The message was sent loud and clear here Tuesday – citizens of Judicial District 6B are apparently pleased with the area’s top prosecutor.

Incumbent District Attorney Valerie Asbell was the overwhelming choice in the three-county district (Bertie, Hertford and Northampton) as she soundly defeated challenger Gregory L. Perry in the Democratic Primary.

With no Republican opposition in November’s General Election, Asbell will continue in a position she earned over a decade ago.

Asbell’s margin of victory was impressive, according to the unofficial numbers from the Board of Elections offices in each of the three counties. She totaled 7,877 votes compared to Perry’s 1,973. That translated into 79.9 percent of the total vote for Asbell as a combined 9,850 voters in the three counties cast ballots in the DA’s race.

The county-by-county breakdown of the unofficial vote is as follows:

Bertie: Asbell – 2,771; Perry – 546

Hertford: Asbell – 2,143; Perry – 281

Northampton: Asbell – 2,963; Perry – 1,146

In the process of sweeping all three counties, Asbell bested Perry in each of the 43 total voting precincts in the district. She also dominated the One-Stop voting process in all three counties where she picked-up 1,221 total votes compared to 394 for Perry.

She was named on 200 or more ballots in each of the following precincts:

Bertie: Windsor 1 (441) and Colerain 2 (289).

Hertford: Murfreesboro 1 (338); Ahoskie 1 (294) and Ahoskie 2 (233).

Northampton: Rich Square (284); Garysburg (263); Gaston (251); and Conway (241).

For Asbell, she said it was an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of District 6B.

“I am so honored that the citizens of these three counties have chosen to speak out in such a loud manner,” said Asbell shortly past 10 p.m. on Tuesday night upon waiting for the final numbers to come in.

“They apparently like what they have as a District Attorney,” she continued. “I have a lot of gratitude for these citizens coming out and overwhelmingly supporting me in this fashion. I will continue to serve them in the same manner I have in the past and will continue to improve in every way that I can.”

Asbell said the election outcome was “humbling.”

“To be an elected official is difficult in what we what we have to do….elected to serve citizens in three counties,” she noted. “I believe I serve all the people, not just the ones who came out and supported me.”

Boasting of an outstanding conviction record as a prosecutor, Asbell said she felt that experience does count in the District Attorney’s office.

“It helps to have continuity in this position,” she concluded. “We serve victims…we are a victim-oriented District Attorney’s office. And to keep those victims apprised of their cases and ensure that they are being served at the highest level, it’s best to keep continuity in this office. Even if these results had of been different, I would have continued to serve the citizens of these three counties to the best of my ability until the end of my term in November, as any good public servant should do.”