Michael Lee won 51% of the vote, defeating Morgan, who won 48%. Most of the precincts throughout New Hanover County went to Lee, though Marcia Morgan did well in the downtown Wilmington area.
This would be Lee’s fourth full term. He says his experience is what spoke to voters.
“Letting people know what my track record has been in the three terms that I've served," he said. "I think once people saw that, and realized some of the things that we were able to accomplish, not just on a statewide level but really in particular with New Hanover County, that we started to really see this groundswell of support.”
Going into another term, Lee says he’ll continue focusing on economic development and environmental issues, as well as statewide education issues that affect New Hanover County.
These preliminary results will be finalized at the county canvass on November 18.
