He didn’t win in his home county, but political newcomer Frank Sossamon unseated incumbent Terry Garrison to win the District 32 seat in the N.C. House.
And shortly after learning of his victory Tuesday evening, Sossamon told WIZS News that his election was a grassroots effort.
“The people realized it was time for a change,” Sossamon said, adding that he looks forward to advancing the district economically, and advancing the community in a wholesome way. He also said he wants to put some “real teeth” in the law that punishes those who kill law enforcement officers. He said he would be in favor of the death penalty for those who take the lives of law enforcement officers.
The criminal element in District 32, Sossamon said, is “no longer welcome in our community. I will do whatever I have to do to make us crime free,” he added. “It’s time for us to clean up our neighborhoods.”
Final election results posted on the N.C. State Board of Elections website had Sossamon with 14,107 votes – 51.39 percent – to Garrison’s 13,342 – 48.61 percent.
Garrison said, despite the loss, he is optimistic for the future. In a phone interview with WIZS Tuesday evening, he said he was grateful for the opportunity he has had to serve the public.
The recent redistricting affected the race, he said. “When I lost Warren County, that was a big loss,” he said.
Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame has won a second term, soundly defeating challenger Patrick Bailey in Tuesday’s midterm elections, leading the way for other incumbents in numerous local races. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Brame, a Democrat, got 8,422 votes, compared to 4,558 votes for Bailey, a Republican.
Democrat Randy Oxendine is the winner over challenger Charlie Baskerville for Vance County Board of Education District 2, receiving 63 percent of the vote. Baskerville got 37 percent of voters.
Candidates for Vance County Board of Commissioners ran unopposed – Sean Alston in District 3, Dan Brummitt in District 4 and Tommy Hester in District 7 – and were re-elected in Tuesday’s election.
In a phone interview Tuesday evening, Brame said he was relieved upon hearing the results that give him a second term as sheriff. “I can breathe,” Brame said. He underscored the need for collaboration and for the citizens of Vance County “to take ownership of your community.”
Oxendine won a seat on the Vance County Board of Education and he told WIZS News Tuesday that he feels he is “stepping in” to a role previously held by his wife. “I almost feel like I’ve already been on the board,” Oxendine said, reflecting on his win over challenger Charlie Baskerville. Oxendine’s wife previously held the seat, but when she announced that she would not seek another term, her husband threw his hat into the ring.
In some other results that affect Vance County and surrounding counties:
- Democrat Don Davis defeated Republican Sandy Smith in the U.S. House District 1 race, which opened up when G.K. Butterfield announced he would not seek another term.
- Although Democrat Cheri Beasley won in Vance County by more than 2,000 votes, she lost her bid for U.S. Senate to Republican Ted Budd.
- In the race for N.C. Senate District 11, Republican Lisa Barnes defeated Democrat Mark Speed (46 percent).
- In the race for Granville County Sheriff, Democrat Robert Fountain Jr. earned 38.55 percent of the vote, followed by Chris Smoot (unaffiliated) with 32.9 percent and Republican Vance Johnson with 28.55 percent of the vote.
- Political newcomer and Democrat Mary Wills Bode defeated E.C. Sykes for the newly drawn N.C. Senate District 18, which includes all of Granville County and a small portion of Wake County. Although Sykes received more votes in Granville County, Bode’s numbers from the southernmost precincts in Wake County swung the race in her favor. Final figures, according to the state board of elections, had Bode with 41,979 votes and Sykes with 37,925.