Political hopefuls for local, state and federal offices began filing for the 2018 election season on Feb. 12. Fifteen candidates, most of them Democrats, have thrown their hats into the ring for offices elected in Buncombe County as of 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, according to a list generated by Buncombe County Election Services.
The sea of blue includes challengers Catori Swann, Taylon Breeden and Amanda Edwards, who are running for seats on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Swann and Breeden are vying for a seat in District 3 that is currently held by Republican Robert Pressley. Edwards is seeking the District 2 seat currently held by Democrat Ellen Frost, who has said she will not run for re-election. Incumbent Democrat Al Whitesides has also filed for re-election for his seat on the board for District 1.
Incumbent District Attorney Todd Williams has also filed to run for re-election as district attorney for District 40. Williams is a Democrat.
Democratic Reps. Susan Fisher, John Ager and Brian Turner have filed for re-election to the N.C. House of Representatives for Districts 114, 115 and 116, respectively. Sen. Terry Van Duyn of Asheville, a Democrat, filed for re-election in District 49, while Hendersonville Sen. Chuck Edwards, a Republican, filed for re-election in District 48.
Democratic challengers David Wilson Brown of McAdenville and Phillip Price of Nebo have filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives — Brown in District 10 and Price in District 11. Republican challenger Gina Collias of Kings Mountain has also entered the race for the District 10 seat. Rep. Patrick McHenry currently represents the 10th District, while Rep. Mark Meadows represents the 11th; both are Republicans.
Additionally, two candidates so far have filed to replace outgoing Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan — Democrat Randy Smart and Libertarian Michael Morgan.
The filing period for federal, state and local offices will end Wednesday, Feb. 28 at noon. Primary elections will occur on Tuesday, May 8, with the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
For a regularly updated list of candidate filings, visit the county Elections Services webpage, and for a list of available offices and filling fees click here.
