. The two will square off for the seat in November.
In two state Senate races, there won’t be any primary elections because the Democratic incumbents in District 18 and 54 were not challenged by other Democrats and neither were the Republican challengers.
In District 18, Democratic incumbent Bob Atwater is being challenged by Republican Roger Gerber while Democratic incumbent Joe Hackney of District 54 will face Republican Cathy Wright.
Sheriff Richard H. Webster also avoids a primary election because no Democratic challenger stepped forward to challenge him. He will, however, face Republican Larry Meadows in November.
The non-partisan school board races in Chatham drew plenty of candidates.
In school board District 3, four candidates, Tina Ford, Jeff Johnson, Martin Pinnock and Del Turner, will vie for the seat held by Kathie Russell, who must vacate the post because of a mapping error that placed her in District 3. Russell lives in District 2.
And in District 4, Illana Dubester, Elizabeth Haddix, Gary Leonard, who was appointed to the board last month to fill the unexpired term of Gerald Totten who died in December, and incumbent Deb McManus, the current school board chairwoman, will compete for two seats in the district.
District 4 has two seats on the board because of its size.
School board candidates will be on the ballot in November. Because they are non-partisan races, there will be no primary elections.
The General Election is Nov. 2.