Alamance County Commission incumbents survive primary, Ross gets another shot at N.C. House

Isaac Groves, Times-News
·2 min read

Voters sent Alamance County Commissioners Steve Carter and Craig Turner on to the Nov. 8 election and given former state Rep. Stephen Ross another chance to beat Rep. Ricky Hurtado, according to unofficial results from the North Carolina Board of Elections.

“It’s been a hard-fought race but, all-in-all I think, a clean one,” Carter said. “Now it’s time to move onto the general election, move ahead as a party and get our candidates elected.”

More: Republican Alamance County Commissioner primary candidates in their own words

Republican commissioners' primary results

  • Steve Carter (R)*; 6,431 votres or 33.9%

  • Craig Turner (R)*' 6,321 votes or 33.3%

  • Robert Turner (R); 4,044 votes or 21.3%

  • Rudy Cartassi (R) 2,183 votes or 11.5%

Carter led the way in the race for two seats on the Alamance County Board of Commissioners in the Tuesday, May 17 Republican primary, and fellow incumbent Craig Turner was not far behind him.

“I think the results for me and Steve show that at least the Republican voters of Alamance County are pleased with the direction the county has taken,” Turner said, “with smart tax policy, strong revenue growth, a focus on keeping county employees – including law enforcement – and focusing on education for our children.”

Newcomers Robert Turner and Rudy Cartassi came in about 2,000 and 4,000 votes behind the front runners respectively.

There is just one Democrat running for a seat on the board, Anthony Pierce, who was knocked out in the Democratic primary in 2020.

After some significant turnover, Carter is the most senior member of the board with an election victory and a full term on the board behind him. The Alamance County Republican Party appointed Turner to finish out the term of Sen. Amy Galey when she was elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2020.

Galey had no primary challengers this year.

N.C. House District 63

Stephen Ross squeaked out a narrow victory with about 150 votes more than challenger Ed Priola. Peter Boykin has 170 votes in total, according to unofficial results from the state board of elections.

More: Alamance County's District 63 Republican primary candidates make their cases

N.C. House District 63 Republican primary

  • Stephen Ross (R); 2,171 votes or 49.8%

  • Ed Priola (R); 2,019 or 46.3%

  • Peter Boykin (R); 170 votes or 3.9%

Ross has a long political history in Alamance County serving on the Burlington City Council and as mayor before winning the District 63 seat in 2012. He won that election and his next by comfortable margins and even ran unopposed in 2016. But in 2018, Democrat Erica McAdoo lost to Ross by fewer than 300 votes, and in 2020, Rep. Ricky Hurtado beat Ross – though it was by fewer than 500 votes in a strong year for Democrats.

The Times-News could not reach Ross for comment.

Isaac Groves is the Alamance County government watchdog reporter for the Times-News and the USA Today Network. Call or text 919-998-8039 with tips and comments or follow him on Twitter @TNIGroves.

This article originally appeared on Times-News: Alamance County Commission incumbents survive primary, Stephen Ross gets another shot at N.C. House