Meet the candidates vying for a spot on the New Hanover County ballot in November
With the primary election quickly approaching—early voting begins Feb. 15--New Hanover County residents will have a wide-range of candidates to vote for. This year North Carolina voters with will be joining 15 other states and American Samoa for Super Tuesday on March 5. During this election, voters will determine which candidates will be the party nominee and proceed to the general election on Nov. 5.
In-person early voting ends at 3 p.m. on March 2.
To help New Hanover County voters get to know their candidates a little better, here’s a rundown:
New Hanover County Board of Education
While Democratic candidate Cynthia Munoz has dropped out of the election, there will still be a primary. Incumbents Hugh McManus, Stephanie Walker and Stephanie Kraybill are not seeking re-election. Here are the candidates running:
Jerry Jones Jr., Democrat, is running for a seat with the New Hanover County Board of Education. While he’s a newcomer to the local political scene, he’s a long-time resident of New Hanover County. Jones moved to Wilmington with his wife after graduating from Warren Wilson College with a double major in history and economics. From there, Jones attended UNCW for a bachelor's in physics and a minor in mathematics. He also received his Master of Business Administration from UNCW. Jones worked as an environmental chemist and lab manager for about 15 years. Afterward, he taught middle school science for four years until he and his wife opened their small local business, The Roasted Bookery
Judy Justice, Democrat, won the 2018 election for New Hanover County’s Board of Education and is now running again. She grew up just outside of Wilmington, in Swansboro and earned her Bachelor of Arts with a double major in history and communications, as well as a master's degree in school administration from UNCW.
Tim Merrick, Democrat, is running for New Hanover County Board of Education. Merrick said he grew up in an education-focused household. His mother was a first-grade teacher, and his father was a middle school principal. Merrick worked as a chiropractor for 25 years, has served on a school board, served as board chair for Northern Adirondack Planned Parenthood in New York, and was the chair of the Governance Committee of Bike Durham, a nonprofit organization that promotes biking and walking. Merrick was also a candidate for the New York State Senate and served as Democratic City Chair in Plattsburgh, New York.
Nikki M. Bascome, Republican, has never held office before. Bascome has experience as a business owner, early childhood consultant, director of an autism nonprofit, and describes herself as “a perpetual volunteer in many organizations across New Hanover County.” Bascome was a student in New Hanover County Schools, has four children that attend New Hanover County Schools, and is also a New Hanover County School staff member.
Kimberly McDuffie Murphy, Republican, has not held office before. Murphy holds a bachelor's degree in business administration, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Psychology and a Doctor of Education. She is also a licensed school administrator, mother to three and grandmother to two. She’s served for nearly 20 years in public education throughout New Hanover, Brunswick and Onslow Counties.
David Perry, Republican, has not held office before, but was active in forming a local chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus. He holds a bachelor's degree in history with dual minors in biblical studies and philosophy. He later graduated with a Master of Education degree from Rivier University. He has experience working as a teaching assistant, in IT and as a software engineer.
Natosha Tew, Republican, has not held office before. She has ten years of experience as a first responder and is the chair for the New Hanover County chapter of Moms 4 Liberty.
Aubrey Tuell, Republican, is also a newcomer to the political scene. She attended UNCW where she founded its Turning Point USA chapter and chaired the UNC Wilmington chapter of College Republicans. She serves as the Press Secretary of the North Carolina Federation of Young Republicans and was elected as secretary of the New Hanover County Republican Party. Throughout her time at UNCW, she tutored children in New Hanover County Schools and has served as a reading budding at Wrightsboro Elementary. She values academic opportunity, school safety and accountability.
NC Superior Court Judge District 06C Seat 01
Barry Henline, Republican, was a Greensboro police officer where he worked on the SWAT team, and then joined the highway patrol. He retired as a sergeant with 30 years of experience in law enforcement. Henline attended law school at North Carolina Central University in Durham before he passed the Bar Exam and opened his law practice in Wilmington in 2013. He also serves as a court-appointed attorney for New Hanover and Pender Counties.
Susan Keelin, Republican, has lived and practiced law in Wilmington since 1992. Keelin holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Duke University and a law degree from Washington University. She has experience serving with the Appalachia Service Project, Guardian ad Litem, Cape Fear Literacy Council Board of Directors and as a Communities in Schools volunteer.
Max Ashworth, Republican, grew up in Fuquay-Varina and pursued his undergraduate degree at UNCW. After graduating from Campbell Law School, he began working at the New Hanover County Public Defender’s Office. Ashworth has worked as a legal advocate in New Hanover County for nearly a decade and has served as President of the New Hanover County Bar Association.
Norwood P. Blanchard, Republican, grew up in Burgaw and received his undergraduate degree from East Carolina University. He then graduated from Duke Law School where he served as senior editor of one of the law journals during his third year. After graduating, Blanchard worked for a civil litigation firm until 2011, when he joined a smaller firm as a partner. Blanchard has been selected to Thompson-Reuters list of North Carolina Super Lawyers every year since 2012 and was selected for North Carolina Business Magazine’s Legal Elite for 2023.
New Hanover County Board of Commissioners:
There is no primary race for the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners as there are three open seats, and three republicans and three democrats filed. Incumbents Jonathan Barfield Jr., Dane Scalise and Bill Rivenbark have all filed for re-election.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover County primary election candidates for 2024
