Of the five candidates competing in the GOP primary, the top vote-getter was David Perry, followed by Natosha Tew, then Nikki Bascome. Dr. Kimberly McDuffie Murphy and Aubrey Tuell are not moving forward (at least, not without a serious shift in votes after preliminary results reported Tuesday night).
At a candidate forumwith media outlets, Perry said he’s a strong constitutional conservative — and that he’d pursue more transparency within the school system.
“Because the fact is that we have a school administration, and some teachers, but mostly a school administration that thinks that they can raise your kids better than you can. Well, they can't,” Perry said.
Perry, Tew, and Bascome will face off against the Democratic candidates Dr. Tim Merrick, former school board member Judy Justice, and newcomer Jerry Jones, who all beat out Democrat Cynthia Munoz. General Election Day is November 5th.
Munoz stopped campaigning in January. One of the reasons she cited was party in-fighting.
Incumbent board members Hugh McManus, Stephanie Kraybill, and Stephanie Walker did not pursue their seats. Walker is running for a spot on the New Hanover County Commission.
Vote tallies will be finalized at the county canvass on Friday, March 15. Find more of WHQR’s election reporting here.
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