2020 election time for Alamance County
**There have been districting changes multiple times recently. This is Alamance County districting for the 2020 election, which does NOT match present day districting**
Editor’s note: As you read the candidate summaries below, they will look quite different from the summaries of the US Senator campaign summaries, the NC Governor summaries, and the other bigger campaigns. The summaries below are based on what the candidates have chosen to highlight through their campaign across their websites, social media, and public statements. If the campaigns seem unbalanced or focused on different issues, well, yep. This is fairly common in smaller scale elections, which is why they can be frustrating to follow. Some of these summaries will likely seem unbalanced, as they focus on different issues, sometimes with little or no overlap. This is one of the hurdles in researching and following local politics and the summaries below are meant to reduce one of the barriers to participation. -Andromeda
US House of Reps District 13
Ted Budd ( R ) *incumbent
has been NC rep since 2017
frequently does not wear a mask when interacting with others (less than six feet apart)
believes PPE should be produced in North Carolina
does not discuss support for financial assistance due to Covid-19
homeschools own children
has owned an indoor shooting range for 10 years
graduated from seminary
believes the concept of family is under attack
supports the border wall
opposes abortion
opposes marriage equality
Scott Huffman (D)
Navy veteran, 25-year small business owner focusing on computer networking
supports direct cash benefits to individuals for Covid-19 relief
supports mask wearing and practices mask wearing
has used extra campaign funds to donate to organizations supporting relief efforts
understands internet and utility regulations
supports legal hemp and marijuana
NC State Senate District 24:
J.D. Wooten (D)
Air Force veteran and attorney
supports mask wearing and practices mask wearing
supports Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion
believes systemic racism is real and needs systemic solutions
does not directly address financial relief related to Covid-19
believes Covid-19 is real and a problem
has sued opponent Amy Galey for defamation related to mortgage fraud accusations
Amy S Galey ( R )
currently Alamance County Commissioner (since 2017)
supports mask wearing and practices mask wearing
specifically requested the county sheriff remove a community member from a public hearing
has voted in support of increasing school funding
campaigns a lot about being a “working mom”
does not discuss working outside of being county commissioner
NC House of Reps District 64: (District 64 is Elon, Gibsonville, Glen Raven, part of Burlington, and Swepsonville. District 63 is nearly all of Burlington, Graham, Haw River, and Alamance)
Dennis Riddell ( R ) *incumbent
has been NC house representative since 2013
has full resume on campaign website; former teacher and multiple small business owner
inconsistent mask practice
voted in favor of state-level support for small businesses harmed by Covid-19
supports voter ID law
discusses criminal justice reform platform in the way of de-criminalizing “entrepreneurial activity”
supports “traditional family”
participated in white power-aligned truck parade in September; claimed ignorance of this component of the event
Eric Henry (D)
small business owner, business is screen printing company focused on sustainability
inconsistent mask practice
supports Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion
strong focus on environmental sustainability
supports strong local small business economy
supports a living wage
County offices for Alamance County:
Board of Commissioners - pick three
John Paisley Jr ( R )
no website, just Facebook page
refuses to support or speak against removal of confederate statue from county courthouse
attorney
does not practice mask wearing
has aligned campaign with President Trump’s reelection campaign
Kristen Powers (D)
splash page gives option of website in English or Spanish
supports moving confederate statue off county land
grew up on farm, unclear on the rest of background
surveyed residents to establish platform
into racial equality, public education, affordable housing, living wage for county employees, environmental protection
recognized campaign manager’s birthday on Facebook
supports early voting
Pamela Tyler Thompson ( R )
currently on the Alamance-Burlington board of education
opposes Snow Camp mine
stated “the statue is not real” when discussing position on confederate statues
does not believe in systemic racism
supports a lot of building projects, including a youth detention center
Bob Byrd (D)
was Alamance County commissioner 2014-2018
opposes confederate statues
worked at Alamance Regional Medical Center in administration
very into music
wife goes to church
supports policies and programs for: healthy living, education, racial inclusiveness, reducing prison population of the mentally ill, strategic planning for the county, sustainable business growth
supports early voting
Dreama J Caldwell (D)
no campaign website, just Facebook
worked in education and hospitality
supports moving confederate statue off county land
profiled in a story about the current bail system
was incarcerated for something an employee did
William (Bill) Lashley ( R ) *son of current commissioner William Lashley
no campaign website, just Facebook, and nearly empty
distrusts masks
has done very little campaigning, possibly hoping to win based on having same name as father who is current county commissioner
summarizes platform as “vote for conservatives to lower taxes and crime”
references bill of rights as being given by “Creator” not government
opposes bail reform
Register of Deeds
David Barber ( R ) *previously Register of Deeds
running unopposed
register of deeds 2004-2011, clerk of superior court for Alamance co 2010-2018
implemented online records for land deeds
supports expanding online access for non-certified records
not much campaign spending, which is reasonable for this kind of election
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor
David Michael Spruill *incumbent
has been on the Soil & Water board since 2012
passionate about funding education and growing business opportunities in Alamance County
deeply involved in the community including work with formerly incarcerated individuals, elder advocacy, childhood education, and business development
Barrett Brown
99% sure this is the same Barrett Brown who is the head of the Alamance County chapter of the NAACP
no information about soil and water board race
endorsed by the Alamance County Democratic Party
Willie Holliday
cannot find anything about this candidate
NC District Court Judge District 15A Seat 2:
Larry Brown (D) *incumbent
has been a district court judge since 2017
running unopposed
previously was an assistant DA and a solo legal practitioner including criminal defense
active volunteer
minimal campaigning, not even on Facebook
NC District Court Judge District 15A Seat 3:
Rick Champion ( R )
ran and lost in 2014
has two campaign websites, both built on Wordpress, both built in Jan-Feb 2020
active campaigner on Facebook
campaign slogan is “no training required”, but is not currently a judge
soliciting “election volunteers” on website via Google form; unclear if this is in conjunction with the Board of Elections
Doug Green (D)
currently assistant DA
has practiced in NC and FL
minimal campaign website active campaigner on Facebook
participated in Zoom discussion legal and judicial philosophy
believes there are societal factors that contribute to criminal activity
active community volunteer
NC District Court Judge District 15A Seat 4:
Kathryn Whitaker (Katie) Overby (D) *incumbent
has been a district court judge since 2011
running unopposed
minimal campaigning, has a Facebook campaign page, last post was thanking voters for 2016 re-election. Before that, some nice messages around voter turnout and thanks for election in 2012
in 2012 was well rated by fellow members of the NC Bar Association
Alamance-Burlington Board of Education - pick four
Dayson Paison
teacher (science), administrator around inclusivity, and Spanish speaker
Seneca Rogers
not a teacher, volunteer school sports coach, education enthusiast
Patsy Simpson *incumbent
been on the board since 2008, not a teacher, worked at the IRS for 37 years
made a sardonic comment on Facebook after Pres Trump tested positive for Covid-19 which became a local news story
Donna Davis Westbrooks
teacher and administrator looking to give back in retirement
Ryan Bowden
not a teacher, firefighter and HVAC technician, passionate about student safety, trade schools, and accessibility in education
John Coleman
not a teacher, passionate about school community and funding
Cathy Dickens
not a teacher, passionate about education and combating bullying in schools
Sandy Ellington-Graves
not a teacher, realtor, volunteer with the school system and other community organizations, believes that increasing school quality and funding will benefit all community members
Brian Feeley *incumbent
been on the board since 2016, not a teacher, professional background in internship placement and alumni engagement, broad interest in better schools, supports both school resource officers and mental health professionals in schools
Paula Harrison
retired teacher of 38 years, 33 of which in ABSS schools, passionate about improving education
Linda Roach Kinney
substitute teacher and hairdresser, school volunteer, passionate about improving school experience and options for post-graduation success
